Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-23
Editors Letter Box
From One Who Fears Idleress

Mr.. Editor.
With your permission l would like
70 state few facts in regard to child
labor. l have had is years of expert
cree in factory and Shoe factory life
| was the youngest of a large family
Of children. 1T the age of II years |
chose to 60 to work to care for myself
and help my poor old parents who
We're getting alons in years and had
worked very hard all their lives to
bring US children up to where we
could take care of ourselves and at
the same time give the old people the
help they deserved from us. l worked
oneYear in the cotton factory and
then went into the shoe factory. In
All those years ] never saw a child
overworked or abused. To be sure
we worked 10 hours. We simply at
tended to our work. We didn't have
time to play ball or leap-frog or
jump rope. We had no time to waste
but we We're happy in the thought
that we were independent and earn
ing our own living-our own money,
doing something useful, relieving our
dear old parents from the care and
strain they had borne to bring us up
m ambition every child has, or should
have. Even the boy at 10 years has
a desire to earn a few pennies, They
used to save their earnings but how
is it today? The law says, no work
till 1G years of age. No trades, no
work TIL is years in the amendment.
What young man or girl will have
any courage to try to learn anything
at that advanced age and if they are
brought up in idleness till then they
Will have no desire to work. and
through no fault of their own, and
cannot raise a voice in protest of the
injustice hcaped upon them by the
law How is it today? All play and
no work. No one works but father
and he only works eight hours and
| spends q good part of the other 16
hours at the auto wheel. But some
one must produce something. The
farmers must work not only eight
but often 16 hours a day; they must
have help. How happy we were on
the dear old farm where we could
help in so many ways. The factories
must have help; someone must work:
all can't be shirkerS, but those A-
llfters who have no business of their
own only to draw a big salary. and
never have done days work in their
lives are entering a wedge right in
to the heart of our home life, taking
away the liberty that our forefathers
fought for and left us freedom in the
home, the control of the parents over
their children and the home life. They
are placing a heavy burden on the
parents and curse on the children
a life of bondage up to IS years, the
very best Years of life. and when the
law gets that control it will be some
thing else. In early days they knew
how [" work. They married and
brought up their own children, had
happy homes: but today our divorce
courts are being filled by married peo-
PIE Who arc not fitted for home life
Simply because they haven't been
taught to work and cannot support
home. One of the sweetest places on
earth is the home where love reigns
To-day the State is paying out big
sum to take care of the children. If
the child labor law is passed what
will be the result? Many more chill
dren to be cared for and many thou
sands of dollars out of the tax payers
that already are over-burdened. Look
at the crimes of tbA youth today
What is the cause? Idleness. What
is the remedy? Gife them work in
stead Of spending SO much money in
the courts trying them. Spend it for
some industry to teach them how to
work and care for themselves. Don't
wait until is years Of age when they
set STEPPED in crime and idleness
Don't make Russian nation of our
beloved America, the best nation on