at the table is empty. He does not go away in the morning and come back at night from his work. He is missed. The method of life and the standard of living are gradually changed; insidious temptation creeps in; attention of one kind or another may be bestowed, and not always with the best of motives. A tendency toward disobedience leading to delinquency appears on the part of the growing boys; truancy becomes a little more common. The mother finds herself in a position in which she was never placed before. The daughter is sent to work to supplement the income, and this may be in entire discord with the traditions of the family. To be sure, the binding, grinding nature of the family's loneliness has certain compensations in the thought of patriotic sacrifice. It must be remembered, however, that human nature is fallible and breakable. The strain must not be too great. What of our sisters and our mothers and our children? Not alone do they need money to help, but it must be seen that the experience of the warring countries of Europe in regard to delinquency is not duplicated here. Organized effort is necessary to see that a child's life is not threatened by arduous labor, and that educational opportunities are made possible, that girlhood is kept sweet and wholesome, that the lives of our suffering mothers are upheld by very tactful, yet effective supervision and assistance, in the name of an appreciative country.

II. The Organized Machinery for the Performing of This Desirable Service.

The answer to the question: "Who will render pecuniary assistance and social service to the families of men in our military and naval forces?" is two

fold. The government itself recognizes its obligation and its opportunity. The bill which has recently passed the Congress of the United States, popularly referred to as "The Soldiers and Sailors Insurance Bill" provides family allowances for dependents, provides compensation for death or disability and also allows for voluntary insurance against death or total permanent disability. This is recognized as very desirable legislation. Some exception may be taken, and indeed is taken to the graduation of amounts allotted by the government, to the principles involved in certain compensation features of the law, and to the wisdom of the government in entering into competition with Old Line insurance companies on voluntary insurance. In the main, however, the public looks with great appreciation upon the recognition by the United States of its obligations to its soldiers and sailors.

The pay of a private is thirty dollars a month. The private soldier must necessarily assign to his family a minimum of fifteen dollars and a maximum of sixteen dollars and fifty cents a month, unless the wife of the man satisfies the the government that she can support herself and children, and unless the man shows good cause, such as the infidelity of the wife, why he should not so assign his pay. Of course in addition to this compulsory assignment of wages he may assign further portions of his pay to designated beneficiaries, as provided for by the War and Navy Depart

ments.

In addition to these allotments monthly allowances will be paid by the United States to the immediate families of men in service, as follows:

There is also a different schedule of allowance to be paid to other persons who may be specified by the enlisted.

man.

The maximum allowance, however, to the members of the family of any one enlisted man is fifty dollars a month. The law is not retroactive, no

allowance being made for any period preceding November first, nineteen seventeen. It will be seen accordingly that a dependent wife and two children. will receive fifteen dollars from the enlisted man's pay, and thirty-two dollars and fifty cents additional from the government, making a total of forty-seven dollars and fifty cents per month. This, so far as a family of this size is concerned, is generous treatment on the part of our country.

Allowances are made also on the compensation principle for death or disability. These schedules are as follows, in case of death: For a widow alone.....

$25.00

75.00 If no wife but one child living.... 40.00 Each additional child up to two.... 10.00 In addition, if a dependent widowed mother living.

10.00

One element element in this legislation worthy of note is the elimination of all distinction between officers and men, so far as disability and death benefits. are concerned. For partial disability compensation is percentage compensation, based on the impairment of earning capacity.

In the voluntary insurance feature of the law, the Federal Government grants insurance against death or total permanent disability in any multiple of five hundred dollars, but not less than one thousand dollars or more than ten thousand dollars. Premium rates are to be the net rates based upon the American experience table of mortality.

It is readily seen then that the United States of America is trying to do its bit in the prevention of distress due to the war in which we are engaged.

The second answer to the question is involved principally in the American Red Cross. There are many organizations doing various forms of significant service, considerable in quantity, and commendable in quality, for wives and mothers of soldiers and sailors. I fear, however, no contradiction of the statement that the principal agency engaged in this humane work is the Red Cross.

The Red Cross is organized on a departmental basis with the following activities:

Military Relief.

Civilian Relief.

Chapter Development.
Nursing Service.

Supply & Transportation Service.
Publicity.

Women's Work. Standards.

For administrative purposes the United States is divided into thirteen divisions, each division with a volunteer manager, (a business man of repute), and each division also working on the same departmental system as is Washington, the headquarters, Minnesota is in the so-called "Northern Division" comprising the states of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Montana. The work that we discuss now falls

within the Civilian Relief Division of

the Red Cross. The Civilian Relief is concerned with the rendering of assistance in all great calamities, such as earthquake, flood, fire, etc. and in what is officially called "Home Service" in the families of enlisted men. Home Service is the particular activity in behalf of wartime families.

In doing this work the Red Cross is the semi-official arm of the Federal Government. By proclamation President Wilson has so decreed, and has invited the earnest support of the entire country towards this work.

It goes without saying that it is no small task to build up a machinery very largely with the use of volunteer workers to take care satisfactorily of the domestic problems created by the departure of a million men from our shores. The Red Cross, however, faces a proposition just like this. Their plans

center about the use of well trained volunteers for the rendering of Home Service to families, and the treatment of these families as a group distinct from the beneficiaries of established charities and philanthropies, though in close co-operation with existing social machinery-all under skilled direction.

As a means of training volunteers the Red Cross has established close cooperation with State universities and other educational institutions, and has arranged for institutes in twenty-two cities. The method of these institutes is to offer a six weeks course involving at least four hours per week of classroom lectures, and twenty-five hours per week of field work in the rendering of actual service. Instructors are men of theoretical and practical experience, and receive no pay. Institutes are being given, or will be given in the following cities: Atlanta, Ga., Baltimore, Md., Boston, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Cleveland, O., Columbia, S. D., Columbus, O., Denver, Col., Indianapolis, Ind., Milwaukee, Wisc., Minneapolis, and St. Paul, Minn., New York City, N. Y., Philadelphia, Pa., Pittsburg, Pa., Richmond, Va., St. Louis, Mo., Seattle, Wash., Springfield, Ill., Washington, D. C.

In addition to these institutes training courses for volunteers will be given in various Chapters here and there throughout the divisions. The Red Cross officially says the following concerning the purpose of the institutes:

A Home Service Institute is a six weeks' training course for those who are to be engaged in the Home Service of the Red Cross.

"Home Service workers are called upon to be of assistance in specific ways to the families of the soldiers and sailors Later on they will be called

upon to serve in equally specific ways returned soldiers themselves who have been crippled in action and for whom definite programs of re-education and industrial readjustment will be necessary.

"Work of this kind presents three important phases: effective personal relationships, the analysis of disabilities and powers in the families to be served and the use of various community resources for strengthening and enriching family life when it is more or less disorganized. Each of these phases requires the sure touch of the trained worker for its successful accomplishment."

III. How Can Our Municipalities be of Service in This Important work?

The Red Cross asks of the various communities nothing more than a sympathetic appreciation of the magnitude of the task laid by the government upon that organization I have had the privilege of traveling in three different states in the interest of the Red Cross Home Service, and I have found everywhere that city and county officials do have this sympathetic appreciation. Mayors by proclamation can do much to aid in the work of the Red

Cross. The use of space in public buildings is much appreciated by Red Cross chapters. The legal machinery of the city will be of great assistance in solving problems that are bound to arise when the head of the house is away. A definite understanding with public relief departments is essential. The general hospitals with dispensary facilities will surely be called upon. Some institutional problems may be created. The educational system of the city will be vitally affected by the departure of a large number of men, leav

ing boys and girls at home without the customary parental discipline. Public recreational facilities are presented with bigger opportunities than ever. The expression of a social spirit on the part of the police force and municipal courts will vitally affect families. of enlisted men.

Effective co-operation between the Home Service sections of local Red Cross chapters and public officials is dependent upon a thorough recognition by all parties of the cardinal principle in Red Cross administration of relief and social service. That cardinal principle is that trained volunteer workers, in a well planned organization shot. through with sympathy and loyalty to country, must tactfully meet the social needs of the heroic home folks who send their sons and their brothers, and their fathers and their husbands and

their lovers into the struggle to preserve that Liberty which shall enrich not only us in the United States of America but the whole world of human brotherhood.

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The advertisers have something of value for municipalities, or they wouldn't use space in these columns. Perhaps some of them could serve your city now.