Evening Star Newspaper, May 21, 1933, Page 63

Art Notes Books Fiction e | The Swnday Sh Magasine ' \V\\III\G O\I D ( MAY 21, 1933. ome From the Poorhouse 16 PAGES. — e i e ey PART 7. T Pensions for the Destttute Aged, Permitting Them to Live Thezr Own Lives at Home Instead of Being Sent to Institutions, Are Now Authorized in 23 States and Under Consideration in Four Others—Many Are the Dramas Divulged as These Old Folks Are Saved From Hopelessness. HE was a scrub- woman from an East Side neigh- borhood, and had come to ask about an old-age pen- sion. Tall, thin, gray,§ .wrinkled, worn — her knuckles were raw, her hands calloused, her clothes drab, faded, ragged cast-offs. But .there was a spirit, an innate proudness—and as she talked of old times her shoulders squared a bit and her _brown eyes lighted up. “I can still dance,” she challenged, and she danced for the little group of social- service workers who looked up from their case cards to see this .strange apparition of an old stage favorite come back to life. She danced the stately steps of a half century ago, somewhat stifly, perhaps, but with the assurance of happy memory. There was that night when -she made her debut in the Grand Opera House. Then — the time she appeared with Adelina Patti at the Academy of Music. ‘There were triumphs “in Vienna, Berlin, .Paris, St. Petersburg, London, when she .danced before royalty. -Now, in her seventy- :third 'year, she was living in a- cellar on Third = avenue. She wanted to know if she was eligible for one of those pensions which ‘the newspapers said New York State had voted to grant to old people. Could she get money enough to pay her rent? WHEN the investigator had checked her records and. told the old lady that she was clearly eligible not only for a rent allowance, but also for suffi- cient to live on, she was incredulous. “Don’t I have to scrub any more floors?” “No more,” answered the agent. ,“That’s a job for younger hands and knees. We'll figure out your budget— how much you will need for rent, food, clothes and other necessities.” The old lady turned and danced again—this time not to demonstrate that she could, but for sheer joy. In 10" years of drudgery she had ceased to dream of any easier lot; she had grown to accept _the toil as inexorable destiny. And now —this! They tell me that she literally danced out of that damp cellar and into the sunnier room found for her. Here was no depression victim, but just one of the countless instances of improvident old age. Five years ago she would have been committed to the poor- house. But now, under the new welfare code, she lives her own life on a pension which .averages (according to its spon- “The pension has permitted homes to be kept going—old coupm to remain together all their lives.” Courtesy of Grand Central Art Galleries, New York. By GEORGE W. GRAY sors) $13 a month less than the poor- house .per capita expense. The present economic situation has indeed heightened the troubles of the oldsters, made it harder for the white- haired applicant to get work and to hold a job, more difficult for their unemployed children to support them. But also it has quickened the public’s recognition of its responsibility for the aged poor. For while the first State laws to pro- vide old-age pensions in the United States were enacted in 1923, only a few scattered counties or districts were pay- ing pensions prior to 1930, and most of them on an optional basis. The total of pensioners numbered less than 4,000 persons. Today, more than 12,000 cltlzens of 70 years and over are living on monthly stipends alloted from public funds. They are resident in 14 States: ~California, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Massachu- setts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hamp- shire, New Jersey, New York, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. In addi- tion, old-age pension laws have been passed also by Arizona, Arkansas, Colo- rado, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington; it is expected that most of these will be operative within a twelve month, A similar measure has just passed both Houses in Nebraska, but, at this writing, has not been signed by the Governor. In Ohio, too, legislation has_passed “both Houses, but dif- ferent bills were intro- duced in the two Houses, and they are now in conference. In Oklahoma and Rhode Island bills have been passed by one House of the Legislature. . RIOR to 1930, most of the old-age pen- sien legislation in force in the United States was based on the so= called optional plan, by which counties were “permitted” to grant monthly allowances to their aged poor. Few counties made use of this permission. The first State-wide old-age pension came into being in 1930 with the Mauguration of the mandatory law of Cali= fornia. Here, and in the other States where such legislation was later introduced, one of the strong arguments used in favor of the measure was the hope of ultimately abolish« ing the poorhouse. In requiring its counties and local districts’ té provide their needy old people with cash relief, the State provided that it share the cost equale ly with the local gove ernment. .California’s acceptance of this plan was a strong influence for the en- actment of similar legislation in other States. Before the end of 1930 the two big industrial commonwealths of Massa- chusetts and New York had passed man- datory laws,and taday more than three- fourths of all the old-age pensioners in the Nation are accounted for by Cali- fornia, Massachusetts and New York, New York alone is paying monthly old- age relief to more than 53,000 pensioners. To be eligible for old-age relief in New York State the applicant must be at least 70 years old, without means of sup- port, with no children or other person able and responsible for his support; he must be a citizen of the United States, must have lived in the State at least 10 years prior to his application, and in the local district for at least one year; also he must not be an inmate of any, institutional home for the aged, poor, sick or indigent. The applicant who owns funds or securities of a value not exceeding $250 is rated as eligible, since -the . administration rules that $250 is about the minimum that would be needed’ for last illness and burial The idea back of the old-age pension program is to provide some assurance {|}ifor the citizen who has reached the ume '