Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-09-11

requests from those so able ana anxious 10
work, the League has unpremeditatedly
branched its service to include employment
finding. We are fully cognizant that under
ordinary circumstances this would be over
stepping our province. But at present it is
an emergency effort, to besure not always
successful, but designed to meet necessity.
Without solicitation we have become a
clearing house for the unemployed and just
as eagerly are pursuing possible job open
ings.
With our rapid introduction to new fami-
lies. the discovery of crying needs in these
groups, for various types of service to
enlarge and enrich their interest and par
ticipation in life has increased, often faster
than we are ready TO assist, but still our
objective of family rehabilitation remains
the goal toward which our services are
aimed. Relief giving at present has been
a necessity and an expedient, but never a
solitary means of treatment.
The daily problems coming to us bring to
light in sharp contrast the tragedy and
hope, despair and happiness, pathos and
comedy. sordiness and beauty. OF human
relations. The office diaries are as full Of
human interest as an advice to the love-
lorn column; the difference is that the
problems which we know are those of
pressing needs and often without senti-
mental appeals.
The scope of the work can best be seen by
reviewing briefly some CT the cases which
the league has carried this quarter:
(a) From girl only fourteen please
allow me to take you in my confidence.
My father is a real father and a provider
but since the death of my mother he has
gotten in bad company - Please come
and make him stop beating us and won't
you hurryY And don't tell him asked you
to come" (b) The neighborhood children
of certain thickly populated section had
street fights. These grew into family feuds.
Bitterness thus built up developed court
action, The Judge called the League to
work for an arbitration out of court. (c)
distraught woman came to the League to
beg that we appeal in the name of her
children to the woman who was leading
her husband from home. (d) A deserted
baby. four months OF age, needed home.
The League boarded him until an intelli-
gent. cultured and sympathetic mother
was found to adopt him. (e) And then
there is the problem of the itinerate family
which has been so frequent this year. This
one came to Maryland to live, without
funds. without plans and seemingly with
out care. A legal residence was learned
and plans are being made with a Social
agency at the other end to return this
group to New York State from whence it..
came. % A run away girl was appre-
hended. An agency in distant city was
contacted and arrangements were made
for returning the girl to her home. (g) An
unmarried mother, seventeen, needed blood
transfusions. The relatives could not make
arrangements. The hospital called us and
we found donors to give the blood. (h) A
mother is supporting family of five by
carrying full-time job. She has been
harrassed by the behavior of her two prob
lem boys. Constant service is being given
this mother in working out the home prob
lens and in ADVISING and assisting her in
giving the needed care to the children. GD A
man over in Jail for bigamy. He has
wife and five kiddies to whom he had been
sending support before his incarceration
even though he had deserted them. The
mans crime remains but the League is
trying to make arrangements which will
care for the deserted family. ID A mother
died at childbirth. leaving father with five
children, the oldest eleven. There are no
relatives able to assist. The fathers job
was abolished. Some of the problems are
no income. father has poor health, two
children are T. B. suspects. no one to look
after the house. (k) Old man ninety alone
in the world. Found in his house after
being i'll with stroke for two days. % Count
less children had to have tonsis and ade-
noids removed during the summer so that
they might be in healthy physical condi
ton when school begins. The League
assisted in making many of these arrange
ments and in carrying the children to and
from the hospital when the family could
not. (m) An old couple, both senile, yet
harmless and more contented in their own
home than in an institution have been
looked after. Keeping the home has meant
preserving their self-esteem. (n) A new
conner to the county wrote "Defe Civil Ser
vice Leedees | had a hair dressin parlor
in Washington but my husband he said
could make more money on chicken farm
so am boarding children. | want you to
send me some more to board" The service
here is not only redirecting the woman but
one of protection for the children. (o) An
old man sixty-fve years of age came to
the Office and sobbed out his story. His
heart break had come late in life. His wife
who earned a meagre sum by taking in
washing, was spending her earnings on
drink. This was foreign to her usual deco
rous life. He appealed that we help him
in trying to re-establish the old lady's
regular habits. (p) A client has bought
lots in distant city and his job has ceased.
Those represent his life savings, but he
cannot meet his payments. He appealed
to the League to help him with legal en-
tanglemenIs and with negotiating loan.
(Q) Then there was the case of the I'M
married father, whose common law wife
deserted him and their five children. The
man appealed for help in bringing her back
but could not give clue to her location
save that she had gone away with Ernest
of South Carolina" who was working on
the new court house. She has been located
and promises to return. Tom is arranging
for the marriage as soon as she gets back
cause then got the law on my side"
Were we to write the sequels to these
cases happy endings could not always be
recorded. The service and the results have
been subject to human frailties, and due
to the fact that this quarter vacations for
the staff have been in order, the work has
been done under the pressure of time.
Beginning September 8, however. the full
staff returns for winter duty Our staff
this winter will consist of the director, four
ful-time case workers, one chidrens worker
and two stenographers.
Much time has been given to preparing
to meet the winter ahead. We shall try
even at some expense of standards to carry
the increased load We do have to be very
conscious, however, that standards cannot
be completely wrecked or the loss in the
long run may be greater than any imme-
date gain. In business great care is taken
when retrenchment is necessary not to i'm
peril the basic structure on which future
progress may be built, just so shall we try
to handle as many calls as fall upon us.
and as are possible for us to answer with
our present budget. We hope that our
public will be patient and understanding
when we promise as prompt and sound at
tention as it is economically. physically and
socially possible for us to give with our
present resources.
The service may of necessity be retarded.
This is not our desire, but is the outcome
of throwing upon an agency constructed
for normal functioning load so tremen-
duously abnormal that its machinery grinds
QlouIU