The Washington herald., 1914-03-24
Who's Who Among
Women
Mrs. J. L. Pickering. Friend to
Thousands of Children.
BY MARY b. MULLETT.

BY MARY ID. MULLETT.
| Old Mother Hubbard was a lady of
elegant leisure compared with Mrs. ]. L.
Pickering. The latter has family of
about ], 100 children, and every one Of
| them has officially been declared 10 be
naughty.
The figures about the number of the
Hubbard children are not available. But
the fact that their mother could spank
them all round and finish the job in
time to send them to bed proves that
her family wasn't a patch on Mrs. Pick
ering's.
Even with the aid of her nineteen as
sistants Mrs. Pickering could not spank
all of her 1400 boys and girls and get
through in time to be in her ssat at the
Philadelphia Juvenile Court at precisely
8 o'clock in the morning.
And as she hasn't once missed being
there on time since she became probation
| officer almost nine years ago, that would
seem to settle any doubt concerning the
| respective size of the Hubbard and Pick
ering families.
When 1t comes to any kind of human
betterment work, all city governments
seem to be made up of men from Mis-
| souri,. They have to be shown And gen.
| orally It is a woman's club that does the
| showing. This has been true almost
EckdIu " piOboSOh "~A-N
and Philadelphia is no exception to the
rule.
It was the Civic Club that made the
experiment there. Mrs. Pickering was a
member and from 1906 until 1903 she was
one of the thirteen probation officers
paid by societies, churches, and other
organizations.
Four years of showing at last con-
vinced the city authorities: and in June,
1909. Mrs. Pickering and her nineteen
assistants were put on the municipal pay
roll. She has an office in the city hall
from which she directs the work.
Under her charge come the children
classified as ircorrigible. delinquent, de-
pendent, and neglected She knows their
stories and takes a personal interest in
their welfare.
To be in court every morning by s
o'clock involves pretty early rising.
Even the judges are occasionally little
late. But Mrs. Pickering-never. She
has another record. too. Since she be-
gan the work she has never missed the
Monday session of the magistrate at the
House OF Detention.
In a single year about 1000 children
tell their stories at these Monday ses-
sions. Mrs. Pickering listens to them all.
She takes a personal interest in the dis
position of each case.
She seems the ideal type of woman for
this work. She is the rounded. motherly
type. Any child would like to smuggle
up to her. But she isn't the sentimental
sort. She has a way of looking at you
which. though it is kindly and confidence
inviting. is nevertheless dire and keen.
Her mouth is humorous. Her chin is
firm. In short, she seems to have an
nexed the exact combination of qualities
she ought have IN TnSitinn
One of the best proofs Of this is that
her probationary little folks hail her with
unmistakable pride as my officer" when
they meet her on the street. Apparently
she is regarded as a choice perquisite.
This may not be particularly discourag-
Ing to ill-doing. One can easily conceive
of child being tempted to be naughty.
precisely with the hope of gaining Mrs.
Pickering as a friend. But perhaps this
Is remote chance.
There is a Pickering Club. made up of
some of her probation children. 1t was
organized seven years ago and is carried
on by the Civic Club. which pays an
instructor TO run it. Mrs. Pickering is
proud OF its record; for. of all the boys
who have belonged to il in those seven
years, only two have ever been in court
second time.
Her work is a broader one than merely
TO watch the children while they are on
probation. Every effort is made to do
constructive work in building up Charac-
ter. A physician makes an examination
In every case and treatment is given
when necessary. Occasionally an opera
ton is performed. Positions are obtain
ed for the boys and girls and advice is
given in discreet quantities to the par
ents Indeed. il is with the parents that
as a rule the original cause OF the child's
wrongdoing is to be found, says this
foster mother to fourteen hundred.
0ouyriyht lal4O