At the beginning of the Twentieth century, the horrid living conditions of immigrants and poor, unprotected children were illustrated with dignity and truthfulness for an America entering the Modern age. This documentation was done by Lewis Wickes Hine, a self-taught photographer and an academically trained sociologist. Believing that the camera could be an educational tool, he traveled thousands of miles, taking to the docks, mines, and factories of our country, producing over a thousand images depicting the plight of the child laborer. He was employed from 1906 until 1918 by the National Child Labor Committee to produce bulletins exposing the human side of modern technology. During this time, he photographed children at their work and thought doing so, told stories anout an undeniable reality--a reality many said didn't exist. Thus, he helped challege beliefs and in fact was instrumental in eliciting sympathy and garnering support for the agency formed to see that laws were enacted prohibiting the abusive practices of child labor. Owen Lovejoy, chairman of the N.C.L.C said, "The work Hine did for the abolition of that evil was more responsible than all the other efforts for bringing the facts and conditions of child employment to public attention." Legislation was eventually passed to protect America's children from the unspeakable exploitations Hine and his camera uncovered. Were his images political or were they artistic? In answer: they are both. Extremely well-crafted works were produced that also told a story of a powerful, social evil. The subject is at once unaffected and direct. This creates a result that is powerful and engging for the viewer. Years after their initial purpose has ended, images of exceptional artistic value remain. That Lewis Hine is as much an American storyteller as a supurb photographer is evident in the body of the work now seen in the Lore Degenstein Gallery of Susquehanna University. "Let Children Be Children: Lewis Wickes Hine's Crusade Against Child Labor" is an exhibition of 55 black and white photographs on tour by The George Eastman House of International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, NY. It will be in view through December 3, 2000.   Jody K. Horn   Child Corn Picker. Lewis Wickes Hine. Gelatin silver print. 1908. Collection of the George Eastman House.