Page:Resolutions of the Congress of Geneva, 1866, and the Congress of Brussels, 1868 - International Working Men's Association.djvu/10

 limitation of the working day. It is needed to restore the health and physical energies of the working class—that is the great body of every nation, as well as to secure them the possibility of intellectual development, social intercourse, social and political action.

The Congress proposes eight hours work as the legal limit of the working day. This limitation being generally claimed by the workmen of the United States of America, the vote of the congress will raise it to the common platform of the working classes all over the world. Nightwork to be but exceptionally permitted, in trades or branches of trades specified by law. The tendency must be to suppress all nightwork. This paragraph refers only to adult persons, male or female, the latter, however, to be rigorously excluded from all nightwork whatever, and all sort of work hurtful to the delicacy of the sex, or exposing their bodies to poisonous and otherwise deleterious agencies. By adult persons are meant all persons having reached or passed the age of 18 years.

3. Juvenile and children's labour (both sexes).

The congress considers the tendency of modern industry to make children and young persons of both sexes co-operate in the great work of social production, as a progressive, sound and legitimate tendency, although, under the dominat on of capital, it has become an abomination. In a rational state of society every child whatever, from the age of nine years, ought to become a productive labourer in the same way that no able-bodied adult person ought to be exempt from the general law of nature, viz.: to work in order to be able to eat, and work not only with the brain but with the hands too. However, for the present, we have only to deal with the children and young persons belonging to the working people. They ought to be divided into three classes, to be treated differently; the first class to range from 9 to 12; the second, from 13 to 15; and the third, to comprise the ages of 16 and 17 years. We propose that the employment of the first class in any workshop or housework be legally restricted to two; that of the second, to four; and that of the third, to six hours. For the third class, there must be a break of at least one hour for meals or relaxation. It may be desirable to begin elementary school instruction before the age of nine years; but we deal here only with the most indispensable