Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-26
EVAlYN T. GAVIN
On Work Of Mothers Assistance Fund

COOPERATION of the mothers, chill
" dren. State and county can alone lcake
successful the administration Of the Mothers
Assistance Fund. says Miss Evalyn r..
Gavin. executive secretary OF the fund.
The fund has now been administered for
almost eight years" said Miss Gavin. "and
the operation of II has been very successful
as q whole. The most obvious value which
the fund possesses has been brought out IN
the Improvement in the general physical
condition Of the children whose mothers nave
health is very noticeable after the pension
has been given for short time
1.-The children make better school recordS'
toe, than they did when such assistance was
no, forthcoming. This is probably que ~ ~
the fact that under the pension cohait'ohS
the mother is able to be at home most "' .a,
time. |, also makes the children feel 'nat
the one thing which they can d" TO rhIh ,llS
money is TO 20 to school regularly and mike
the best rd-ord possible.
Money Earned. Not Given
.'rh. fac, that the children ahd me
u,o,hcrs urs to consider that this money ~
earned and not given Is the best pass lol
the MotEcls Assistance Fund' II 'hhvs
AWAY ali stigma of charity when DOM
mothers and children lee. Una, ,nrs ,ra,n ",n
making return for what they receive from
the state and the county. That thus matter
nf school records is considered important i
shown by the fact that II" trustees nave
thc power to cancel the pension Tor any
child who willfully remnlhs ava! from
school. , ,
;muroyrmcnt t. in the decreased number or
delinquency cases Hmong the rhlldrrh "h"
ore receiving this assistance. Trained super
yjSors visit the families constantly and not
nnly keen m rouch with the members. but
II ni,, hn
nf their higher training in such matters.
Thus many inSidious cases "l delinquency
are detected and prevented from becoming
serious
"Still another advantage is in the Amcrl-
caniZutiun OF the families of foreign born
mothers. and this applies very frequently
tu thr mothers themselves rs we'll rs 10 tn"
rhilGrrn. II gives the foreign born mother
a sense Of all"glnnr" and rr.r"hS4blllE 10
her new country. which * frequently TO-
hrrtrd in he m"r" speedy ana Nh"f"!Sa
AmrriraniZatiOn of the children.
The Penns. Ivania Law
..N,,hrrs' assistance Is Euw in operation
in about forty States of the Mon. Penn
s,Iyuuiu WAS one Of the first to take II ny
,uJ we have ne If tn" best laws on tEc
subject of amy Of the States, the only thing
hpinv that the appropriation granted by the
IcpiSlntur" is not sufficiently large to do all
The work viii, II should be ACCOMPLISHED.
Tine state ktlppIi'' one nun W INV iHh"' hliH
This sum is matched hv tn" county. the
State grant being divided among the roun-
ties according. to the population. Thus
Jbiladelphin receives about ~ per cent of
The total amount given by th" State.
"Tv be eligible for assistance from this
fund the uothor applying for assistance
must hav. lived in tn" Stat" for two years
and for one yrar in TIA" county in which
nDplicution is made. She must b" OF good
character and nave demonstrated her
ability aS a carctakcr Of young children
More and more the State is coming TO
regard the mother Us entitled to pay if she
gives her services in this way for her
children.
Not q Mothers or Widows Pension
''The public has sometimes regarded the
Mothers Assistance Fund as simply o
mothers or a widows pension, This is not
the case The money is not given to the
mother because she is n mother and II
widow, but because she is a mother with
young children and is not able TO support
them until such time as they are able to
support themselves II the mother does
not use the money to tnc advantage of her
children she is not entitled 10 IL.
''The law also requires that the mother
be a wdow or II woman whose husband il
in an institution Tor the insane \ woman
who has been deserted by her husband.
fGaving her with the care Of children, is not
SxAigible. She was originally, but this was
Xhanged l,y the Legislature In 1918, when
A,ch unfortunate women were excluded from