The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-28

account for the problem of homeless
children in the Soviet Union: (D
The direct heritage from czarism and
capitalism; ~ the imperialist and
civil war; (3) the famine of 1921.
First, there is a direct heritage
from czarism and capitalism in chill
dren of those elements so submerged
by capitalist misery that they do not
at once respond to the new condi-
tions of the proletarian state, espe-
cially since in the beginning all eff
forts must be concentrated so sharp
ly on the fight for life against the
imperialist foes that, despite the best
of intentions, proletarian social well
fare work must wait.
Also In America.
All countries will bequeath such
a heritage to their young proletarian
dictatorship. An American writer
recently boosted that, thanks to the
force, 100000 children who would
not otherwise have been provided for
on Christmas day were given big
feed in the police stations" (Fosdick,
American Police Systems".)
The Philadelphia Bureau of Chill
dren has stated that "about 100000
children in Pennsylvania need some
form of care, either public or private,
away from their own homes or with
/ in their own homes under mothers
assistance" (''The Annals of the
American Academy Of Political and
Social Science" Sept, 1925, p. 1897
But the Russian load was an espe-
cially heavy one. Prof Gernet states
that the number of families below
the poverty line in Petersburg alone
4 in 1914 amounted to almost $4,000,
and that by 1916 this had risen to
$4,000 Estimating two children per
family we have a potential army of
waits of staggering size in the
former capital alone, an army great
err than the total still to be cared for
throughout the whole Soviet realm
a sixth of the earth.
American Child Workers.
In shedding it's crocodile tears
over the boys on Russian streets on
winter nights, the American press
loses sight of it's own army of chill
dren engaged in the so-called street
trades" euphemism which hides a
large part of the "bezprezhorni'
problem in capitalist countries. Even
in rich America two million children
must work for their living which is
condition from which Soviet Russia
is happily free. Adults only sell
newspapers and deliver kilograms,
special delivery letters, packages,
etc. The adult cobbler is the only
bootblack. The boys and girls go to
school until it is time to continue
their training in the industries.
But in America, the 1928 report of
the chief of the childrens' bureau, de-
partment of labor Up. 16), states that
in the American city of Wilkes-Barre,
for instance, five out of every hun
dred school children are engaged in
"street trades" half of them under
the age of IL, even though the state
law expressly forbids such employ
ment to boys under IA.
Under-aged Newsies.
One-fifth of the newsboys were
under 10 years Of age-and "new-
sizes" are reported to furnish sc per
cent of the reform school inmates in
New York, rs per cent in Phiiadel-
phia. In the 1920 official report of
the same "children's bureau" Up. 22),
we are told that in mining town
"2s of the boys and u of the girls
had worked-family need was the
reason most frequently given for the
children leaving and going to work
nearly y of the fathers had had
periods of unemployment during the
year and one-fifth had met with ac-
cidents at their work."
Capitalism Breaks Family.
The effect of capitalist family re.
lationships and of the street environ.
ment on American child slaves will
be gone into later in taking up the
false press charges that the problem
of the Russian waif is "a distressing
result of the Bolshevik efforts tt
destroy the family and the church.
For the present it is enough to show
that the streets of capitalist coun
tries are by no means clear of chill
dren on wintry nights.
Worst In Colonies.
Bad as conditions are in the more
developed metropolis, they are ever
worse in the colonies where capital
list exploitation lays its most ruth
less hand. Thus the 1922 report Of
the children's bureau admits Up. 19)
"A large group of homeless children
estimated at 10000, constitute {
pressing problem Of dependency il
Porto Rico. The bureau made 8
schedule study Of considerable
number of these children, which re-
vealed not only their present need.
but some of the causes which made
them homeless. Interest has beer
aroused among official and unofficia
agencies =" At that time this
was by no means a new problem be
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