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CHILD LABOUR AND ITS HYGIENIC ASPECTS.
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.
Such assistance would be invaluable on the West Coast of Africa, for instance ; there would probably always have to be a European nurse in charge, but trained native women would find a wide field of usefulness.
nurses.
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.
1309
occupations for boys consisted of agricultural labour, in which 6115 were employed; selling newspapers in the streets, in which 15,182 were engaged; and odd jobs, including carrying dinners and rousing workmen early in the morning, which gave occupation to 19,263, while 76,173 were engaged in working in shops. Some examples given Sir John Gorst for themselves. A boy, aged by speak
10 years, worked as a farm labourer 72 hours a week for a wage of 3s. ;; a boy, aged 12 years, was engaged in a druggist’s shop in London 78 hours a week for a wage of 5s. ;another little labourer, aged 12 years, worked 87 hours a week for half-a-crown ; and a little girl worked 72 hours a week in a shop earning 2s. a week. A boy, aged 12 years, was a greengrocer’s assistant and had to start from London at 2.30 A.M. on his duties, returning home about 9.30 A.M., when he went to school. It is said of another boy that he rose between 3 A.M. and 4 A.M. every morning and started on his rounds at 4.30 A.M. to waken 25 working-men. He returned from his rounds at 5.30 A.M. but did not go to bed, as he went out from 6 A.M. to 9 A.M. selling or distributing newspapers. After this he attended school, where he was described as a very regular boy in his attendance but often half asleep and unfit for receiving intellectual, instruction. The effects of this extra-mural labour and theselong hours have been pointed out already in our previous. observations already alluded to. "Probably some die as. a direct result of the severity of the toil infficted upon them, during their early years, and certainly many more of them, must become a permanent and heavy charge upon the public , purse because of the physical incapacity resulting from the of their These are the grave words early experiences." rigour in a embodied these children which was laid CHILD LABOUR AND ITS HYGIENIC ASPECTS. report concerning Board on Feb. 16th last. The inquiries before the School THE problem of child labour in its hygienic aspects, to made since then have but served to amplify and confirm which attention was called in our columns a short time ago,l this. Sir John Gorst described the sufferings of these has now entered upon a more public and perhaps more overworked and underfed children in passages which were important phase. It was referred to and dealt with in genuinely eloquent and profoundly touching. These little some detail by Sir John Gorst, the Vice-President of the slaves were brought out one by one with every detail in their Council of Education, when submitting the Education and wretched lives as if under an electric light and the Estimates, in his speech on April 28th last, and must squalid was one to haunt the memory for many a day after. picture invite the serious consideration of authorities on educaof various kinds have been made to obviate or Proposals tion and legislators as well as of the public generally. this evil. These boys and girls are destined to be Since attention was first drawn by Sir John Gorst to this mitigate the future parents of generations to come and it is well that. subject in Parliament last year returns had been received should be physically and mentally able and vigorous so from nearly all the 20,000 board schools of England and they that they may be the parents of healthy children. The Wales in reply to inquiries issued from the Education future of a large section of the community demands that. Department. "They were painful and sickening returns,’’ their lives shall be made healthier and better. It has been. said the speaker, " casting a lurid light upon the social con that Parliament should prohibit child labour for ditions of large classes of the population and propounding a suggested children of school age. This, perhaps, is too drastic a prodifficult and complicated problem for Governments and It might well come within the scope of county Parliaments to ponder over." Thus of 144,000 children on posal. councils to frame by-laws preventing the labour of, say, the school books as full-time scholars, 110,000 boys and children under 12 years before 8 A.M. and after 8 P.M. 34,000 girls were engaged as labourers out of school hours for and to limit the total hours of labour per week to, say, not wages and profit. The great bulk of these were, as the returns more than 20 hours. But public opinion also must be showed, children of tender years and the labour that many of educated before be enacted and in this as in can legislation them were engaged in was excessive and beyond their powers. so many other respects an enlightened public opinion will: Thus 6268 children were employed from 10 to 20 hours a be a most important factor for good. week, 27,000 from 20 to 30 hours, 9778 from 30 to 40 hours, 2390 from 40 to 50 hours, and 730 worked over 50 hours a week. One little boy worked 23! hours a week as an underA NEW DEPARTURE IN HOSPITAL APPEALS. taker’s assistant at the gruesome task of measuring corpses THE Board of Management of the National Hospital for the and received ls. a week for his labour. A boy, aged six Paralysed and Epileptic, Queen-square, Bloomsbury, have years, worked for 20 hours a week peeling onions at a weekly issued an appeal which, like the address in the Comwage of 8d., another delivered milk for 28 hours a week and mination is made up of a series of originally Service, received 2s. A girl under six years of age worked 35 hours disconnected te$ts." In this case they are utterances a week as a milk-carrier for her parents ; and another girl from the lips of various eminent men who have from under six years of age worked 16 hours a week for ld. A time to time advocated the claims of the charity. They . nurse-girl (sic) under six years of age was employed 29 are blended into one harmonious whole and should cerhours a week for 2. and her food. Others were employed tainly help to enlist the sympathies of the charitable. The in laundry work, basket-making, minding babies, &c. Another novel feature is a scheme to return to donors
OWING to the fact that the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England is elected annually on the second Thursday in July, while the members of Council are elected on the first Thursday, it is theoretically possible that the President might cease to be a member of the Council one week before he would cease to be President. To obviate this difficulty Section 2 of the Charter of the 15th Victoria enacts that the President under such circumstances shall remain a member of the Council for one year longer without reelection. This year the term of office of the President (Sir William Mac Cormac, Bart., K.C.V.0.) as a member of Council comes to an end before his term of office as President and his membership of the Council will consequently be prolonged until July, 1900. It is interesting to recall the only other occasions on which this rule has come into operation. They are three in number-viz., (1) Mr. Thomas Wormald, President, 1865-66, did not retire from the Council till 1867 ; (2) Mr. Richard Partridge, President 1866-67, did not retire till 1868; and (3) Mr. Edward Cock, President 1869-70, did not retire until 1871. Each of the above gentlemen would have retired a year earlier in the course of ordinary rotation.
1
THE LANCET, March 11th,
1899,
p. 707.
’’
unable to sacrifice present income but desirous to benefit
Such assistance would be invaluable on the West Coast of Africa, for instance ; there would probably always have to be a European nurse in charge, but trained native women would find a wide field of usefulness.
nurses.
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.
1309
occupations for boys consisted of agricultural labour, in which 6115 were employed; selling newspapers in the streets, in which 15,182 were engaged; and odd jobs, including carrying dinners and rousing workmen early in the morning, which gave occupation to 19,263, while 76,173 were engaged in working in shops. Some examples given Sir John Gorst for themselves. A boy, aged by speak
10 years, worked as a farm labourer 72 hours a week for a wage of 3s. ;; a boy, aged 12 years, was engaged in a druggist’s shop in London 78 hours a week for a wage of 5s. ;another little labourer, aged 12 years, worked 87 hours a week for half-a-crown ; and a little girl worked 72 hours a week in a shop earning 2s. a week. A boy, aged 12 years, was a greengrocer’s assistant and had to start from London at 2.30 A.M. on his duties, returning home about 9.30 A.M., when he went to school. It is said of another boy that he rose between 3 A.M. and 4 A.M. every morning and started on his rounds at 4.30 A.M. to waken 25 working-men. He returned from his rounds at 5.30 A.M. but did not go to bed, as he went out from 6 A.M. to 9 A.M. selling or distributing newspapers. After this he attended school, where he was described as a very regular boy in his attendance but often half asleep and unfit for receiving intellectual, instruction. The effects of this extra-mural labour and theselong hours have been pointed out already in our previous. observations already alluded to. "Probably some die as. a direct result of the severity of the toil infficted upon them, during their early years, and certainly many more of them, must become a permanent and heavy charge upon the public , purse because of the physical incapacity resulting from the of their These are the grave words early experiences." rigour in a embodied these children which was laid CHILD LABOUR AND ITS HYGIENIC ASPECTS. report concerning Board on Feb. 16th last. The inquiries before the School THE problem of child labour in its hygienic aspects, to made since then have but served to amplify and confirm which attention was called in our columns a short time ago,l this. Sir John Gorst described the sufferings of these has now entered upon a more public and perhaps more overworked and underfed children in passages which were important phase. It was referred to and dealt with in genuinely eloquent and profoundly touching. These little some detail by Sir John Gorst, the Vice-President of the slaves were brought out one by one with every detail in their Council of Education, when submitting the Education and wretched lives as if under an electric light and the Estimates, in his speech on April 28th last, and must squalid was one to haunt the memory for many a day after. picture invite the serious consideration of authorities on educaof various kinds have been made to obviate or Proposals tion and legislators as well as of the public generally. this evil. These boys and girls are destined to be Since attention was first drawn by Sir John Gorst to this mitigate the future parents of generations to come and it is well that. subject in Parliament last year returns had been received should be physically and mentally able and vigorous so from nearly all the 20,000 board schools of England and they that they may be the parents of healthy children. The Wales in reply to inquiries issued from the Education future of a large section of the community demands that. Department. "They were painful and sickening returns,’’ their lives shall be made healthier and better. It has been. said the speaker, " casting a lurid light upon the social con that Parliament should prohibit child labour for ditions of large classes of the population and propounding a suggested children of school age. This, perhaps, is too drastic a prodifficult and complicated problem for Governments and It might well come within the scope of county Parliaments to ponder over." Thus of 144,000 children on posal. councils to frame by-laws preventing the labour of, say, the school books as full-time scholars, 110,000 boys and children under 12 years before 8 A.M. and after 8 P.M. 34,000 girls were engaged as labourers out of school hours for and to limit the total hours of labour per week to, say, not wages and profit. The great bulk of these were, as the returns more than 20 hours. But public opinion also must be showed, children of tender years and the labour that many of educated before be enacted and in this as in can legislation them were engaged in was excessive and beyond their powers. so many other respects an enlightened public opinion will: Thus 6268 children were employed from 10 to 20 hours a be a most important factor for good. week, 27,000 from 20 to 30 hours, 9778 from 30 to 40 hours, 2390 from 40 to 50 hours, and 730 worked over 50 hours a week. One little boy worked 23! hours a week as an underA NEW DEPARTURE IN HOSPITAL APPEALS. taker’s assistant at the gruesome task of measuring corpses THE Board of Management of the National Hospital for the and received ls. a week for his labour. A boy, aged six Paralysed and Epileptic, Queen-square, Bloomsbury, have years, worked for 20 hours a week peeling onions at a weekly issued an appeal which, like the address in the Comwage of 8d., another delivered milk for 28 hours a week and mination is made up of a series of originally Service, received 2s. A girl under six years of age worked 35 hours disconnected te$ts." In this case they are utterances a week as a milk-carrier for her parents ; and another girl from the lips of various eminent men who have from under six years of age worked 16 hours a week for ld. A time to time advocated the claims of the charity. They . nurse-girl (sic) under six years of age was employed 29 are blended into one harmonious whole and should cerhours a week for 2. and her food. Others were employed tainly help to enlist the sympathies of the charitable. The in laundry work, basket-making, minding babies, &c. Another novel feature is a scheme to return to donors
OWING to the fact that the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England is elected annually on the second Thursday in July, while the members of Council are elected on the first Thursday, it is theoretically possible that the President might cease to be a member of the Council one week before he would cease to be President. To obviate this difficulty Section 2 of the Charter of the 15th Victoria enacts that the President under such circumstances shall remain a member of the Council for one year longer without reelection. This year the term of office of the President (Sir William Mac Cormac, Bart., K.C.V.0.) as a member of Council comes to an end before his term of office as President and his membership of the Council will consequently be prolonged until July, 1900. It is interesting to recall the only other occasions on which this rule has come into operation. They are three in number-viz., (1) Mr. Thomas Wormald, President, 1865-66, did not retire from the Council till 1867 ; (2) Mr. Richard Partridge, President 1866-67, did not retire till 1868; and (3) Mr. Edward Cock, President 1869-70, did not retire until 1871. Each of the above gentlemen would have retired a year earlier in the course of ordinary rotation.
1
THE LANCET, March 11th,
1899,
p. 707.
’’
unable to sacrifice present income but desirous to benefit