Labor Day and the Four Letter Word: W-O-R-K

Thursday, Sep 02nd 2010
Furman Owens, 12 years old. Can't read. Doesn't know his A,B,C's. Said, "Yes I want to learn but can't when I work all the time." Been in the mills 4 years, 3 years in the Olympia Mill. Columbia, South Carolina.
Furman Owens, 12 years old. Can't read. Doesn't know his A,B,C's. Said, "Yes I want to learn but can't when I work all the time." Been in the mills 4 years, 3 years in the Olympia Mill. Columbia, South Carolina.
A moment's glimpse of the outer world. Said she was 11 years old. Been working over a year. Rhodes Mfg. Co. Lincolnton, North Carolina
A moment's glimpse of the outer world. Said she was 11 years old. Been working over a year. Rhodes Mfg. Co. Lincolnton, North Carolina
One of the spinners in Whitnel Cotton Mill. She was 51 inches high. Has been in the mill one year. Sometimes works at night. Runs 4 sides - 48 cents a day. When asked how old she was, she hesitated, then said, "I don't remember," then added confidentially, "I'm not old enough to work, but do just the same." Out of 50 employees, there were ten children about her size. Whitnel, North Carolina.
One of the spinners in Whitnel Cotton Mill. She was 51 inches high. Has been in the mill one year. Sometimes works at night. Runs 4 sides - 48 cents a day. When asked how old she was, she hesitated, then said, "I don't remember," then added confidentially, "I'm not old enough to work, but do just the same." Out of 50 employees, there were ten children about her size. Whitnel, North Carolina.
Newsies: A group of newsies selling on the Capitol steps. Tony, age 8, Dan, 9, Joseph, 10, and John, age 11. Washington, D.C.
Newsies: A group of newsies selling on the Capitol steps. Tony, age 8, Dan, 9, Joseph, 10, and John, age 11. Washington, D.C.
Young cigar makers in Engelhardt & Co. Three boys looked under 14. Labor leaders told me in busy times many small boys and girls were employed. Youngsters all smoke. Tampa, Florida.
Young cigar makers in Engelhardt & Co. Three boys looked under 14. Labor leaders told me in busy times many small boys and girls were employed. Youngsters all smoke. Tampa, Florida.
Miners: View of the Ewen Breaker of the Pennsylvania Coal Co. The dust was so dense at times as to obscure the view. This dust penetrated the utmost recesses of the boys' lungs. A kind of slave-driver sometimes stands over the boys, prodding or kicking them into obedience. South Pittston, Pennsylvania.
Miners: View of the Ewen Breaker of the Pennsylvania Coal Co. The dust was so dense at times as to obscure the view. This dust penetrated the utmost recesses of the boys' lungs. A kind of slave-driver sometimes stands over the boys, prodding or kicking them into obedience. South Pittston, Pennsylvania.
After 9 p.m., 7-year-old Tommie Nooman demonstrating the advantages of the Ideal Necktie Form in a store window on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. His father said, "He is the youngest demonstrator in America. Has been doing it for several years from San Francisco to New York. We stay a month or six weeks in a place. He works at it off and on." Remarks from the bystanders were not having the best effect on Tommie.
After 9 p.m., 7-year-old Tommie Nooman demonstrating the advantages of the Ideal Necktie Form in a store window on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. His father said, "He is the youngest demonstrator in America. Has been doing it for several years from San Francisco to New York. We stay a month or six weeks in a place. He works at it off and on." Remarks from the bystanders were not having the best effect on Tommie.
A group of newsies playing craps in the jail alley at 10 p.m. Albany, New York. Mid - 11 a.m. Newsies at Skeeter's Branch. They were all smoking. St. Louis, Missouri..
A group of newsies playing craps in the jail alley at 10 p.m. Albany, New York. Mid - 11 a.m. Newsies at Skeeter's Branch. They were all smoking. St. Louis, Missouri..
By Nancy French

Well, one thing everyone knows.  You can’t wear white after Labor Day on Monday.  Otherwise, the details of the holiday are a bit vague in people’s minds.

So why do we get the day off, and what deep meaning are we supposed to derive from it as we soak up the last rays of summer?

Give the credit to President Grover Cleveland, very unpopular with “the workingman” after he brutally suppressed the 1894 Pullman strike by sending 12,000 United States Army troops to Chicago.  (Even his own cabinet members debated whether he had the Constitutional authority to do so.)  Consequently, the labor unions detested the President, who tried to win back their favor by honoring the working man on the first Monday in September.

Though the damage to his political rep had already been done -- he lost the Democratic Party's 1896 presidential nomination to William Jennings Bryan – the holiday endures to this day.  But as we think about getting the boat in the lake once more and buying all those last minute school supplies, are we missing some teachable moments with the kids?  Especially in a culture which might not understand the value of work?

SixSeeds is here to help!

For parents to talk about with their kids:

1.    Monday is a great time to talk about that dreaded four letter word, w-o-r-k!  In the era of “there are some jobs Americans just won’t do,” take this opportunity to explain to your children that work gives people dignity and that even the most unglamorous work allows society to function properly.

2.    Show your kids the real-life photographs of child laborers, taken in 1908 by reformer Lewis W. Hine.  (See the photos on the right hand side of this site, along with the original captions written by Hine at the time. See this website for more information about the Faces of Lost Youth.)  What do you think their lives were like?  

3.    Why was reform necessary in the area of labor? How does politics affect people’s every day lives?  

4.    Are unions still necessary?  (Try to hold you own political opinions on this, and let your kids work through it in their minds first!)

5.    What would life be like if no one had to work?

6.   How do the above photos make you feel about doing your weekly chores?

7.  How can we help fight child labor in other countries?


The hard truth is that some kids reach adulthood without much knowledge about work – though they may have a level 80 mage in Warcraft.  Let’s take the rather complicated history of the American workforce and turn it into a real conversation about the value of work… as well as its abuses and limits in achieving true happiness.

Nancy French's photo

Nancy French

Nancy French is an author, commentator, and mother. Her next book, about the year her husband spent in Iraq is due out July 4, 2011. Connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NancyAndersonFrench and follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nancyafrench.
Read bio | View more articles by Nancy
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Furman Owens, 12 years old. Can't read. Doesn't know his A,B,C's. Said, "Yes I want to learn but can't when I work all the time." Been in the mills 4 years, 3 years in the Olympia Mill. Columbia, South Carolina.
Furman Owens, 12 years old. Can't read. Doesn't know his A,B,C's. Said, "Yes I want to learn but can't when I work all the time." Been in the mills 4 years, 3 years in the Olympia Mill. Columbia, South Carolina.
A moment's glimpse of the outer world. Said she was 11 years old. Been working over a year. Rhodes Mfg. Co. Lincolnton, North Carolina
A moment's glimpse of the outer world. Said she was 11 years old. Been working over a year. Rhodes Mfg. Co. Lincolnton, North Carolina
One of the spinners in Whitnel Cotton Mill. She was 51 inches high. Has been in the mill one year. Sometimes works at night. Runs 4 sides - 48 cents a day. When asked how old she was, she hesitated, then said, "I don't remember," then added confidentially, "I'm not old enough to work, but do just the same." Out of 50 employees, there were ten children about her size. Whitnel, North Carolina.
One of the spinners in Whitnel Cotton Mill. She was 51 inches high. Has been in the mill one year. Sometimes works at night. Runs 4 sides - 48 cents a day. When asked how old she was, she hesitated, then said, "I don't remember," then added confidentially, "I'm not old enough to work, but do just the same." Out of 50 employees, there were ten children about her size. Whitnel, North Carolina.
Newsies: A group of newsies selling on the Capitol steps. Tony, age 8, Dan, 9, Joseph, 10, and John, age 11. Washington, D.C.
Newsies: A group of newsies selling on the Capitol steps. Tony, age 8, Dan, 9, Joseph, 10, and John, age 11. Washington, D.C.
Young cigar makers in Engelhardt & Co. Three boys looked under 14. Labor leaders told me in busy times many small boys and girls were employed. Youngsters all smoke. Tampa, Florida.
Young cigar makers in Engelhardt & Co. Three boys looked under 14. Labor leaders told me in busy times many small boys and girls were employed. Youngsters all smoke. Tampa, Florida.
Miners: View of the Ewen Breaker of the Pennsylvania Coal Co. The dust was so dense at times as to obscure the view. This dust penetrated the utmost recesses of the boys' lungs. A kind of slave-driver sometimes stands over the boys, prodding or kicking them into obedience. South Pittston, Pennsylvania.
Miners: View of the Ewen Breaker of the Pennsylvania Coal Co. The dust was so dense at times as to obscure the view. This dust penetrated the utmost recesses of the boys' lungs. A kind of slave-driver sometimes stands over the boys, prodding or kicking them into obedience. South Pittston, Pennsylvania.
After 9 p.m., 7-year-old Tommie Nooman demonstrating the advantages of the Ideal Necktie Form in a store window on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. His father said, "He is the youngest demonstrator in America. Has been doing it for several years from San Francisco to New York. We stay a month or six weeks in a place. He works at it off and on." Remarks from the bystanders were not having the best effect on Tommie.
After 9 p.m., 7-year-old Tommie Nooman demonstrating the advantages of the Ideal Necktie Form in a store window on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. His father said, "He is the youngest demonstrator in America. Has been doing it for several years from San Francisco to New York. We stay a month or six weeks in a place. He works at it off and on." Remarks from the bystanders were not having the best effect on Tommie.
A group of newsies playing craps in the jail alley at 10 p.m. Albany, New York. Mid - 11 a.m. Newsies at Skeeter's Branch. They were all smoking. St. Louis, Missouri..
A group of newsies playing craps in the jail alley at 10 p.m. Albany, New York. Mid - 11 a.m. Newsies at Skeeter's Branch. They were all smoking. St. Louis, Missouri..