The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-29
CERTAINLY; HELP THE MOTHERS

1t takes a good deal Of the poetry
out of motherhood to place a monetary
premium upon it, but the theory Of
Charles Zueblin of the University of
Chicago for the prevention of race
suicide has both practical and hui
name features if II does lack sentiment.
Prof. Zueblin's plan is TO pension
every mother in the country in pro-
portion to the number Of children she
has. The pension is to be stated sum
for rich and poor alike for the first
three children with a less amount for
subsequent offspring.
There is no question but what the
cost Of living has a great influence in
keeping down the birth rate in the
United States. If parents were sure
OF a small competency for their chill
dren, ii might be different. 1t is all
the average man can do to support
wife and himself to say nothing of
family of children and the servant that
is an almost Indispensable accessory in
large American families. at least as
applied to large cities.
The women Of today are not the
women Of a few generations ago when
the country was young and the life of
it's citizens simple. They have not the
tend to their homework, their sewing
and even the manufacture of the ia
brics used in the making of garments
as did their foremothers. 1t may be
that the present mode Of living is In
imical to the robust constitution Of
the old colonial dame and it may be
that mothers of we olden time" worked
so hard for so many generations that
-, to Vf-
bust qualities to transmit to their
daughters. Whatever be the cause, one
finds very few American women who
are able to work as their ancestors did.
This being a fact, the far sighted wom-
an who figures things out ahead, and
who knows that even with a husband
difficulty is experienced in making both
ends meet, realizes that in the case of
his taking off she would be confronted
by a serious problem in caring for a
| brood of fatherless ones. A widow
thus encountered is in a predicament.
| Few women, indeed are equal to earn
| ing a salary that will maintain house.
feed and clothe the family and pay a
servant to take charge of the said
| family, to say nothing of the extra eX-
pense of paying for what a servant
will waste. A childless woman can at
least In the majority of instances sup
| port herself. Most Intelligent business
women have more money to spend up
! on their personcl comforts than the
moderately well fixed" married WON
an. But in the case of a widow with
| children. it is different. To do he1
work away from home entails an eX-
pense in maintaining her house that
| is greater than while her husband was
| living and the income is more than
correspondence less. Many womer
who would make good mothers are
loath 20 bring children into the
world to live in the sordid sur
roundings that the inroads a few
children would make in the fam.
lily excheequer even with we'll and ro-
bust husband might necessitate; an(
the prospect of widowhood with fam
lily Of little ones is appalling. There
| are but few methods of earning a live
lihood open to widows with families
The occupation must almost of neces
sity be one that can be pursued a
home. The principal ones that permit
of this are sewing and laundry work
Many women qualified to do their owl
home sewing could not earn their sal
at sewing for others. On the laundr,
proposition, very few women have TIL
strength to care for their house ant
do washing for others. Even if the.
have the prospect is not alluring.
A pension to mothers therefore, t
; aid in the education of the child il
days of comparative prosperity an
l help keep the wolf from the door in tn
event of adversely, might induce som
people who yearn for the little arm
? about their necks and for the tende
responsibilities motherhood and father
hood entail. to rear families that Nigh
prove a blessing TO the parents and
, to the community.