WHY PERMITTING "CHILD LABOUR IS A GRAVE ECONOMIC MISTAKE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13586, 7 May 1906, Page 10

WHY PERMITTING "CHILD LABOUR IS A GRAVE ECONOMIC MISTAKE.

(By John Coleman, in an American paper.)

Here is a conversational fragment frequently heard at the casual meeting of two friends and neighbours: "Where's that boy of yours these days? He imd my boy used to be inseparable playmates, but we haven't seen Johnny for an age."

"Oh, Johnny has no time to play now,'" is the seemingly careless but really pleased answer. "He's working afternoons and Saturdays, and it takes him all Sunday to get rested. I couldn't get him tho wheel ho wanted, just now, so I gave him permission to earn it, provided lie keeps up his school record, and he has managed to do that so far " "A great- worker is Johnny, too," the proud father usually adds. He doe,s not add, perhaps does not know, that Johnny's chances of being "a great worker" in his adult days are being materially lessened by his present efforts. Ruskh was of the opinion that let a man once overwork, by ever so little, and he has for ever diminished his ordinary working capacity. Recent, scientific experiments have proved, this theory true, at least in basis and implication. When somo yeare ago Jane Addams, Florence Kelley," and other child-loving sociologists began an earnest crusade against the evil of Illinois child labour, their strongest plea and argument was based on the knowledge that the child worked too soon makes but a poor adult worker, the zest and freshness of his productive or creative energy, as the flower of his youthful strength, having been exhausted" in the period of premature toil, Slight observations will confirm this knowledge. ■ Watch the young people, but recently child workers, pouring out of a largo store or factory, and note their thin faces, listless movements, air of general physical, if not mental and spiritual, depression. Child prodigies rarely attain to more than moderate success, during adultship, The abnormally brilliant grammar school student y,carries cleverness up to college but seldom. The high sclwol genius frequently loses ground in his third year.

— Growing is a Task 111 Itself.—

All these facts are well known, yet there are few economic mistakes more prevalent than that of allowing ambitious children—particularly, perhaps, ambitious boys—to go to work too early. Not only is this true of the pool - , wlioso children must become wage-earnere at the earliest possible moment, but numbers of boys quite comfortably situated work before and after school, on Saturday, sometimes even on Sunday, for the sake of a little money not sorely needed, the pleasure of the workers, the pride of the parents. Such ill-advised toil almost inevitably must result in decreased working force a few yours Inter, if not serious depletion of all the productive powers.

Nature herself, in arranging for the boy's normal progress, has given him a "growing task" that needs all his energy, latent and seemingly superfluous, no less than ordinary and apparent. To this task is superadded the necessary but non<> the less artificial nroccss of scholastic education. What folly, then, to tax this already heavily loaded human machine with still a third burden of additional labour? Better, far better, that a. boy should lack the wheel, the pony, the new suit of clothes desired, than that ho should earn them by toil for which lie is so little fitted. The fact that the boy himself wishes to do the extra work no more' justifies allowing him to do it than tlio fact of an inordinate love of sweets would justify the adoption of an entirely saccharins diet. If only for economic reasons the premature overwork of the bright and eager boy should be restrained.

The raiser of fine horses, the trained horticulturist, would never allow the premature racing or fruitage of their- cherished possessions. They know too well at what, excessive cost too early honours are attained. Only the embryo man—creation's superlative effort—is allowed to so endanger future abilities and possibilities of success. All other valuable animals are held back from excessive or too arduous effort until the time for perfected strength. — Boy Needs Vacation Time.— The question of vacation work is a, little different-, but even this is of doubtful value. Play time—tune in which to run wild and gather tho abundant reserve energy sure to be needed in the combined tasks of growing and gathering knowledge —is an absolute necessity for tho successful development of fine physical manhood. If vacation work is allowed it should be so regulated as to leave plenty of time for sleep, for outdoor exercise, with at least a reasonable margin of absolutely unoccupied hours.

Tho clever fourteen-year-old son of a "self-made" Chicago father last summer worked'through the entire vacation season in that father's office, replacing, in turn, each clerk or other non-specialised employee who went away on the brief holiday not considered necessary for the bov.

"Pshaw! He likes it, and it won't hurt him! I worked harder at his age, and I haven't- stopped yet, and few men of my age are more healthy! Besides, he's doing fine!"

This was the incredulous, obstinate response that met the remonstrances of the anxious mother, and the boy, upheld, by pride and his father's praises, strove willingly 011 until time for the resumption of his school duties. Here were two grave economic blunders. The work, if requiring the services of men as a rale, should not have been "carried," even during the "light" season, by a growing boy. Tf performed by a boy at all a boy really needing the weekly pittance should have been chosen. As it was. the bankbook over which the proud father gloated and chuckled witi his friends small* cm-.

solation to tho jaded boy, who presently found himself umvontedly Mplcss when confronted by his ordinary class work, nor to the troubled teacher who mast, laboiiously "pitll up to grade" tie tirod brain that, revolting from tasks for which it had been quite unfitted by the summer's unsuitable effort, was no longer "doing fine."

— Prematuro Work is Overlooked.—

Tho theory that "a boy is bettor at work than idle and getting into mischief' may contain some truth—especially for the Parents; but it is at best a dangerous doctrine, scarcely to be encouraged. The growing boy doing full school work has small clianco of much idlo time, unless marked by the speciously brilliant mentality that; facilitator the absorption of surface knowledge. In such case ho should bo especially guarded from the danger of overwork in any direction, while durinc vacation season idleness—as meaning total release from accustomed duties—is urgently needed. Extra work almost inevitably means a regrettable, though perhaps imperceptible, decrease of tho reserve vitality, a corresponding decrease in tho probable good work of the future. The boy may not at once grow thin, nervous, or ill-tempered, but ho will Jiono tho less pay the penalty sooner or later of the still undeveloped capacities prematurely overtaxed.

To this rule there aro few exceptions, aa parents inclined to put boys too early to work or finding it difficult to restrain them from non-scEolasfcic effort should consider. Prematura work is premature overwork, nearly always, And eager, ambitious Johnny, rising early and toiling lato to amass a few dollare to buy himself some article not really needed, is purchasing a trivial present success dearly, selling import-ant success chances for th# .future at a rate pitiably low.