Note 261 — Chapter XXVII · POOR-RELIEF, CORRECTION, AND OTHER WELFARE PROBLEMS

Poverty, in a way, reproduces itself. Some years ago a New York social worker gave the following rather cogent description of the way in which one generation passes its poverty on to the next. “A child, reared in a poor home, is taken out of school and sent to work at an early age. He drudges away, brings home every cent of his pay, is allowed to keep little or none of it, and gets no fun out of life. After a while he gets tired of this; he meets some girl who has been brought up in the same way; they get married; but neither of them has saved any money nor has the slightest idea of how to manage a home. They rent a small flat, buy some furniture on the installment plan, and then find that they are not able to pay for it. They get into debt and when either falls sick or the husband is out of work there is nothing to eat. When children come they grow up on improper nourishment; they are slapped in the face and scolded at all hours; they get no home training and very little schooling; as soon as they are able to earn a few dollars a week they are hauled out of school and put to work—and so history just repeats itself.”