Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-24
PROFESSIONAL.
MOTHERS
Bv Frederic ]. HQSkin

|
good education whether it's
| mother is married or not, and that
| it is the duty of the state to enable
the mother to provide these things,
| received an impressive Endorsement
| the other day when the state confer
| passed a resolution favoring the ex
tension of the mothers pension law
to mothers of illegitimate children.
| This radical principle. was not in
dorsed without heated discussion. A
woman delegate asserted that the
| mother Of an illegitimate child is an
| abandoned creature who does not de-
serve the help of the state, and some
| what the same point of view was
expressed by others; but the day was
! carried for the unmarried mothers by
| Judge Frank w. Geiger, of SPRING
| field.
How about the babies?" he de-
manded. THE real purpose of the
! pension is to protect the children
| the illegitimate child needs this pro-
| than any other"
He went on to say that the mother,
| in such a case, also needs the help
of the state, and that the state should
| grant it. This is startlingly new
principle in American law and social
| custom, but an old if somewhat neg
| lected one in Christian ethics. Judge
| Geiger took the same attitude toward
the unwed mother that Jesus Christ
took toward a woman in somewhat
similar circumstances.
Admittedly, however, it is not the
humanitarian value of compassion for
the woman, but the practical and
economic value of justice for the
child which is back of the growing
movement for the granting of pen
Americans realize it, pensions are
now granted to mothers, under va
rious circumstances, by a majority
of the states in the union. Only one
of them so far has included I'M
married mothers in these benefits,
tend the aid to them also.
Against Our Traditions
The growth of the mothers pen
sions movement is q striking exam
pie Of how practical need makes
itself felt and is answered despite
all theories against it. For the
theory of American government is
absolutely individualistic. That is,
we are all taught to believe that in
this country opportunity is equal for
all, and that anyone who will work
can make good living, bring up
his children in health and comfort
and give them good education
In practice this theory seems not
to work perfectly. In the old days
when there were not so many people
In America, nearly everyone got
enough to eat and probably most of
country afforded. But of late it has
become increasingly apparent that
many thousands of American children
get neither enough to eat nor a de-
cent education. In the slums of our
great cities children die like flies of
rural districts they die almost as
fast Of hookWorm, malaria and other
diseases that spring largely from
poverty, and in some rural districts
the children get no education worthy
of the name. One Of the results of
these conditions was seen when the
draft brought forward thousands Of
young men who were undernourished,
diseased, ignorant and even illiterate
1t is self-evident, of course, that the
state cannot afford to go on raising
that kind of men any more than a
farmer. can afford to raise NANCY,
Stunted and diseased live stock
1t has always been recognized, of
course, that some parents would be
unable to care for their children and
that some children would be born out
OF Wedlock and that the state had a.
certain responsibility for such I'M
fortunate children. The recognition
OF these facts created the orphan
ages, orphan asylums and like insti-
buttons which dot the country. But
IA6SS p1dCSS uO IOC lii the Dill. Inc
child has no home life, no proper A'ee-
dom. He is not given the living and
the education which he deserves but
merely makeshift substitute, the
acceptance Of which he often regards
as disgrace. ... 49,
Charity Fails
The efforts of private charity have
| likewise proved inadequate, and so
| have the attempts to solve the prob
in
| Despite these measures, the enor-
nous waste of child life has gone
on. The system of pensioning moth
| ers with state funds has gained
| Roadway because it has, to some ex-
| tent. met the need when everything
else has failed. One state after an
other has adopted it, and everywhere
1t has accomplished good The laws
are all different and few of them
are drawn by experts. Few of them
provide really adequate pensions,
and still fewer make any adequate
provision for the administration of
the, law. by competent persons Yet
mothers pensions have triumphed
and it has been a purely practical
t TIL tTdt 1t is ga against all American
measure. Washington and Jefferson
and the rest of the pantheon Of
! american political gods never in
dorsed 1t. But it saves child life
Keeps the homes intact, keeps wom-
en- from taking to the street in sheer
desperation, and. therefore, it has
| tr1umphed again and again in con-
servative legislation where common
| sense is stronger than devotion to
| tradition or fear Of social theory.
| The dangers of granting pensions
| Others are self-evident. There
IS obvious danger of fraud and waste.
| There is also an obvious temptation
| for oft1ce-holders to use such pen
stons as a means of building up
their constituencies. Yet those who
| have had experience in administer
| ing these laws say that the practical
| draw lcks are not as serious as they
| look. The growing participation of
women in politics and public serv-
ice will probably be stimulus both
| to the passage of such legislation
to it's proper administration.
| Motherhood as a Profession
| This whole movement is really a
| step toward the recognition Of moth
| erhood as profession, which is Of
| great value to the state. 1t will in
a probability, lead to more syste-
matte education of women for moth
| erhood. so that when the state in
vests money in children it will be
sure of a return. AS it is, most wom-
en- go into marriage without the
slightest training Or preparation for
the difficult occupation of raising
children. The proper motive for
marriage in this country is supposed
| to be romantic love- The typical
American girl does not regard mar
riage and motherhood as the diff
cult and responsible business which
| they are; she regards them as
| great emotional adventure. There
| are two inevitable results. In the
| first place she is bitterly disillusion-
ed. In the second place she has no
training for the only dignified and
truly creative occupation which is
open to the average married woman
that of raising children. If she is
intelligent and adaptable and has a
real liking for the business, she may
| adjust herself and make a success
| of raising a family. But often the
| children suffer for her Ignorance