Newsboy selling papers on street

Not All Fun and Games!

In the 1800s and early 1900s, many working-class families in Montreal had trouble making ends meet. Every member of the family had to pitch in, even the children, often working as newspaper vendors, messengers or delivery boys who roamed the city streets for long hours. Some of them took jobs in factories. Legislation set the minimum working age at 12 in 1894, and raised it to 14 in 1907. It was not until 1919 that children under the age of 16 were prohibited by law from selling newspapers in public places unless they were adequately educated. In working-class neighbourhoods, girls aged 10 to 14 often had to look after their younger siblings when their mothers were at work, ill or deceased. What a lot of responsibility for a youngster!