The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-08-05
Supporting the Family.

A pleasant subject came up for dis
cuSsiOn before the convention of County
Superintendent of the Poor, in session
in New York. 1t is: "How shall men
who refuse to support their families be
punished?" The question is an intri-
cate one and suggests grave pOssibili-
ties. There are so many varieties and
degrees of family support and of failure
to support, that even the Superintend-
ent of 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
instead of working for a living, there
can be no two opinions. 1t is through
his laziness and Encouragement that
his family becomes burden on the
the public. But there are families who
do not consider themselves supported
unless the husband and father is able to
keep them in all sorts of luxury. One
woman will live on what would not af-
ford pin-money for another. One
thrifty lady will do as much homework
with her own hands as her neighbor
may accomplish with the aid of two or
three servants. The lady who lives on
servants would consider her unfortunate
husband guilty of the sin ofnOt support
ing the family, if the pressure on his
pocket became so great that the servants
had to be dismissed. Total restitution
of diamonds, India shawlS, opera tickets
and carriage rides would lead some
ladies to believe that they were not sup
ported at all. Some complaining wom-
en- have the habit of saving, whenever
the appropriation for dress goods runs
Il little short, that they are on the road
to the poorhouse. Then they belabor
their husbands with rebukes and fault
finding, 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 properly supported. 1t
is to be hoped that the superintendent
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 a man who
has lost his situation. Perhaps ne was
incompetent; perhaps he was sick. Per-
hapS he was a nervous soul who had
fallen into state of discouraged dump
ishness because of continued showers
of domestic scolding. Some consider
alton is due to the poor fellow who is
crushed under any of these evils. Every
thing seems to be against him and he
wishes he were dead. There are cases
in which a wife and children do not
listlessly sit down and ask to be sup
ported. A spirited woman and a group
of ambitious boys and girls are often
able to do what a discouraged father
may have totally failed in. The people
who can do this, but stand on their
dignity, refusing to do it and claiming
their right to be supported, are quite as
deserving 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, knowing how, are too proud to put
their knowledge to practical use. A
husband is a good thing to have in the
house if he is in working order. If out
of repair or permanently disabled or in
competent somebody must come to the
rescue. If the PoOrhOuse Superintend-
ents will show us how to prevent the
evil they deplore, rather than how to
punish it, they will do society valua-
BILE service. PhiEGdeip hid Times.