Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-24
Happy Ending in Real Life

7 Where shall we send the children? '
was the question.
They knew no other way. Not one
Of these court officers. nor charity ox-
pcrts. could conceive OF any ether way
tLSn to break up the Manipulating
these children away from their mo,h-
er. the supreme crime of civilization.
punishment worcc than death for the
offense of poverty.
For three years the Judge had seen
this thing 90 on. His face was bag
gard, he looked rs if he was ready for
the hospital. Ho was too humane to
do this awful thing day after day and
not to feel it. The charity workers
appeared to be less affected.
To send the babies to an institution
would cost the county SO a month for
each child-S3O in all. They were
recdy to pay the sum TO an asylum for
taking care of these poverty-stricken
children, but there wac no way tho
money could be paid to the mother
for performing the functions for which
nature intended her. and for which she
was so well prepared.
The AK was about to fall. The wag-
on was backed up at the door. Trim
nurses entered to take the babies from
their mothers arms. in all probability
forever. when something happened
During the progress Of the trial"
two men. entered. One of them was
Henry Neil. who for year had been
watching this destruction of families
the punishment of women and chill
dren for poverty. and all in the name
of kindness"
That very week Governor Deneen
had signed a bill that vas to revolu-
tionize the practice of the juvenile
court and TO prevent the separation
of mothers and their children in the
name of sweet charity-a habit that
had become so common that it was
then a vested right of the charity or
CARNATIONS.
Neil had presented the bill to the
legislature. and it was such little
thing that it crept through almost I'M
noticed. Organized charity experts
knew nothing of il. 1t was an amend /
ment to the Juvenile court act in these
words:
IF the parent O. parents of such |
dependent or neglected child are poor |
and unable to properly care for said
child, and are otherwise proper guar
dians. and it isSor the welfare of such
child to remain at home. the court may
enter an order finding such facts and
fixing the amount CT money necessary
to enable the parent or parents to
properly care for such child. and there
upon il shall be the duty Of the county
board. through its county agent, or
otherwise to pay to such parent or
parents. at such times as said order
nav designate. the amount so speci-
fed for the care OF such dependent
Dr. neglected child until the rsurther
order of the court
The law was 10 go into force July i,
1911. Thet3rian family was to be brok-
IN up. nevertheless. because poverty
.ould not wait three weeks. Neil CON
erred with the judge. He argued to
,ay Mrs. Brian 1925 a month until the
pension law went into effect, and on
Iuly l. the very day the act became
lseful. Mrs. Brian was oensioned, the !
irst woman who ever drew a pension
OF being a mother. She still lives !
With her own childden. and since then !
.lmost 1000 mothers have been pen 9
toned in Chicago alone, and the sys- !
EN- today Is at work from the Atlantic {
. the Pacific.
The identity OF the mother is con
eaIed under a fictitious name.