Liberty High School - Oracle Yearbook (Youngstown, OH)

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THE LIBERTY ORACLE be happy. These privileges are necessarily denied to them when they are compelled, from sunrise until darkness, to toil in the mills and factories and on the farms under conditions that not only dwarf them physically, but forever blight their mentality. Approximately one-fourth of the people in the United States are illiterate. An irreparable injury is done to childhood and to the American people when such a condition is allowed to exist, in a nation which is so far a.head of other nations of the world in all refining elements of civilization. This educational inferiority is indeed refugnant to the American understanding affair play, and yet it exists. Until recent years people did not see tha this illiteracy was directly due to the shame-' ful abuse of childhood privileges, and to the lack of time allowed the child for study. But at last the people have been aroused against these evils, and have begun to take measures for the abolishment of this un- fair appression. Convincing evidence of fact is found in the engergetic efforts which have been made during the last decade for the betterment of labor conditions and for the relief of the child. It has been thought that all attempts toward remedying these conditions should be made throughout the Federal Government, since all but two of the states have theoretically prohibited child labor up to the age of fourteen. But in many states there is not provision for the protection of children between the ages of fourteen and eighteen from longworking hours and dangerous and unhealthful occupations, The first attempt to remedy the lack of protection against the ex- ploitation of children was made in 1915 when Congress passed a law preventing the use in interstate commerce of all articles made by children. In 1918 this law was repealed by the Supreme Court on the ground that it was unconstitutional. Another attempt was made in 1919, at which time Congress attempted to put a tax on all products of the quarries, mines, and factories Where child1'en were employed. Again the Supreme Court, by decision, ruled that this was an illegal use of the taxing power given in the constitution. Undaunted by these two failures, the proponents of Federal restriction on child labor undertook to bring restriction about by constitutional amendment. On June 2, 1924.Congress proposed to the several states the following amendment: The Congress shall have power to limit, regulate, or prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age. The power of the several states is unirnpaired by this article except that the operation of state laws shall be suspended to the extent necessary to give effect to legislation emanted by the congress. Since being submitted to the several states for ratification it has had a very rough road to travel. More than two-thirds have refused to accept it, It is very apparent that the opposition to the amendment is not sectional, since states in every part of the Union have rejected it. In this opposition we see arrayed all the forces of greed, avariee, and heartlessness, for the purpose of defeating all efforts for the relief of these unfortunae children. Foremost among these are the un- scrupulous rich men and factory owners, who are bent on increasing their wealth by subjecting millions of children to long hours of toil

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THE LIBERTY ORACLE DRAMATIC CLUB Back Row: Left to Right: Miss Curtis, Cadvisorjg Gertrude Bickell, George McConnell, Edward Bortmas, Walter Jefferies, Thelma Trebilcock Blanche Goist and Joe Collins. Middle Row: Marion Miller, Olive Harker, Velma King, Mildred Richards Erma Williams, Arlene Post, Mary Hauvermale, Susie Burrows Leah Boyd, Mr. Noble, fadvisorj Front Row: Ursula Thomas, Mildred Grapentine, 'Trevia Miller, Ione Jerome, Dorothy Boyd, Helen Skaggs, Erma Gifford, Sophia Janosik, George Hill. LITERARY THE CHILDREN TOIL. Since the founding of the nation fairplay has become, in the eyes of the world, the keynote of American character. The constitution emphasizes this ideal of fairplay by promising to each individual equal opportunites in their pursuit for happiness. It is no wonder then that most people are repelled and incensed over the condition of many hun- dreds of thousands of children who are spending their precious years of childhood in toil, toil under conditions which are intensely degrading to both their physical and moral welfare. We believe that children have an inherent right to their childhood. They have a right to be free, to enjoy their playtime, they have a right to

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THE LIBERTY ORACLE under the most terrible conditions and without a thought to the effect upon the children. In Ohio this amendment was voted down by a large majority in the legislature, seemingly in accord with the public will. The reason given for the action, of the legislature was that in Ohio the children are properly protected, both as to working conditions and in their schooling. This is indeed true. But are we not bigger than Ohio? Have we not learned long ago that we are brother's keeper? Because we are fortunate enough to live in a favored spot where our boys and girls have the fullest opportunities of life, is no reason why we should be unconcerned when hundreds of thousands of children in the cotton fields, the rice fields, and the tobacco fields of the South, in the sugar beet fields of the West, and in the sweat shops and factories of the city are being robbed of' their birth-right, their bodies dwarfed and stunted, their mental capacities lessened, and their hopes in life blasted. In the twentieth century, we ought to be big enough and generous enough to wish the children of the South-land and of the West and of the large cities in our country to enjoy the same privileges and to have the same opportunities in their work and in their school as have the children of Ohio. We are not surprised at the opposition of the factory owner, of the slave driver of the South, or of the unscrupulous rich. But we are surprised that the legislature of our state could be so narrow in its view point. We are surprised that an organization like the Ohio State Grange should fight this amendment with such viviousness and slander. and then, when it was evident that the amendment had been defeated, that it should glory in the defeat of the proposition that meant life, liberty, and hope to millions of little children in the grapples of penury and toil. We should like to remind the factory owner, the officials of the grange, and the opponents of this amendment every-where, of that verse of scripture that was uttered by the master when He said, In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me. And also of mother warning that says: He that offends one of these little ones, it were drowned in the midst of the sea. But the fight is on and it will not be quited. The cry of these millions of little ones sounds above the roar of the factory, The forces of Justice and rightiousness will fight on until the children of the South, of the West, and of the city shall have life and have it more abundantly. GEORGE HILL, '27. Tl-IE WHITE WOLF. Long, long ago in the northeastern part of Ohio was a small hamlet, called Tacoma. It was surrounded by a. dense forest. It had been partially deserted, for the inhabitants had been terrorized by what they thought was a large animal. Only a few aged couples lived tl1-ere at that time. These gave the following reason why they would not leave. We have been born and raised here, so we are going to spend the rest of our lives here too.