The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-09-05

After the start, things began to be
better. The husband made an allot-
ment of his pay and took out war
ments from these sources begin to
come in the family will no longer be
in need of financial assistance. In the
meantime the Red Cross worker is
keeping in touch with them.
The legal committees of the home
service have been especially valuable
aids. Not infrequently soldiers reln-
tives are badly informed on the law
and allow themselves to be duped
Occasionally they are not aware of the
rights which accrue to them when the
man of the family goes into the army.
Every sort of snarl and tangle arises.
and 1t usually seems as though the
services of a lawyer may be too costly.
The legal committees meet this need.
All over the country lawyers have gen.
erously given their services to this
important work.
chiIdren's Welfare First
Nothing is more vital than the well
fare of the children. One of the home
service directors issued this statement
to the workers of the district: 'The
home service is especially interested
In children, and we feel that its most
important service IS in the conserva-
tion of the child and the home for the
future. For this reason we stand ready
to see that any child does not have to
leave school to go to work because Its
father has either volunteered or has
been drafted into the army. We also
stand ready to see that no woman
with small children has to go to work
because her husband or son is serving
the country as soldier or sailor"
A short time ago 1t was reported to
the Re Cro1c home service station in
one of the cities that a little girl OF
fifteen was about to be taken out OF
school because her family needed the
money she could earn. Irene's father
was dead. Her Oldest brother, Alex.
was contributing $40 week to the
family treasury. but he was saving to
get married. and that was all that he
could spare. The second boy, Joseph,
had enlisted. The Oldest girl, Helen.
made $40 week. while Harry, sixteen
years old and just returned from a
runaway jaunt. only earned 81. There
wss another little girl. eleven years
DID, who was still IN Cohool.
The Red Cross worker explained to
Irene's mother why she felt so strong
ly that the child ought to have at least
grammar-school education. In June
she would be through with the gram
t. np,ft tFvra 4h<a
Red Cross offered to pay Irene's fam
lily SO week. which was about all
that she could be expected to earn.
The arrangement was made. and Irene
is still in school, while the mother Is
gradually paying off her debts. When
June comes Irene will graduate, and
she will probably be able to earn more
than Sc week.
1t is a splendid thing to help de-
serving families, but 1t is still better
to put them in position to help them.
selves. That is, of course, the ulti-
mate purpose Of social work as 1t Is
practiced nowadays. One of the large
home-service sections was able to car
ry through a very large job OF this
sort recently.
The family in question had been
public charges for years. The husband
and father was a heavy drinker and
never displayed the slightest inclina-
tiOn to support his wife and children.
The mother was serene and happy-go-
lucky and had no other thought than
to get the most she could out OF the
different charity organizations. The
house was dirty beyond description
and everything was at skies and
sevens.
Pawned His Wooden Leg.
Douglas. the eldest boy, was In the
navy. The second boy. William. was
consumed with desire to enlist, too.
He had tried, but had been turned
down because of physical disqualifi-
cation, and. in rage and disappoint-
ment, he had gone Off to the West
where he wandered for several months.
When he finally came home, he, too.
settled down to be a charity patient.
A third boy, Raymond, seventeen
years old, had also taken to tramping,
although he had VIC den leg, the
souvenir of an accident in the railroad
yards when he was a small boy. When
absent one one of his hikes the en-
terprsing gentleman ran out of funds
and chose the expedient of pawning
his wooden leg. Helen, the oldest girl,
had st. Vitus' dance. and there were
five younger children, all Of them
growing up In dirt and ignorance.
BY the time the mother applied to
the Red Cross for help the family was
suffering for want of food. The work
er paid visit to the household and
found the conditions as they have been
described.
First of all, food was supplied to
the family and their most pressing
wants were met. Then a court order