Broken Homes: A Study of Family Desertion and its Social TreatmentColcord, Joanna C. (Joanna Carver)
General
Broken Homes: A Study of Family Desertion and its Social Treatment
Colcord, Joanna C. (Joanna Carver)
Desertion and non-support
A young woman with four small children was given advice by an
associated charities about her approaching confinement, and no
further inquiry was made at that time. She was living apart from her
husband, who was contributing a small amount regularly. The income
was inadequate and it was decided to push the matter further.
Efforts to verify the marriage failed. Finally, a tactful worker was
able to learn that the ceremony had not taken place until after the
birth of the first three children, that the couple had had sexual
relations since the woman was a girl of fifteen, and that her
relatives had never known the true state of affairs. The man's
mother finally interfered, and urged her son not to live with his
wife. After much careful work, and with the assistance of a
co-operating priest, a plan was worked out which brought the couple
together and induced them to move away from the region in which the
man's parents lived.
* * * * *
A probation department tells of a case where, although the man was
unwilling to marry, a court marriage was brought about; the man made
his payments promptly and observed the other conditions of his
probation faithfully. The woman, however, was indifferent to any
efforts to bring about a reconciliation. It was finally discovered
that she was immoral. The case culminated in the securing of a
divorce by the man, who was granted the custody of the children.
The same department submits a story where good results were obtained
in subsequently reconciling, after a desertion, a couple whose
marriage had been of the forced description. The probation
department arranged for the couple to live apart in the early stage
of probationary treatment. A careful study was made of each of the
individuals, and in their sincere attachment a basis was discovered
for re-establishment of the home under the supervision of the
probation officer. Five years later the man was found to be at work
at the same position originally obtained for him by the probation
officer, his salary had been increased, the family had grown in
number and were getting on extremely well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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