Evening star., 1932-02-27
CHILD ACTOR BILL
MEETS OPPOSITION
Simon Receives Protest of
National Child Labor
Committee.

Strenuous objections to the proposed
amendment to the District child labor
law, which would permit the employ
ment of children on the professional
stage as late as IL pm, was voiced
by the National Child Labor Committee
in letter to DR.. Abram Simon, presi-
dent of the Board of Education, and
received at the boards offices today.
Concurrent with receipt Of the letter
of protest, Henry Gilligan, chairman of
the School Boards Legislative Commit
tee, called meeting of his group for 3
o'clock Monday afternoon to consider
the proposed amendment. The Board
Of Education's interest in the amend
ment lies in the fact that it is the
enforcing agency of the law and the
amendment would place on the School
Board responsibility for determining
whether the child actor is being
adequately educated and, in effect, to
determine whether the play offends
public decency."
Committee Objects.
In its objection to the amendment
the National Child Labor Committee
expresses the belief that the change in
the bill would mean "a breakdown in
the protection afforded to children un-
der the present child labor law" Con-
tinuing. the committee writes:
For a Board of Education to under
take to differentiate between types OF
plays in which children may engage
involves it in issues which reach beyond
the question of the effect upon the chile
alone and raise, in the newspapers and
in the public mind generally, the whole
debatable question of censorship. Also
no matter what may be the judgment
of local Board of Education as tc
the effect upon a particular child of 9
particular performance, 1t is difficult
if not impossible, for that board to be
in a position to judge of the effect oi
the continual repetition of that per-
formance with the unnatural stress anc
strain of roadwork, lack of educational
opportunities while travelling, ETC., or
the basis of information obtainable dur
ing a 48-hour period in the one COM
munity in which it is proposed that the
child appear"
Lists Stage Notables.
1T1e committee doSeIUS 1uIbIlcI 5Ildl
it does not believe the appearance OF
young children on the stage Is essen
tial to their training for stage careers
1t supports this contention by submit
ting a list of leading stage performer;
who did not begin their careers unit
Is years of age. They cite Margaret
Anglin. Blanche Bates, Mrs. Leslie
Carter, Mary Mannering, Maxine Ell
/ lott Henry Miller, Otis Skinner, Rob.
ert Mantell, William Gillette, Marie
| Tempest, E. H. Sothern, William Faver.
sham and his wife, Julie Opp; Nance
| O'Neil, John Drew, Ethel Barrymore
Mrs. Patrick Campbell. Forbes Robert
son and Sir Henry Irving and his son
Henry D. Irving. Other arguments anc
oppositions listed by the committee in
clude the following:
The fact that II States have a mini.
mum age limit of IA or l6 years with
respect to theatrical performances; tht
fact that the appearance of children ir
travelling theatrical performances in.
wolves physical and moral hazard!
through hotel life, constant travelling
and excitement, frequent rehearsals anc
| late hours unnatural to a young chile
dependent upon proper sleep. food anc
rest for growth and the fact that the
White House Conference on Chile
Health and Protection held here ir
1880 specifically stated in its report
there seems to be no reason why
these standards for the employment oi
children in theatrical productions oi
all kinds should not be at least as high
| in regard to minimum age, education
and employment certificates, as fol
other occupations"
Women Fight Bill.
Social agencies, civic clubs and cit.
liens associations of the city wert
urged not to give their support to a
bill recently introduced in Congress tt
permit the appearance OF children OF
the stage here, in circular letter sem
out by the District of Columbia League
of Woman Voters yesterday.
The circular resulted from lettel
received from S. E. Cochran, manager
of the National Theater asking in
dorsement of the bill and presenting
arguments in its favor.
"As a similar request for indorse.
ment has been received by other or.
ganizationS and may have been re.
ceived by yours" the circular states
the league wishes to call your atten.
ton to certain facts in regard to thi;
measure"
The proposed bill would do away
with the restrictions of our present
child labor law by allowing children
of any age to appear in travelling thea
trical productions up to IL o'clock al
night, it was asserted. According tc
the league, a permit provision such a:
is found in the bill, has been proved
elsewhere to be of little protection tc
the child.
The circular states that 'the ma
terial sent with this letter contains a
statement over Mr.. Cochrans sigma
ture that to the best of his knowledge
Washington is the only city in the
United States that forbids the appear
ance of a minor on the professional
stage. A minimum age limit of IA, 16
or 10 for employment on the stage is
fixed in II States. The White House
Conference recommended that the
standards for employment of children
in theatrical productions should be at
least as high as for other occupations,
which is the case in the District of
Columbia.
The uniform child labor law, adopted
by the Conference of Commissioners on
Uniform State Laws in 1880, lists en-
ployment on the stage among hazardous
occupations and fixes a minimum age