The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-05-13
HOW HENRY NEI. WAS INSPIRED rs
BECOME FATHER OF MOTHERS PENSIONS

to wash and scrub.
She did the washing and ironing at
| nome then, but in the three-room
tenement there wasn't room for wash
tubs and three sick babies. Then the
widow got work in an office building
scrubb1ng floors from to in the
morning and from 4 to 10 at night. It
paid her better, but she had to be
away from home many hours each
day.
Mary had to quit school to care for
the sick children. Jimmie also quit
school when his mother fell down
stairs and sprained her back so badly
that she could not scrub any more.
The little fellow got a. Job as messen
ger and. that helped out, but still the
pla1nest foods and the cheapest Of
clothes, added to the doctor bills and
the medicine for one Hines or another
kept the little Haslzins children in bed.
held the twolf"' at the door,
The slum.. tenement was foul, ILL.,
smelling, unsanitary. Drunken men
and women staggered in and out:
curses and quarrels rent the air day
and night; children grew up with
Trail, sickly bodies and immoral
| minds.
The Haskins children forgot the
nice, quiet, wholesome neighborhood
where they had lived while their
1ather was alive and absorbed the
tenement life with all it's means. They
didn't go to church or Sunday school
! any more-they had no fit clothing.
! Their mother was to Ill and over
worked to patch and darn and keep
them clean. Often at night she was
too worn out to kneel with them for
prayer. So that was how Jack and
Mary happened to be down in the
street one morning. Other children
were telling how easy it was to
'swipe" bananas and other fruit and
even vegetables from grocery stores.
| They told Jack to try it, and he and
Mary slipped up to the corner grocery
and took a basket Of turnips-they
thought it would help ont at dinner.
But they were not as experienced as
the other slum children. They didn't
/ stop to look in and see where the
groceryman was. He saw them. Run
ming out quickly, he caught both and
called a policeman.
"Oh, Missus Haskins," screamed a
! AAStAO ~ NAAA14s 1OuI NldIy anu JACK
have been pinched by the cop an de's
draggln' 'em to the station
CHAPTER w.
Mrs. Haskins was just starting out
for the police station to see about her
little boy and girl caught stealing a
basket Of turnips when her door
opened and a. professional charity
worker entered.
Between sobs and entreaties for her
children Mrs Haskins answered a
score of questions. The charity worker
said Mrs. Haskins had better bring
the rest of her children to the Juvenile
court next morning, adding: 1.-THE
two who are there now will remain in
the matron' care over night. No,
there is no use of your going down to
the station now. This is no fit place
to bring children up, anyhow"
Next morning Mrs. Haskins, with a
baby in her arms, and Henry and Jen-
ME clutching her ragged skirts, ap-
pearged = in the Juvenile courtroom.
Katie had gone to work as usual, for
she couldn't take even a morning off
without losing. her job.
In moment, g. door opened and
Mary and Jack came in the room;
both had been crying and both were
terribly frightened. Seeing their
mother they cried: "Oh, mamma
save us, take us home; we didn't
mean to take anything; the other kids
told us to-
A policeman motioned to the widow,
and the little children followed her
into the enclosure where one man sat
back of a low desk and where several
other men and women stood or sat
around.
Widow Haskins stood before the
man at the desk-the juvenile court
judge-and hesitatingly replied to his
questions. The policeman told about
the theft; the charity worker told
about the squalor Of the home she
had "examined."
1T is evident that you canot pro-
vide for your children as they should
be provided for," said the Judge. 1.-THE
home in which you have kept them is
unsanitary and you are endangering
their lives. The conditions in which
you are rearing them will tend toward
their moral corruption.
For these reasons order that they
be placed in an institution maintained
for such children
ooh; my babies! Please don't take
them away from me; they're all I
have" cried the mother. II don't
want to live without them. Please!
TIL work harder than ever for them.
They won't ever take anything again.
They're my children. I have suffered
and worked for them. They love me,
and they don't want to leave their
mammal
The children, too, began to cry,
some realizing what the judge had
said, the rest weeping because they
saw their mother crying there before
that stern man.
There was a tear in the judges eye
as he replied: 1T can't be helped,
Mrs. Haskins. It: is for the chidren's
good that you must part with them.
The Oldest, Katherine, may stay with
you and you can better provide for
yourself and her."
From the heart-broken mothers
arms officers of the court took tho six
children. AS she walked unsteadily
from the building she saw them leav-
ing with the charity worker for the
orphan asylum.
CHAPTER ".