The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-26
IT'S POVERTY DOES IT.
DR.. Ida Barnes and DR.. Eva
Harding Discuss
The Causes of the DesertiOn of
Wives.
Others Add Their Opinions to a Cues
ton That is Interesting People
Who Study Humanitarian
and PhilanthropIc
Matters.

me desertiOn of women by their nus
bands, is being much discussed among
humanitarians and others in Topeka
People whose daily work brings them
into immediate contact with people Of
this class have long considered the con
ditions- Outside of people actively en-
gagged i'm humanitarian work, doctors
and lawyers meet the condition most
Some OF them have rather startling
reasons to give and rather startling
remedies TO propose
Among these are DR. Eva Harding
who has seen much of it in benevolent
work and she discusses it from the
standpoint OF both humanitarian and
d physician
If men desert their wives because
they feel that they viii not support
them and their children, says Dr. Hard
ing. who has got past the theory of
moral suasion, there should be a law
and it should be enforced to make men
stay and do the best they can If they
run away, catch them as You would
any other criminal and bring them
back Why isn't the man that marries
q woman and raises a family only to
desert il and leave the children TO pos
sible starvation, a criminal against So
ciety as much as he who steals, assaults
or murders.
~Of course. it is poverty-and the
other things. cOwardice, and laziness.
A man marrieS. He has nothing but
what he calls his job and its income to
llVe upon 1t isn't very good job at
best and his wife has to do the house
work. The first thing he knows he is
a father with all the expense and doctor
bills that that means. 1t plunges him
In debt There is work for his wife to
do. The chances are that ia doing 9TH
er work about the home as long as she
could, she has not had the proper care
q woman ia Ter condition should She
leaves her bed too soon. and is an i'm
valid for life. More children. more sick
ness, more work. Doctor bills and ex-
penSe all the time And all this time
the family is increasing, more mouths
TO feed and instead of an increase in
salary he finds that times grow harder.
His worries are SO great he cannot 90
his work we'll and is among the first to
be laid off or perhaps discharged. He
IS compelled to do anything he can to
keep the family in a misera BILE exist
ence. His health suffers Hers has all
ready suffered. There is not room
enough in the home for so many of bad
temper, such as i'll health brings. There
IS not food in quantity or kind for 50
many mouths His discOura cement in
creases and he feel like Sinking He
knows it is a cowardly thing to do but
ne does it-and the county or the city
takes care of the family
kind
II can tell you the cause of not only
TINS particular one but of nearly all the
misery in the world and its remedy
The cause is: They have too many
The remedy is and it is unfailing:
Raise fewer
1t IS children, born and bred and
raised ia poverty or crime or both. that
make TINS condition possible. The child
whose father deserted his mother and I
was raised by the aid OF the county has
no Independence But he narries as
soon as he is old enough and in turn
becomes deserter also. And it is not
50 much his fault 1t is in him He
and his brothers and sisters caused his /
father to desert his mother and it is no /
wonder if ne goes into the desertiOn
business himself as soon as he can. Such I
men and women have no right to bring /
children into the world to fiji up the [
Janis and poor house, corrupt the com |
munlty and obstruct advancement y
For good many years DR. Ida c. /
Barnes has been identified with human |
llarlanlsn in Topeka in her connection /
with the Social Purity league.
II have always believed. " she saws /
that altogether too great per cent of /
the marriages made nowadays are made /
100 hastily Young people marry with /
almost no thought at all for the future. /
W men poverty comes, it Immediately |
breeds dlsc0ntent and unpleasantness at \
nome trouble arises and diseord in
creases until there is q separation. Tf /
the days of comfort could continue / \
have no doubt all would be well.
1t is my opinion that all children.
particularly girls, should be instructed !
and educated in the responsibilities of |
married life that they may NOT go INFO
IL blind. don't know that this would /