the Editor of the "NorrH-Cuixa Dairy News"
Sin,—Pessimism is a Joy to the Fessimist. He glories in it for it an art to be able to pull a long. free at eversane and to pour iced water on everything. Unfortunately, Shanghai does of lack there amiable people and' we have a [taste of them well-expressed bristles with cold, hard facts To the casual reader these faci" wre facts and all the talk of reformers idealists cannot alter them. the real observer these facts will be facts only for a while and then fir day will end, anything ever been don without some sacrifice on the part 2 Can one expect a yma wilder "osa The old saying something cannot be had for tething" "holds ood here. A yeviod of transition ie always Time of discomfort, not to speak actual suitoring, We "have aany illustrations in other elds that tell us so. For instance humane a law as that abolishing Havers must have caused untold misery, tw thousands of negroes, ated many "argamenty similar to those *Shanghaileadee" must have brought up against it, all end that slay institution since its would cause starvation all sorts of horrors. But now in un aye when the descendants yet haps of nescroes who di the Abolition Act are all the walks is the trouble with most Us that we cannot see beyond the first milestone, Granted. that these very moderate regulations of Child Labour here will cause! moivery, does that mean we are to sit still and do nothing but shake cur heads mournfully like lot of Let us come dowa to the twit the matter und. ask ourselves this question seriously—Is it to leredit of any civilized community to have in its midst w system "slavery?" Te it right that a child of nine should have to. toil 14 hours a day? No, We all Fee on principle. "Tf we agree principle there is no rewsoi why we should not agree in prac.
ice. If the principle ix right, the motive is right, then we build en strong foundations. A period [0° economic stroke cannot last for ever. Speaking from the highest point of view poverty has TWusinexs to exist, There ix something radically wrong with our social system that a parent torved to send his child to the mill or see him starve, Why is the age of that parent so low that the cannot <upport his family? Gne point that ix x0 often forxotten is that Child Labour lowers the sauce of adults. Tu many eases it the eauxe of unemployment meng adults for child labour is cheaper. We read of instances Sth century England when parents had to stay at home, against their will, doing nothing while their children worked in the factories for 4 few shillings. Tu one ease we know of a notice being sent out worded—"Wanted between 4,000 and 5,000 persons between seven and 21 years." This meant that 5,000, fathers had no work. tle work can be done by adults then there is no reason whatever for children to do it, Tf not, an Industry orhich depends for aistence on Child Labour can the wall and nobody but its divzetors will miss it.
We all know that a great prolem awaits Shanghai—What. to do with the little ones. who will taken frum the' factories, the ideal thing would bools and homes wait-sine for them Lut the world does usually believe in ideals. is never prepared to meet a Situation. It waits till that Hon ix forced on. it and then it ne shifting for ways and means
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.