The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-07-11

NOME uLucI SCItaiA SiASoAAAoenAASSS
is not Objectionable providing it
does not occur every day in the
week. The amount of time which
these mothers may be expected to
devote to outside work must be
governed by the ages of the chill
dren, the temperament and stand
ards of the mother, her physical
and mental condition. the stand
ards of the neighb,rhood and the
wo.k she did bsf,.c and during
her married life.
You will be interested to know
that of the twenty-three mothers
drawing pension in Freedom coun-
ty:
Three do plain sewing at home.
Two do washing and ironing in
their homes.
Two do collecting.
One is clerk in a store.
Two do outside cleaning.
Three keep house for men,.
One raises chickens.
One is farming eighty acres.
One does office work.
One picks chickens in poultry
plant.
The question of keeping male
boarders and dodgers comes up
very frequently with this group.
The general policy of social agen-
cies is to discourage it. No out
side agency either public or pri-
vate, can have complete control
over family as long as its mem
bership is kept together. They do
have a certain very definite influ-
ence, however, through their abil-
ity to withhold relief which may
sometimes be the deciding factor
against this questionable means
of Increasing the family income.
Childrens' work is an important
source of income in the. families
visited. Fifteen of these mothers
have children contributing to the
family income. In this number is
included children ranging in age
from twelve to thirty. Only one
child was found to be working I'M
der the legal age and out of school.
In these cases, the Probate Court
has wisely allowed the mothers
pension to continue unchanged for
one year in order to permit three
exceptionally bright young people
to complete their High School ed
ucation. This coming fall, three
who will have passed their six
teenth year this summer, will con-
tinue in school. The types of
work from which the children are
deriving income are varied:
Seven are employed at farm la
bor.
Five do homework.
One is delivery boy.
Four work in the sugar beet
fields and onion fields.
One works in garage.
Five work in factories.
Three have paper routes.
Two are telephone operators.
Three are clerks in stores.
One works on the section.
One works in creamery.
1t is interesting to note to what
extent in these families, the chill
dren dependant on the county for
support are counterbalanced by
older children of working age.
No definite proportion of the
children's income to be turned
over for family use has ever been
worked out but it goes without
saying that children under eigh-
teen should turn all of their earn
ings over to their mother. Older
children should be required to pay
not only reasonable amounts for
room and board but also at least
10 per cent of the family budget.
Poor relief together with moth
er's pensions should not be contin-
ued over long period of time
without constructive supervision.
Too generous relief makes paup-
ers-insufficient relief works a
hardship on the family. All relief
should merely supplement the
combined efforts of every member
of the family to help themselves.
Where such effort is not forthcom-
ing, we have some very excellent
laws which may be invoked.
Social agencies granting mater
ial relief are open to serious criti.
cism if they do not do their bes:
to break up a home in which the
mother is immoral or unquestion-
ably feebleminded. The mothers
immortality may be only suspected,
or she may not be positively i'm
moral but may be exerting bad