The day book. [volume], April 12, 1915, NOON EDITION, Image 2

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
that these girls after a few years be
come salesgirls, but the large major
ity when they are too old for chil
dren's tasks seek employment in low
grade factories because they are un
Itted for any special line of work.
"Few of the children- employed in
this work learn anything of perma1
nent value. They are doing work
which requires only a slight degree of
ikill. When they have spent the
'ears of childhood in dreary toil they
ire doomed to continue in work that
5 unskilled and monotonous and
with little increase in wages-
"From 12,000 to 16,000 children
nder 16 years of age leave school in
Chicago each year and go into un
skilled work. They go into box fac
tories, where they 'turn in,' 'cover,'
bind' and 'tie.' In candy factories
"hey wrap and pack. In low grade
tailor shops they pull bastings and
srush.
"In department stores they are
nployed as cash girls, inspectors,
tock boys, messengers. In boot and
hoe factories they cut out threads,
)ohsh and clean shoes, tag, lace and
issemble parts of shoes. In engrav
ing shops they feed a. hand machine.
In moulding and picture frame fac
tories they wrap and carry moulding.
In knitting mills they sort, count, tie
-od label. In laundries they shalte
inaiuar.K. uiumes. in uuuk umaenes
bey fold or feed a wire stitching ma
chine. In novelty shops they sort,
count and tie tags. In bakeries they
pack and label.
work. The parents of these children
are cheated because the wages ate
low in these early years and health
is hurt, and most of 'em end in blind
alley work without any hope ahead.
"The test of any work is not wheth
er children can do it, but what it does
to the child. The mechanical, monot
onous toil dulls the intellect. The
stupidity of which I have heard so
many employers complain increases
as the days go by. These children
go into work for which they are phys
ically unfitted. Too often I have,
heard them complain of weanness.
Many a. child I have see drop out of
industry because rheumatism, heart
trouble, tuberculosis or other diseas
es came. The speeding up processes
produce nervous fatigue and exhaustion."
THOMPSON FOR THE KIDS AND
WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM
Mayor-elect Wm. Hale Thompson
at South Park av. Methodist Church,
Sunday night said:
"Some call me a sportsman. Oth
ers call me a sport. I do not care
what they call me but every time I
can add a playground or a baseball
field or a tennis court to the city's
possessions I am going to do it.
"Give the boys and girls a chance
to go where they learn to do right.
Take them out of the alleys and ash
barrels into tha playgrounds. Give
them athletic fields. Give them a
A few are employed ! place where they can get out into the
in press chpping bureaus, where they open air.
clip items from newspapers. Many
go into soap factories where they
wrap soap." !
Miss Davis argues that both em- I
ployers and parents are cheated in
"As mayor of Chicago, I will do my
best as God gives me the light to see
the right. I will try to Be fair and just
to all.
"I will keep my ear close to the
this game of taking the children early ' ground to try to learn the wishes of
m lite ana putting tnem at work the majonty Having learned it, I
that doesn't look ahead and train will act.
them. The employers wonder why ' "I want you to help me. I am under
there are so few skilled workers avail- no obligation to any politician or any
able. Miss Davis says: "It's because interest. I am free to do what I be
so many have been taken young and lieve to be 'the ritrht thino- kn do. I
put where they don't learn skilled j appeal to you to sTipport me."
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