, 1880-09-06
Supporting the Family.

Supporting the Family.
A pleasant subject has come up for
discussion before the convention of
County Superintendents Of the Poor,
now in session in New York. It is ::
How shall men who refuse to support
their families be punished ?" The
question is an intricate one and sug-
gests grave possibilities. There are
so many varieties and degrees of
family support, and failure to suppot,
that even the Superintendent of q
poorhouse might be troubled in trying
to draw the line in the right place. As
to the shiftless and indolent person
who spends his time in gin-mills in
stead of working for q living. there can
be no two opinions. 1t is through his
lasiness and ill-mansgement that his
family becomes burden on the pub
lie. But there are families who do not
consider themselves supported unless
them in all sorts of luxury. One wom-
an will live on what would not afford
pin-money for another. One thrifty
lady will do as much household work
with her own hands as her neighbor
may accomplish with the aid of two
O. three servants. The lady who lives
on servants would consider her unfor-
tunate husband guilty of the SID OF
not supporting the family, if the pres
sure ON his pocket became SO great
| that the servants had to be dismissed.
Total destitution of diamonds, India
shawls, opera tickets and carriage
rides would lead some ladies to believe
that they were not supported at all.
Some complaining women have habit
of saying, whenever the appropriation
for dress goods runs little short, that
they are on the road to the poorhouse.
Then they belabor their husbands with
rebukes and faultfinding, which make
him regret that he ever took on his
hands the contract for supporting such
querulous people. These women would
take oath before justice, either of
peace or war, that they were not prop
erly supported. It is to be hoped that
the Superintendents will pay some
heed to the condition of the luckless
man who would like to support his
family if he could find way to do it.
There is many man who has lost his
situation. Perhaps he was incompe-
tent; perhaps he was sick. Perhaps he
is a nervous soul who has fallen into a
state of discouraged dumpishness be-
cause of continued showers of dOmes
tic scolding. Some consideration is
due to the poor fellow who is crushed
under any of these evils. Everything
seems to be against him, and he wishes
he were dead. There are cases in
which wife and children do not list
lessly sit down and ask to be supported.
A spirited woman and a group of am
bitious boys and girls are often able to
do what discouraged father may have
totally failed in. The people who Can
do this, but stand ON their dignity, re-
fusiag to do it, and claiming their
right to be supported, are quite as de-
serving OF punishment as Is the neg
lectful husband. There are thousands
of unfortunate and almost penniless
families, who are as they are because
the women and children either know
nothing about how to work for living,
or. fnowing no ", are too proud to put
their knowledge to practical use. A
husband is good thing to have in the
house if he is in working order. Ii
out of repair and permanently dis
abled or incompetent somebody must
come to the rescue. If the Poorhouse
Superintendents will show us how to
prevent the evil they deplore, rather
than how tc puoish it, they will do So
ciety a valuable service. lddelphi0
Times.