The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-07-23
For Fatheriess Families.
Pensions Proved Practical BY Thorough
Test. Widows Worry Resulsiy Relsev-
ed by A. l. c. r. Oldest Organization

New YORK, July 20. After . practi-
cal test of the idea Of widows's pen.
sions, that is now being studied all over
the country, leaders of the Association
for Improving the Condition of the Poor
in this city today reported that they were
willing to extend to five hundred father
less families the pension system that
they have successfully applied to fifty
cases during the last year. In spite of
the opposition to State pensions of this
sort that has been aroused among many
organized charity experts, the workers
of this Oldest general relief body here
assert that they "cannot let their theories
and opinions as to the merits of one
form of relief over another prevent the
adoption of program whose purpose it
is to put stop to the incalculable social
loss that is plainly written in the lives
of large number of women and chill
dren." If funds are forthcoming, it is
planned to pension one widow with chill
dren in every hundred in Greater New
York through the associations scientific
system of visitors, nurses, doctors and
dietitians.
Proper food, clothing and shelter must
be assured as an indispensable mini
mum" to widows with children, the ex-
perts of the A. l. C. P. declare in en-
dorsing widows pensions, while such
mothers must never be made to work
under conditions that break their health
and strength or oblige them to neglect
their children. 1t is popularity believed,
they assert, that private relief has fail
ed to adequately deal with all families
deprived of their bread winner; and the
danger of ceasing to do good for fear of
making people dependent is cited against
the opponents of this pension plan, which
is expected to work out to the benefit of
the community, as similar support by
free scholarships has done.
Sixty-fve percent of the total income
of the forty-three widows with 1871 child
rem now cared for by this method is reg
ularly supplied in pensions from the
funds of the Association for Improving
the Condition of the Poor, while twenty
eight percent is earned by the widows
and children themselves in occupations
that are not overtaXing and permit the
mothers to remain at home. Contrary
to the recently expressed opinion of
other charitable experts that mothers
should work away from home when home
demands are not urgent and children
may not require constant oversight, the
A. l. C. P. workers declare that all
children need oversight and their pres
ence alone makes home demands urgent.
That these children must not work be-
yond their strength and that their lives
as we'll as those of their mothers must
not be impoverished by making liveli
hood, is insisted upon by this organization
after it's seventy years of experience and
its more recent test of the practicability
of pensions.
bSSlU6
are being pensioned, 431 widows with
1872 children are being given less regular
relief by this organization. which has
contributed "a percent of their total in
come while the mothers and children
have earned 81 percent and only 9 per-
cent has been supplied by all other or
CARNATIONS. To pension all these widows
and relieve them of the anxiety of their
uncertain fight for life, is the project
for which five times the funds required
for their present pensioners are being
sought ~ these workers, who believe
they h6ve proved The practicability OF
this idea.
mot even temporarily can We longer
allow widows to break down their health
and the health of their children by allow.
ing them to work long hours, with low
wages and under severe physical straln'
concludes the report of the Association
for Improving the Condition of the Poor
just issued from its headquarters at 10;
East 22nd street. "We must make de-
cided effort now, once and for all, tt
prevent this social calamity of broker
down physique of women and even more
of children; to give up the wretched de
| fusion that mother can earn the breat
for and at the same time properly nurt
ure and rear her children.