Child Labor in City StreetsClopper, Edward Nicholas
History
Child Labor in City Streets
Clopper, Edward Nicholas
Child labor
For the purpose of clearly defining the connection between occupation
and delinquency, and determining whether the delinquency inheres in
the occupation or in the conditions under which it is carried on,
there were selected six kinds of employments which are generally
looked upon by social workers as morally unsafe for children, and a
comparison was made of conditions as to the parentage, home
surroundings, etc., prevailing among the workers in these occupations,
the working delinquents generally, and the whole body of delinquents,
both working and non-working. Of the delinquent boys under twelve
years engaged in these six groups of employments (delivery and errand
boys, newsboys and bootblacks, office boys, street vendors, telegraph
messengers and in amusement resorts), nearly three-fourths were found
to be newsboys and bootblacks. As four-fifths of the working
delinquents under twelve years of age in all occupations are found in
these six groups, it is evident that this class is largely responsible
for the employment of young boys, and "comparing these figures with
those for the working delinquents in all occupations we find that 58.6
per cent, or nearly three-fifths of all the working delinquents up to
twelve, come from among the newsboys."[120]
It was found that 54.6 per cent of all the working delinquents had
both parents living, while newsboys and bootblacks, street vendors and
telegraph messengers were found to be more fortunate in this respect
than the great mass of working delinquents, even surpassing the whole
body of delinquents, working and non-working. As the report says, "One
so frequently hears of the newsboy who has no one but himself to look
to that it is rather a surprise to find that the orphaned or deserted
child appears among them only about half as often relatively as among
the whole group of workers."[121]
Of the delinquent delivery and errand boys, 78.9 per cent were found
to have fair or good homes, of the newsboys and bootblacks 75.8 per
cent, of the street vendors 65 per cent, and of the telegraph
messengers 78.9 per cent, and in this connection the report declares,
"Certainly the predominance of these selected occupations among the
employments of delinquents cannot be explained by the home conditions
of the children entering them."[122]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account