Building Fluency through Reader’s Theater

Child Labor

Child Labor and the Industrial Revolution

Characters

Industrial
Pauline: child linen mill worker

Mr. Newman: Pauline and Roberta’s father

and the
Roberta: child linen mill worker Revolution
Daniel linen mill owner
Tompkins:

Lewis Hine: photographer for the NCLC

Leonora NCLC worker

Barry:

TCM 11548 ■ Isecke

Harriet Isecke
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Child Labor
and theIndustrial
Revolution

Harriet Isecke
 Associate Editor
Torrey Maloof
Creative Director
Lee Aucoin Child Labor and the
Editor
Wendy Conklin, M.A.
Illustration Manager/Designer
Timothy J. Bradley
Industrial Revolution
Editorial Director Cover Designer
Dona Herweck Rice Lesley Palmer Story Summary
Editor-in-Chief Cover Art
Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed. Lewis W. Hine/The Library of Congress
Editorial Manager The Library of Congress
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

5301 Oceanus Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030
http://www.tcmpub.com
ISBN 978-1-4333-0548-1
© 2009 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Reprinted 2013

2 3
 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
Industrial Revolution
Characters
Pauline Daniel Tompkins
Mr. Newman Lewis Hine
Roberta Leonora Barry
Setting
This reader’s theater takes place at a linen mill
in North Carolina in 1919. Poor and hungry men,
women, and children walk to the mill early in the
morning and leave late at night. Meanwhile, at the
National Child Labor Committee headquarters,
government officials look through photographs and
narrative accounts of child laborers.
6 7
Act 1
Pauline: I know that my papa was upset that my sister
and I couldn’t go to school when we were little,
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.
Mr. Newman: I injured both of my hands when my daughters
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?
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.
Roberta: We wanted to be spinners like the other girls,
but Mr. Tompkins told us we had to be doffers
because we were small enough to climb into the
machines.
Pauline: When the bobbins were filled with thread, our
job was to replace them with empty ones.
 Roberta: When all the new bobbins were in, we would
rush to pick up the brooms and sweep. We
didn’t know what was worse, the cold water
spraying on us or the lint. We were always
covered with that lint.
Pauline: It seemed like all the machines needed new
bobbins at exactly the same time. It was
dangerous, and if anything went wrong, Mr.
Tompkins came around and yelled at us. I
remember being scared all the time.
Roberta: I also remember the first day we got into
trouble.
Pauline: Roberta, hurry! The machines need filling. Can
you hand me that empty bobbin over there?
Roberta: Just a minute. I haven’t finished sweeping up
the cotton lint on the floor. I don’t want to get
into trouble.
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.
8 9
Roberta: I know he’ll be angry. But I really hate
changing bobbins! Be careful when you do
it, Pauline. You saw what happened to little
Tommy last week. When he was climbing up to
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: I haven’t seen him since! When I told Papa
about it, he said that we should be extra careful.
So don’t worry, Roberta, I won’t get hurt. But
please hand the bobbin to me quickly.
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: Hurry, I see Mr. Tompkins!
Daniel Tompkins: Wait a minute. Why has production stopped
here? Why are the bobbins still full in all the
machines? You girls must be talking and not
working!
Pauline: No, Mr. Tompkins, we’re not. Just let me
explain.
 Daniel Tompkins: There’s nothing to explain. You have a job to
do, and you’re not getting it done. You’re not
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.
There will be a fine for this behavior.
Roberta: Please sir, don’t do that. I promise we’ll work
faster. Our family depends on the money we
make. Please don’t fine us.
Daniel Tompkins: You should have thought about that before you
began talking. You were probably laughing too,
so it will be a double fine. You will be docked
10 cents for each offense. That is a 20 cent fine
for each of you today.
Pauline: But sir, please listen!
Daniel Tompkins: No, I’m through with this discussion. Get back
to work before you lose your jobs! There are
many other children out there who would like
to take your places. I probably should fire you
both so that I can get children in here who are
not lazy. With only three hours left on your
shift, I hope you can make up for this lost time.
Pauline: Yes sir, we will.
10
Roberta: (whispering) I dread leaving the factory today.
Papa will be so disappointed in us.
Mr. Newman: When my girls left the mill that evening, I could
see they were crying. My heart broke for them.
Roberta: Papa, I’m sorry. Pauline and I weren’t really
wasting time. The bobbin just slipped out of my
hand, and I picked it up as quickly as I could.
Mr. Newman: You’re good girls. But in the future, you can’t
talk or laugh while you’re working. Our family
is counting on you. I don’t know how we will
survive, girls, if you lose your jobs.
Pauline: But Papa, Mr. Tompkins is very mean to us.
Mr. Newman: I know he is. He’s mean to all the workers.
Today, I saw a little girl and her brother crying
outside the gate. They came running in five
minutes after the 5:30 a.m. whistle had stopped
blowing, and Mr. Tompkins wouldn’t let them
in. The girl told Mr. Tompkins that her brother
had fallen on their way here, and she had
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
hours for waste power.
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
Mr. Newman: I worried about my girls, but there was nothing
else I could do. I wanted to comfort and protect
them. I wanted to let them be children. But, we
really had no choice.
Song: Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral
NCLC was founded. Factories were not
supposed to hire children under 13. Children
were not supposed to work for more than
66 hours a week. But, these laws were not
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
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
just wanted to make sure that the existing state
laws protecting children were followed. But
we soon realized that this was only the first
step. Our children deserved more. America
needed a federal law to stop child labor. We
also needed a law to make education free and
compulsory. This wouldn’t be easy. We knew
that rich company owners would fight us at
every turn. But, we were ready for the fight!
Lewis Hine: These owners thought that laws helping
children would hurt their businesses. Sure,
their expenses would go up, but so would
the expenses of all of the other companies.
They would still be able to compete the same
way they always did. They just wouldn’t be
endangering children. The greed of these
people infuriated me, so when Leonora asked
me to come see her, I went right away.
Leonora Barry: Lewis, I’m glad you’re here. I have heard some
awful things about one of the linen mills in
North Carolina. I want to investigate. I was
hoping you would go with me to take pictures.
But before we talk about that, I know you
have been all over the country taking photos of
children at work. I was hoping you would show
some of them to me.
14
Lewis Hine: Of course, Leonora. I was horrified by what I
saw, and the stories I heard were heartbreaking.
Leonora Barry: It must have been agonizing to see, Lewis,
but the work you are doing is essential. Your
photos put a face to the horrors.
Lewis Hine: I am sure these photos will help. The first one
is of a 12-year-old boy named Furman Owens.
He has worked in this mill for four years, and he
doesn’t even know the letters of the alphabet.
When I asked him if he’d like to go to school,
first he just shrugged his shoulders. Then he
whispered, “Sure I want to learn, but I can’t
when I work all the time.”
Leonora Barry: That’s criminal. Every child needs the chance
to learn.
Lewis Hine: Here’s an especially sad picture that I took in
Washington, D.C. This is Tony Casale. Tony
is 11 and has been selling newspapers for five
years. He told me that he sometimes sells them
until 10 p.m. His friend told me that Tony has
marks on his arm where his father bit him for
not selling more papers! When I asked him
about it, Tony said, “Drunken men do bad
things all the time.”
15
 Leonora Barry: That’s awful. Who are the children in this
picture, and why are they so dirty?
Lewis Hine: This boy is Ewen Breaker. He works at the
Pennsylvania Coal Company. It was hard to
take this picture because the coal dust was very
dense. I’m sure this dust is deep inside the boy’s
lungs. Ewen told me that the “slave driver”
sometimes stands over him and the other boys,
prodding and kicking them until they obey.
Leonora Barry: That’s horrifying. I don’t know how adults get
away with treating children so abusively. Now,
what’s going on in this one? That child on the
left looks terrified.
Lewis Hine: I took this picture in Mississippi. The boy you
are pointing to is Manuel, who is five and is a
shrimp picker. He started working when he
was four and doesn’t even understand one word
of English. The little girl next to him shucks
oysters. The boy on her right is a fish cutter.
Even the smallest children must use large, sharp
knives. The floors are very slippery, causing
many serious accidents. One of the children
said, “The saltwater gets into the cuts, and
they ache!”
16
Leonora Barry: We can’t let this go on. This is a terrible
situation, and we need to show your pictures to
anyone who can help us. Now I want to tell you
about the mill.
Lewis Hine: Good! I’m anxious to hear about it.
Leonora Barry: In this mill, they have cold water spraying over
the machines day and night. The workers have
to stand barefoot on stone floors. The water
constantly hits them. They are not allowed to
change into dry clothing before they return
home. So, on even the coldest night in winter,
they go home with water dripping from their
clothing. Many of the workers are getting sick.
Lewis Hine: Have any of them rebelled?
Leonora Barry: No. There aren’t enough jobs in that town.
There are many desperate people there who
would happily take the place of anyone who
dared to rebel against the bosses in charge.
That’s why I want to go there.
Lewis Hine: I’ll be happy to go with you, Leonora, but I
don’t think they’ll allow us to go into the mill.
17
 Leonora Barry: If they don’t let us in, we’ll just wait until the
children come out at night. Maybe we can get
some of them to talk to us then.
Lewis Hine: We can leave now. That way, we’ll get there
before the mill opens in the morning.
Act 3
Poem: The Little Textile Worker
Daniel Tompkins: I don’t know why outsiders come to my mill
to bother us. Can’t they see that there’s work
to get done? We have to hire children. We
compete with many other mills. If we don’t
keep our expenses down, the other mills will
take over, and we’ll just go out of business. I
remember when those troublemakers came
here. When I saw them standing by the gate in
the morning, I quickly went out to see what they
were up to.
Leonora Barry: Sir, my name is Leonora Barry, and this is my
friend Lewis Hine. I was wondering if we could
come in and speak to you?
18
Daniel Tompkins: Why would you want to speak to me? Are you
looking for jobs?
Lewis Hine: Not exactly. We just wanted to ask your
permission to do something.
Daniel Tompkins: Can’t you see we’re busy here? I don’t have
time to talk to you. We’re spinning linen, and I
have to supervise my workers.
Leonora Barry: Just hear me out. I promise this won’t take
long. We’re very interested in seeing what is
going on in the mill and in taking a few pictures.
Daniel Tompkins: And why, may I ask, would you be interested in
that?
Leonora Barry: We’ve heard some things about the way the mill
operates, and we just want to make sure they
aren’t true.
Daniel Tompkins: What kinds of things?
Leonora Barry: For one thing, we heard that you have some
very young children working in here.
19
 Daniel Tompkins: I wouldn’t know. When we hire people we
don’t ask their ages. If they weren’t able to
work, they wouldn’t come and ask for a job,
would they?
Lewis Hine: We also heard about some of the dangerous
working conditions. We’re sure it’s not true.
That’s why we want to take the photographs. If
you just let us come in, we can prove that to the
people who are spreading these terrible lies.
Daniel Tompkins: I just don’t believe you. In fact, I’m certain
you’re here to make as much trouble as
possible. I’m definitely not allowing you in.
And I’m warning you, you should think twice
about what you are doing. Your actions could
hurt the very people you are trying to help.
Lewis Hine: I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?
Daniel Tompkins: Think about it. It costs a tremendous amount
of money to run a mill. We need to keep our
costs down. If we don’t, we won’t be able to
cover our expenses, the mill will have to close,
and then everybody will be out of a job. Many
people in this town live in poverty. Think of
all of the children who’ll go hungry if the
mill closes.
20
Leonora Barry: The mill is only keeping you and a few others
rich. Your workers barely get enough money
to live. Many of them are injured or sick. The
children worry us the most.
Daniel Tompkins: I personally think that working is good for
children. Children who work become
self-reliant and responsible.
Lewis Hine: We worry about how the mill is run.
Daniel Tompkins: Don’t bother worrying about how this mill is
run. It can’t be that bad. There are plenty of
people who want to work here. You should
mind your own business and go back to where
you belong. You’re wasting my time.
Leonora Barry: Mr. Tompkins sure is angry. We don’t want him
to see us talking to any of the children. That
will just make him even angrier. Let’s come
back around 5:30 p.m. He will probably be gone
by that time. I just hope there will be a few
stragglers left who might talk to us.
Roberta: I remember that night very clearly. It had
been a very long day. My legs hurt, and I just
couldn’t stop coughing.
21
 Pauline: I remember it, too. That day I was worried
about Roberta. We didn’t talk anymore during
work time, but I could hear her constant
coughing. Papa was afraid that she was getting
something called brown lung. Once Mr.
Tompkins left, I ran over to where she was
sweeping.
Roberta: Oh, Pauline! I don’t feel very well. I see
most people are starting to leave, but I’m
not finished.
Pauline: I’m finished with what I have to do. Maybe I
can help you.
Roberta: Thanks. I have to finish sweeping. If we work
together, it shouldn’t take too long.
Mr. Newman: It seemed like everyone came out of the mill
in a great rush that night except for my little
girls. I was just starting to worry when I finally
saw them. Then, two people whom I hadn’t
seen before came onto the mill property. They
looked too fancy to be picking up their children
there. The man had a camera, and I must say, I
was curious.
22
Lewis Hine: Leonora and I introduced ourselves to Mr.
Newman. We explained to him that we wanted
to take pictures of the girls. We told him that
we wanted to talk to them about their work in
the mill. Mr. Newman shook his head no.
He seemed both terrified and angry at the
very idea.
Mr. Newman: Do you understand the harm you can do to us
if my girls speak to you? Are you crazy? If
Mr. Tompkins finds out, my daughters will be
instantly fired from the mill. This is just not
going to happen! Why would you even ask us
to risk everything for you?
Lewis Hine: Mr. Newman, we want to speak to the girls and
take their photos because we are trying to help
make changes in this country. We want to help
families like yours. This mill and many other
places like it are harming our children. The
conditions are dangerous. Many children are
becoming ill or injured, and some are dying.
Mr. Newman: I know that’s true. I’m worried because my
younger daughter can’t stop coughing. But, you
need to understand something. We don’t have
any other choice. We’re just trying to survive.
23
 Lewis Hine: The people in power need to see the conditions
these children are forced to work in. If they do,
I’m certain they’ll work harder to make laws
that really protect the children. And, I’m sure
your girls would like to go to school.
Pauline: Did he say school, Papa? I would love to go to
school, but how is that possible?
Roberta: Me too—I don’t even know my ABCs.
Sometimes I see signs in the mill, and I wonder
what they say.
Pauline: Yes, Mr. Tompkins made us all read a sign that
said, “If you don’t come in Sunday, don’t bother
to come in on Monday.”
Roberta: It seemed to make him happy when we read it.
Leonora Barry: Well, we are working for a law to make
education free and compulsory for all children.
We are sure your story will help.
Roberta: What does the lady mean by that, Papa?
24
Mr. Newman: They want us to help them make a law that
every child must go to school.
Pauline: Can we, Papa? Can we help them?
Mr. Newman: I don’t know. It seems too risky to me.
Leonora Barry: I understand why you are afraid, but we don’t
have to stay here.
Lewis Hine: We can go to your house, and I promise,
Mr. Tompkins will never know.
Mr. Newman: All right, we can go to my house. But girls, I
hope you understand that making a law like this
will take a very long time.
Pauline: Tomorrow we will get up early and return to the
factory as usual.
Mr. Newman: And, you must promise to stay out of any
trouble.
Roberta: Don’t worry, Papa, we will.
25
 Act 4
Daniel Tompkins: Lewis Hine and Leonora Barry sure started
trouble the day they came to the mill. The
NCLC just didn’t stop pestering people. They
had some weird idea that all children should go
to school. They said it was dangerous for them
to work. Did you ever hear such nonsense?
In 1938, the government bowed down to this
pressure. They passed the Federal Fair Labor
Act. We couldn’t hire small children anymore
to keep our costs down. It hurt us to have the
government sticking its nose into our business.
Mr. Newman: Even though I couldn’t read it myself, I was
proud the day we got the letter from the NCLC.
The best surprise was how I found out what the
letter said.
Roberta: Roberta and I also got copies of that letter. We
were now mothers and still lived pretty close
to Papa. My oldest child was just seven. That
was the same age I was when I first had to go to
work at the mill.
Pauline: There was also an article about it in our local
newspaper.
26
Daniel Tompkins: That newspaper article made my blood boil!
That was how I found out that the pictures of
Pauline and Roberta Newman helped NCLC’s
cause. If I’d only known what happened that
night, I would have fired those girls on the
spot! When I heard that they were going to be
honored at a ceremony, I was fuming!
Roberta: I couldn’t wait to see Papa. My girls wanted
him to come to the ceremony as well, and I
wanted nothing more than that myself. Pauline
and I, with all our children, ran over to see him.
He was staring at the letter when we came in. I
knew he couldn’t read it.
Mr. Newman: I’m so glad to see all of you. I wonder what this
letter is about. I was thinking of asking Mrs.
Jenkins next door to read it to me.
Roberta: No, Papa, that won’t be necessary. I have a
surprise for you.
Mr. Newman: What is it?
27
 Roberta: Right then and there, my seven-year-old
daughter read the entire letter to her grandpa.
His eyes welled up with tears the whole time. I
have never seen him look so proud. I honestly
don’t know what made him happier. Was it
that his granddaughter was going to school and
could now read, or that we were being honored?
I’ll probably never know. But, I can tell you
one thing. We celebrated that day like we never
had before.
Lewis Hine: We would like to invite you to a special
ceremony. At the ceremony, we will honor the
children and their families whose photographs
and stories have meant so much to this country.
This ceremony will take place at the end of
September. A letter containing all of the details
will soon follow.
Leonora Barry: Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Lewis Hine: Dear Herbert, Pauline, and Roberta Newman, Leonora Barry and Lewis Hine,
National Child Labor Committee
Several weeks ago, the U.S. federal government
passed the Federal Fair Labor Act. This Act
contains strict child labor laws that will protect
all the children of our country. It will apply
to every state in the U.S. Our hard work has
finally paid off.

Leonora Barry: We are writing this letter to congratulate you on

the crucial part you have played in the passage
of this important act. It was the stories and the
pictures of the child laborers and their families
all across America that moved government
officials to act on behalf of our children. It
is because of people like you that future
generations will be safeguarded.

28 29
 The Little Textile Worker Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral
by Anonymous by James Royce Shannon

You may find her in the East and in the South, Over in Killarney,
This small child slave. Many years ago,
Her little eyes Me mother sang a song to me
Look out aweary on the world. In tones so sweet and low.
Just a simple little ditty,
Her little mouth
In her good old Irish way.
Is hard and old, in babyhood; her shoulders droop. And I’d give the world if she could sing
But skinny hands fly at the broken threads, That song to me this day.
Tie up the knot, undo the tangled loop
Unerringly, with quick, machine-like skill. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Quick-witted hands. Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Only they may live. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
The baby promise Hush, now don’t you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Of all other human faculties
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
The great machines soon kill. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
That’s an Irish lullaby.

This is an abridged version of the complete song.

30 31
 Glossary
bobbin—a spindle or cylinder on which wire, yarn, thread, or film is
wound

brown lung—a lung disease that narrows the airways, caused by

breathing in cotton, hemp, or flax fibers

child labor laws—rules or laws that control the employment of children,

including the minimum age they can be employed and the maximum
number of hours they can work

compulsory education—the requirement, by law, that all children go to

school and that the government provide an education for them

docked—punishing a worker by reducing his or her pay for reasons such

as loss of work time or for broken or missing items

doffer—a job given to the smallest children in cotton and linen mills in
which they climb up on the spinning machine to fix broken threads
and to replace bobbins

lint—loose bits of cotton

National Child Labor Committee—founded in 1904 to fight for the

protection and education of children

shift—the period of time during which one group of workers is working

stragglers—one who wanders away from others

textile—fabric or cloth material

violate—to ignore, disagree, or disobey certain rules

32
 Building Fluency through Reader’s Theater

Child Labor

Child Labor and the Industrial Revolution

Characters

Industrial
Pauline: child linen mill worker

Mr. Newman: Pauline and Roberta’s father

and the
Roberta: child linen mill worker Revolution
Daniel linen mill owner
Tompkins:

Lewis Hine: photographer for the NCLC

Leonora NCLC worker

Barry:

TCM 11548 ■ Isecke

Harriet Isecke