Roger Babson Says Put Boys to Work at 14, Feb. 25, 1926

Roger Babson, the well-known statistician and much quoted authority on the tendency of the times, in surmising the labor situation, among other things, makes this survey: “Prolonging the school years—both by legislation and custom—is constantly tending to reduce the supply of available labor. Formerly the majority of boys went to work when 14 years of age, and in my opinion many of them were very much better for so doing; but this age is gradually being extended to 16 years or 18 years. Although the state universities and high schools are a distinct handicap, instead of help, to many young people; yet the style now is to send all children to high school and as many as possible to some state university. The prevalent idea that work is something to be avoided is also raising havoc with the labor market, both by keeping people from developing our most promising men into clerks instead of producers. Our faulty educational system together with the indifference of parents, is largely to blame for this condition. The raising and improving of the standard of living is a constant pressure on wage workers for higher wages. This pressure is greatly increasing demands of the wife and the children for more and better things. This condition has always existed and is not to be deplored. Dissatisfaction among young people is more prevalent today than ever before. This is a hard matter to tabulate satisfactorily, but is a real factor in the wage situation.”

From the editorial page of the Mooresville Enterprise, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1926, Harry P. Deaton, editor.

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064798/1926-02-25/ed-1/seq-2/