Effect of Labor upon Children
The most injurious effects from occupation are those upon children since they are more susceptible to the ill effects than adults. The child should have every advantage for the development of all parts of his body that there may be no interference with its proper growth. Attention should be given to his mental and moral development. These things can not receive proper attention if the child is forced to labor under adverse conditions just at the time when the body is developing.
Many occupations are such that curvatures of the spine are produced and different parts of the body overtaxed. Child labor should be prohibited. There is no labor so expensive to our country as child labor. If our children are not given an opportunity to develop physically, mentally and morally, we will suffer in citizenship in the next generation. There is bound to be a deterioration from such procedure.
The organs of the child are peculiarly susceptible to the effects of overwork and fatigue; the entire body is in the process of development and its development may be retarded and its growth seriously hindered. It is a most excellent thing to keep the child employed and active, but there certainly should be a means of protecting him from the avarice and greed of heartless employers. The best way to do this is to keep him out of gainful employment until there has been sufficient physical development to insure against overtaxing the young body.