Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-09
MISS EVAlYN r. GAVIN
On Keeping Children at Home


THE influenza epidemic of 1913 may be
l. rapidly dimming memory to the average
Philadclphian, but 1t has left an impression
in charitable fields which will not wear out
for many years, according to Miss Evalyn I.
Gavin, executive secretary of the Mothers
Assistance Fund, a local organization afil-
lated with the State Board Of Education.
The Mothers Assistance Fund, Miss
Gavin explained, is supported by both state
and county appropriations 1t was started
in 1914 and has grown every year, always
maintaining its motto, Keep the Children at
Home
"The organization, Miss Gavin said,
"does it's campaigning among the mothers
for the assistance of the children. We are
interested in all cases where the mother, as
the sole support Of family Of children, is
compelled to work all day away from home.
The result with the children is bound to be
disastrous. The truancy cases, the acci-
dents, the fires in homes caused by children
playing with matches-a great many Of these
things arise from just such situation as
this.
"we have on our payroll now 700 mothers
with an average of nearly four children each.
The cost of these 700 cases is 500 .6S6, or
nearly S33 to q family This is an increase
Of $40 over the cost per family when we
started. Our largest appropriation to
mothers is $50 and the lowest $40. Our
rates are $50 for every two dependent minors,
with SO for every additional child. But
these figures are not rigid as our pensions
are based on the difference between the fam
lily income and the family need
400 Mothers Need Help
at has been estimated that there are
about 1000 widowed mothers in need with
two or more minor children in the city of
Philadelphia, but this number does not in
clude the great influx which came in because
Of the Influenza epidemic would say that
there are about 400 such mothers at the
present time. We have 11TG on our waiting
list, and We were only able to handle the
700 cases that'we did this year because of
special appropriation which we finally won
from the county after fight in Council.
Fifty per cent Of the cases which have
come under my observation are American
born women, with Irish and italian coming
next In the order named, OF the children,
90 per cent are American born. 1t seems
amazing to say that 6SS OF the mothers have
from three to ten children under sixteen,
and yet this Is an actual fact. Peculiarly
enough, the American born women seem to
be more generally represented on this list
than foreign born. We had one widow of
twenty eight years who had seven children.
and thereby won our largest pension of $50.
ls ldkBiHR DtHluu Otner Dig
cities in the work Of this character done
among women, although we have improved
materially in this respect during the last few
years. New York appropriates 81 900 900
Boston, $500. 900; Buffalo, $145 900; Chi
cago, $500, 900; Detroit, 1864, 900, and
Cleveland, $52, 900. Philadelphia with
S237 900, including state and county appro.
priations, does not rank with any of these
cities except Cleveland, considering the pop.
ulation item.
"In Europe they are looking to the
United States as a leader along these lines
and are just beginning to take il up them
selves. If the municipal governments here
and elsewhere could only realize the fact that
money spent in this way Is saving, since il
cuts out such very definite items as proba-
ton officers, the overhead institutions. and
the loss entaied in various legal avenues
through which many fatherless childron
drift when deprived of the mothers care
they might be more willing to push sucb
work as this.
Housing Serious Problem
"We are faced, of course, with nearlv oII
the problems which confront the indviduai
Housing is very serious one at the present
time. Houses that used to rent for sin ar
$12 now rent for $l6 and go as high as sos
And the houses are not worth such gums
especially since few landlords ever consent
70 make repairs in this day and generation
Goal at Its present high cost presents nm.
gpther big problem to us. All such tbin..
&lAave to be taken into consideration when,