Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-28
AS ONE WOMAN SEES iT
Mothers Assistance Bureau ls Handl-
capped by Lack Of Money and by
Strict Rules That Occasionally
Work Handicap on the Poor
By SARAH D. LoWRlE

that in Pennsylvania the state granted
pension to mothers under certain conditions,
and | knew that In order to get that grant
for the mothers in its county that county's
commissioners had to put up an equivalent
grant from the county treasury, and | also
knew that in this county Of Philadelphia
the official head of the board, that Is the
distributor of the fund was Mrs. II. Cor:
don McCouch. to whom as n child i used
to look up ms Miss Malet Provost, and
whose slight Spanish accent | used greatly
to envy. Her father was the great and
good DR.. Mnllet- Provost, who married and
lived in Mexico and wns so loved there and
so respected that he helped to make even
the L. s. A. liked there and respected
through his personality during his lifetime.
MRS. McCOUCH has certain dcft,
1Rl exact touch about her that has given
whatever she has undertaken the air Of
finished performance. There Is nothing
amateur in her point of view, so with her
at the head wns willing to take the
mothers pension Office on faith and pass
on. But | was not allowed to! Instead of
that | was made to pass through the process
of applying for n pension, and | came out
of the ordeal n wiser and sadder person.
Sadder, because right and good and thor
oughly wise as this beginning is of state
aid for mothers. the present accomplishment
Is only the merest dawn of beginning.
And even that Is dependent on an nppro-
priation for the next two years, which at
the very best will only approximately take
care of n certain class of mothers in the
state. If you have only certain amount
of money to spend you will naturally lay
It ont to the best advantage, especially IL
IL is trust money. Aud in this case you
will have to choose between the mothers
who will produce and bring up the best and
sturdiest children and the ones who, though
most in need perhaps, are handicapped by
ill-heath or unpromising children or poor
reputation. Scntimentalists might choose
the latter mother first; economists would
choose the other mother first. In the case
of the trustees Of the fund for this state
there Is no choice. The law provides the
fund for certain class of mothers and for
no others.
r FOUND that if | were a deserted wife,
or If my children were illcgitmate, or If
my husband were inCapacitntcd-cAccp
mentally, i, c., confined for insanity in
stutc asylum could not receive n pension.
If the mother applying is i'll Of Il chronic
disease. or Is suffering from tuberculosis.
or a vcnereal disease. or has some form OF
ncurosis, or is crippled so that she is
physically unfit. she Is not n subject for
pension. The mother Of only one living
child is debarrrd, the owner Of real estate
or securities amounting TO over $500, or
of cash over $3.50 may not apply. The
mother who has not lived COnsecutlvely for
the last two years in the state and for the
last one year in the county Is not eligible
A divorced wife or one who cannot produce
proof of the death of her husband is also
dcharrcd.
In fact the mothers assistance fund, as
il Is called, is rut to small a figure by
the state that its expenditure can only be
transacted under IN" most cautious ana Un-
assatlable conditions: 1t is not yet actually
n pension tor m"therS' ON! lot certain
mothers, mothers SUCh ms tne Apostle Iaul
described rs 'widOWS indeed, "
NOCTFTY docs no+ rngord mothorhood in
y ,tsnlf honorohrc md mart of the cere.
-,,' me ',nh,,-nbin, ", ,,.nnnr, after cLjid.
t.i! ".it! VI ~. | ,',,.s s,, , a o,o;ant .ostorr
bolms ,hot 'T, moos,nr a thrnnsb tbot
ue,r. ,n"' d 20 e,iin,, nioo,sN
d ror roh1;tmn.inn 80 ,ho nriosts T. 10
nniy "I nortoin not%or. fni6i'in, ccrtain reIi
oim;,s ~ inno, rnnriror,onts ,hot ara v;ewad
siUI' . nI ~ W. thnir fonons ~ nthors
M," no,s t"',, cs"Sro 'T or bnth
Thcrofore ,nonor inrivnd frnrI tho citizens
in the initial stages Of the experiment at
least. to be spent on mothers belonging to
thnt respectable class known as the
worthy poor There. IS no corresponding
class among the rirh' at gu events nave
never heard any group OF the we'll to do
designated as 'thc worthy rich.
AND hecousa the state helm might be
"A ah,,s,J ~, ,o,, nv orrirn L,,ohoTIs mn
- abused o} M4! or cFr'hs nuSpanas I no
uNI"'''u 81 81 Lo,,.o ioI.i, .,nP "n "P, 1'
Ht',, i>Nu t%o Teo""oe W.! ~! . t,T
~. tar o,rn iobo- i, nr o,,f of tLo hora nv
And because n mother that cannot manage
her children is apt to prove poor admin
iSrTator Of any donated funds the mother of
children who do not stand well in school
or who have poor records for behavior in
thair DpIplhprhOOI lODp fpr holm