Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18
IF M|LY IN WANT
BY ONE M|SSTEP
Husband in ali, Associated
Charities includes Case
in ID Opportunities.

For men must work and women
must weep.
And the sooner it's over-the sooner
to sleep"
Charles Kingsley wrote these con,
Guiding verses of the tragic Ballad Of
the Three Fishers in the midst Of a
crueler and hungrier age.
Then the poor were animals. Did
they suffer from cold and hunger?
Well, so did the deer and the foxes.
That is not the sociology Of today.
Practical Christianity has come long
way in the past century. Misfortune
is respected and pitied and given a
helping hand.
Yet even at this fat Christmas time
Queen Nictoria's chaplain might have
walked about the streets Of a city like
Washington and found material for
very similar verses; for poverty, suf-
fering and despair are eternal. clinging
10 society like loathsome leeches even
in the most prosperous times. But
there is one vast differenCe-todaN
these conditions are sought out and
remedied wherever they are found.
Husband In Jail.
Take. for instance a case like this
a few years go the girl was earn
ing an excellent salary. She Il a
trained worker and can always set
n job.
She got married and gave up her
job Five children were born. The
husband ~was able To support them
in comfort, but never to save much
money. She trusted him implicitly
and still does.
One night he didn't come home He
had. in a reckless moment, run rather
seriously afoul of the law and cot
caught. His guilt was proven easily
and he went to Jail He's still there
probably Justly. although his charac-
ter is far from bad and there are nun
dreds of worse men running past tral'
fic policemen in their limousines In
jail he gets plenty to eat and n warm
place to sleep. He doesn't have to
worry about where his next meal is
coming from. All the evidence is that
he's a rather decent sort of fellow who
happened 10 go wrong once and got
caught at it.
What he did Is beside the point.
Whatever it was certainly. his wife
end children didn't do it. They have
never done r thing to which society
could take the slightest exception.
Family Being Punished,
Yet they are the ones actually being
punished because he happened to so
wrons-especially the wife. Yet when
the judge sentenced the man TO a stiff
term in Jail he also. for all practical
purposes. sentenced this innocent
woman 10 an equal term in iail-the
sort of Jail without steam heat recu-
lar meals durable clothing medical
service. Christmas dinners and weekly
entertainments. whose walls built Of
Poverty reach to the skies. "hnttinc
out the sun. and whose warders are
Infinite Labor and WEAKNESS
What the man did in The eyes If
the law was a serious crime. Bin;
annarentIy. accordin~ to the nunish-
ment il me+as cut loyalty 70 home
AMI four children-tho oldest ; vnaIs
old-society considered much great
er crime
OF course a good r1anv individua !
in society don't think exactly that
especiaily 1T Christmas time. IL there
are such. it might he interesting 10
llnn~ that a good share Of this hor
rible sentence the courts hav"
nl9cad on thn woman can ha lifted
by S1144. With this sum she. can.
~ economical rnana cement. nav her
hills for rent fuel. clothing. food and
m~dical attention for The "eXt wear
It's hard to see low she'll 20 il on
S'9 Wpnk-hlft she saws SnN can.
The Associated Charities. after
careful investigation, are asking for
this sum.
Mother Cannot Work.
The mother can't work at her pro-
fession. of course. and take care of
the children too. Next year the hus-
hand will be out of Jail and every
thing will be rosy again.
There are thirteen other oppor-
tunities, equally deserving. to select
from. Checks can be sent either to
the Associated Charities. 1922 Flew
enth street, or TO The Evening Star
All the cases have the appeal to the
heartstrings that cannot be denied.
OF course. if you think this woman
is being justly punished for happening
70 he married TO a fine fellow who han
pened TO run afoul of the law--that IS
2 different matter. and the Associated
Charities doesn't expect you 10 con
tribute a cent
The same is true Of all the other
cases. II YOU think misfortune is 2
prison crime you are entitled 10 youi
opinion and shouldn't help unlock the
prison doors
II YOU think that starving is :
proper punishment for children who's
fathers die or run away or are taker
sick and can't support their little
Sones. then let them starve.
with Nos ! and IA already fully
taken care OF for 1928. the Christmas