The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-09-23
Must Attend School

| MUST AII6nQ SCHOOL.
Applicants for assistance under the re
Gently enacted widows pension Law
seem to have rather vague idea of what
their part of the contract is Many o.
them appear to think they may apply
for pension, have the money awarded
them and then do as they please after
wards. The intention of the law is to
aid widows who are unable to care fol
their children in proper manner, but a
majority of those who apply for pensions
seem to think they may get the county
aid and put their children to work even
though they are below the school age.
This latter point is one of considerable
importance. The school law requires
that every child between the ages of IA
and Is must go to school for a certain
period. If, having finished that term,
he wishes to go to work he may be given
certificate granting the privilege. The
pension law provides for children under
16 years of age and the intention is to
aid mothers in caring for the children
and giving them proper education up
to the age of Is years.
The attention of Judge Homer was
called to certain conditions in some of
the cases, and in order to get the facts
he sent for Mrs. Mary Reamer, of Paxson
street. Mrs. Reamer was granted pen
sion on the basis of having four children
under the age of Is years. Judge Homer
heard that two of these children were
not attending school but were at work.
One of the boys was formerly employed
at the Office of THE NEWS, but was taken
away by his mother who thought that
he was not receiving as much money as
he was entitled to- An examination
of the school law, however, had been
made in the case, and the boy
was to have been relieved from further
service on the ground that it would have
been illegal to have kept him in our
employ.
In the conversation with Mrs. Reamer
the latter told Judge Homer that it was
impossible for her to support her family
of four children on $22 per month with
out the aid Of the two boys. Judge Hor-
ner discovered that there is daughter
also living at the house and he wanted
to know if the combined work of Mrs
Reamer and the daughter, with the S22
from the county was not sufficient to al
low the boys to go to school. She seemed
to think it was not and then the court
informed her that the law which granted
her a pension put the children entirely
under the control of the State Board of
Guardians and if the mother
is not able to take care of them, homes
be taken from the custody of the mother
and the pension decreased accordingly.
The matter was ended by Judge Hor-
ner ordering that the two boys must go
TO school. He instructed the truant of |
ficer to keep in touch with the case and |
10 report to Miss Frances S. Day, of the |
Board of Guardians, if there was any
failure to live up to the order.
1t would be well for employers to con-
slider the subject of employment of chill
lren under 16 years of age who have not
received the proper certificate from the |
school authorities. Managers of institu-
lions who employ children under that
age are subject to punishment. Another |
point worth remembering is that, even |
though widows who have been granted |
pensions should decide they could dis |
pense with portion of the monty pay
ment and be better compensated by |
letting some of the children work, they |
cannot escape the school law. 1t mat |
ters not what the parent may decide, |
the children under Is years of age must |
90 to school, and if the fathers or guar |
iians neglect or refuse to comply with |
the provisions of the law they are liable |
10 arrest and punishment as disorderly |
persons and the children are in the same |
condition.
Miss Frances S. Day, who represents
ihe State Board of Children's Guardians
IS young woman who is much interested
N the work assigned to her and is devot- |
ng her attention to it in a manner that |
IS to her credit. She does not seek SEN
;ational notoriety, but goes around quiet |
y investigating. A young lady with an
intelligent knowledge of the law, she is
not overbearing or dictatorial but she
FIRMLY insists upon all the provisions of
he law being enforced. While she has
Kindly sympathy for those whose cir
are such as to make them
under the widows pension
act, she still feels that there is more than
one side to the question and that there are
rights to which children are entitled and
which will be of more importance to
them in later life than the earning of a
few dollars is at the present time. Miss
Day is an earnest worker and is going
day and night. The passage of the
widows pension act has added to duties
that were not light prior to the enact
ment of that law, but she seems perfect
" capable of taking care of all that
comes to her notice.