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St. Louis, Missouri. "May 13, 1910, 11 a.m. Adams Express Company. One of the many young boys working as assistants on express wagons." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine for the National Child Labor Committee. View full size.
This shot is in the 900 block of Olive looking west. The three story building on the left corner with the bay windows is still standing as is the building on the immediate right (Syndicate Building).
The business model has changed, and the company is now an investment fund, but Adams Express still exists. Its shares trade under the ticker ADX on the New York Stock Exchange. The logo hasn't changed in over 100 years.
The standards of today are not the same as those of a hundred years ago. My father was 1 year old when this picture was taken and he also had to start earning money to support his family at a very early age. Don't feel sorry for these kids as they developed real self-respect, a sense of responsibility and an unselfish attitude. They were always busy doing useful things, educated themselves in unconventional ways and grew up to be devoted family men and fathers. Would it be better to have young boys and men with nothing to do, just hanging around in the streets, getting in trouble? Would it be better to be showered with material gifts and end up spoiled and self-centered? I know there is a "happy medium" but nothing builds self-esteem and sociability like working and earning rewards for your efforts, that is a real education.
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