Table Of ContentBuilding Fluency through Reader’s Theater
Child Labor
C
C h a r a c t e r s h
ild
L
a
b
o
Pauline: child linen mill worker r Industrial
a and the
n
d
t
Mr. Newman: Pauline and Roberta’s father h
e Revolution
I
n
d
u
Roberta: child linen mill worker s
t
r
ia
Daniel l R
linen mill owner e
Tompkins: v
o
lu
t
Lewis Hine: photographer for the NCLC io
n
Leonora
NCLC worker
Barry:
■
TCM 11548
I
s
e
c
k
e
Harriet Isecke
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Child Labor
Industrial
and the
Revolution
Harriet Isecke
Associate Editor Creative Director Child Labor and the
Torrey Maloof Lee Aucoin
Editor Illustration Manager/Designer Industrial Revolution
Wendy Conklin, M.A. Timothy J. Bradley
Editorial Director Cover Designer
Story Summary
Dona Herweck Rice Lesley Palmer
Editor-in-Chief Cover Art
Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed. Lewis W. Hine/The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress
Editorial Manager
Gisela Lee, M.A. Publisher Roberta and Pauline work at a linen mill in
Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed. North Carolina in 1919. The girls cannot go to school
because they must help support their family. They are
treated unfairly by Daniel Tompkins, the mill owner, and
work in harsh, unsafe conditions. One day, Lewis Hine
and Leonora Barry, two workers from the National
Child Labor Committee (NCLC), come to the mill to
photograph the girls and hear their story. They want to
make education compulsory for children and create more
laws to protect child laborers. With the help of Pauline
and Roberta, they achieve their goals, and a better future
is secured for future generations.
Teacher Created Materials
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ISBN 978-1-4333-0548-1
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Reprinted 2013
2 33
Tips for Performing Tips for Performing
Reader’s Theater Reader’s Theater
(cont.)
Adapted from Aaron Shepard
• Don’t let your script hide your face. If you can’t see • If the audience laughs, wait for them to stop before
the audience, your script is too high. you speak again.
• Look up often when you speak. Don’t just look at • If someone in the audience talks, don’t pay attention.
your script.
• If someone walks into the room, don’t pay attention.
• Talk slowly so the audience knows what you
• If you make a mistake, pretend it was right.
are saying.
• If you drop something, try to leave it where it is until
• Talk loudly so everyone can hear you.
the audience is looking somewhere else.
• Talk with feelings. If the character is sad, let your
• If a reader forgets to read his or her part, see if you
voice be sad. If the character is surprised, let your
can read the part instead, make something up, or just
voice be surprised.
skip over it. Don’t whisper to the reader!
• Stand up straight. Keep your hands and feet still.
• Remember that even when you are not talking, you
are still your character.
4 5
Child Labor and the Act 1
Industrial Revolution
Pauline: I know that my papa was upset that my sister
and I couldn’t go to school when we were little,
Characters but we weren’t alone. In the early 1900s, times
were hard. Children all over America had to go
to work to help support their families.
Pauline Daniel Tompkins
Mr. Newman Lewis Hine
Mr. Newman: I injured both of my hands when my daughters
Roberta Leonora Barry were young. The only work I could find was
delivering newspapers. After my wife’s death, I
had no choice. I wish my girls could have gone
to school, but what could I do?
Setting Pauline: We were hired as doffers and sweepers at the
North Carolina linen mill. I think being a doffer
was the worst job at the mill.
This reader’s theater takes place at a linen mill
in North Carolina in 1919. Poor and hungry men,
Roberta: We wanted to be spinners like the other girls,
women, and children walk to the mill early in the but Mr. Tompkins told us we had to be doffers
because we were small enough to climb into the
morning and leave late at night. Meanwhile, at the
machines.
National Child Labor Committee headquarters,
government officials look through photographs and
Pauline: When the bobbins were filled with thread, our
narrative accounts of child laborers. job was to replace them with empty ones.
6 7
Roberta: When all the new bobbins were in, we would Roberta: I know he’ll be angry. But I really hate
rush to pick up the brooms and sweep. We changing bobbins! Be careful when you do
didn’t know what was worse, the cold water it, Pauline. You saw what happened to little
spraying on us or the lint. We were always Tommy last week. When he was climbing up to
covered with that lint. put the bobbin in place, he slipped on one of the
spindles and fell into the machine. I heard that
the gear tore off two of his fingers!
Pauline: It seemed like all the machines needed new
bobbins at exactly the same time. It was
dangerous, and if anything went wrong, Mr. Pauline: I haven’t seen him since! When I told Papa
Tompkins came around and yelled at us. I about it, he said that we should be extra careful.
remember being scared all the time. So don’t worry, Roberta, I won’t get hurt. But
please hand the bobbin to me quickly.
Roberta: I also remember the first day we got into
trouble. Roberta: All right I will. Oh no, Pauline! I dropped the
bobbin! It’s so wet in here that it just slipped
out of my hand. Just a second, I’ll get it.
Pauline: Roberta, hurry! The machines need filling. Can
you hand me that empty bobbin over there?
Pauline: Hurry, I see Mr. Tompkins!
Roberta: Just a minute. I haven’t finished sweeping up
the cotton lint on the floor. I don’t want to get Daniel Tompkins: Wait a minute. Why has production stopped
into trouble. here? Why are the bobbins still full in all the
machines? You girls must be talking and not
working!
Pauline: I think we’ll be in more trouble if the bobbins
aren’t replaced. It’ll slow everything down, and
Mr. Tompkins won’t appreciate that one bit. Pauline: No, Mr. Tompkins, we’re not. Just let me
explain.
8 9
Daniel Tompkins: There’s nothing to explain. You have a job to Roberta: (whispering) I dread leaving the factory today.
do, and you’re not getting it done. You’re not Papa will be so disappointed in us.
being paid 48 cents a day to talk. There are
many mills out there, and we can’t compete with
them unless we keep things moving in here. Mr. Newman: When my girls left the mill that evening, I could
There will be a fine for this behavior. see they were crying. My heart broke for them.
Roberta: Please sir, don’t do that. I promise we’ll work Roberta: Papa, I’m sorry. Pauline and I weren’t really
faster. Our family depends on the money we wasting time. The bobbin just slipped out of my
make. Please don’t fine us. hand, and I picked it up as quickly as I could.
Daniel Tompkins: You should have thought about that before you Mr. Newman: You’re good girls. But in the future, you can’t
began talking. You were probably laughing too, talk or laugh while you’re working. Our family
so it will be a double fine. You will be docked is counting on you. I don’t know how we will
10 cents for each offense. That is a 20 cent fine survive, girls, if you lose your jobs.
for each of you today.
Pauline: But Papa, Mr. Tompkins is very mean to us.
Pauline: But sir, please listen!
Mr. Newman: I know he is. He’s mean to all the workers.
Daniel Tompkins: No, I’m through with this discussion. Get back Today, I saw a little girl and her brother crying
to work before you lose your jobs! There are outside the gate. They came running in five
many other children out there who would like minutes after the 5:30 a.m. whistle had stopped
to take your places. I probably should fire you blowing, and Mr. Tompkins wouldn’t let them
both so that I can get children in here who are in. The girl told Mr. Tompkins that her brother
not lazy. With only three hours left on your had fallen on their way here, and she had
shift, I hope you can make up for this lost time. stopped to help him. Mr. Tompkins didn’t care.
He said that neither of them could come in until
half-past seven. And they were docked two
Pauline: Yes sir, we will. hours for waste power.
10 11
Roberta: What does that mean, Papa? Act 2
Lewis Hine: I knew that child labor was hurting children
Mr. Newman: It means that they were wasting his time, I all over the United States. The National Child
guess. I could see how frantic those two little Labor Committee, or NCLC, was working
ones were. I guess their family depends on hard to change that. They asked me if I would
them like we depend on you. Please try to do help, and I agreed right away. I said I would
your jobs right and not get into any trouble. take photos and do some investigative work for
them.
Pauline: We’ll try hard, Papa, and we’ll do our best.
Leonora Barry: There were some child labor laws when the
NCLC was founded. Factories were not
Mr. Newman: I worried about my girls, but there was nothing supposed to hire children under 13. Children
else I could do. I wanted to comfort and protect were not supposed to work for more than
them. I wanted to let them be children. But, we 66 hours a week. But, these laws were not
really had no choice. followed. In fact, the law said that employers
must “knowingly and willfully” violate this law
to be convicted. They just had to lie! If they
claimed they didn’t know they were violating
Song: Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral
the law, then they couldn’t be punished.
Lewis Hine: I had traveled all over America to take photos
of children working. Some children told
me about their lives. Some of them seemed
desperate, and others seemed hopeless. I saw
many children without shoes or proper clothing.
Their sad faces still haunt me.
12 13
Leonora Barry: At first, the NCLC had one simple goal. We Lewis Hine: Of course, Leonora. I was horrified by what I
just wanted to make sure that the existing state saw, and the stories I heard were heartbreaking.
laws protecting children were followed. But
we soon realized that this was only the first
step. Our children deserved more. America Leonora Barry: It must have been agonizing to see, Lewis,
needed a federal law to stop child labor. We but the work you are doing is essential. Your
also needed a law to make education free and photos put a face to the horrors.
compulsory. This wouldn’t be easy. We knew
that rich company owners would fight us at
Lewis Hine: I am sure these photos will help. The first one
every turn. But, we were ready for the fight!
is of a 12-year-old boy named Furman Owens.
He has worked in this mill for four years, and he
Lewis Hine: These owners thought that laws helping doesn’t even know the letters of the alphabet.
children would hurt their businesses. Sure, When I asked him if he’d like to go to school,
their expenses would go up, but so would first he just shrugged his shoulders. Then he
the expenses of all of the other companies. whispered, “Sure I want to learn, but I can’t
They would still be able to compete the same when I work all the time.”
way they always did. They just wouldn’t be
endangering children. The greed of these
Leonora Barry: That’s criminal. Every child needs the chance
people infuriated me, so when Leonora asked
to learn.
me to come see her, I went right away.
Lewis Hine: Here’s an especially sad picture that I took in
Leonora Barry: Lewis, I’m glad you’re here. I have heard some
Washington, D.C. This is Tony Casale. Tony
awful things about one of the linen mills in
is 11 and has been selling newspapers for five
North Carolina. I want to investigate. I was
years. He told me that he sometimes sells them
hoping you would go with me to take pictures.
until 10 p.m. His friend told me that Tony has
But before we talk about that, I know you
marks on his arm where his father bit him for
have been all over the country taking photos of
not selling more papers! When I asked him
children at work. I was hoping you would show
about it, Tony said, “Drunken men do bad
some of them to me.
things all the time.”
14 15
