them to his wife whose address he was seeking
to learn, on the theory that it was better for her and her children
to be entirely quit of him, and that nothing would make him realize
the finality of the decision more than to refuse his money. The
agency, it was felt, would be in better position to protect the wife
and children if it refused to act as post office for the man.

The same consideration might apply in questions of extradition. When the
whereabouts of a deserter of this type has been discovered in another
city a safe distance away, it may be wiser to sacrifice the money he
might be forced to contribute than to have him brought within arm's
length of his wife and family.

A prime difficulty in dealing with the undesirable husband who is
willing to come home is often the attitude of the wife. Some of the
causes at work when a woman takes her husband back have been discussed
earlier.[35] Unfortunately, hopelessly bad husbands profit by them as
well as hopeful ones. The policy of niggardly relief to a deserted wife
has undoubtedly been responsible for many of these unfortunate attempts
to patch up a life together. "She was worn down by her efforts to keep
the household going, and, when the faint chance of her husband's
supporting her appeared, she took it" is the explanation given by a case
worker of one unpromising reconciliation, and she goes on to say of this
and another similar story: "With both of these it seems that enough
money put into the household to enable these mothers to be with their
children more and to keep up a reasonable standard of health for
themselves might have resulted in their refusing to take back their
husbands.... Our records seem to show that inadequate relief, making
life fairly hard for the deserted mother, does not tend to keep the man
from returning or others from deserting."

The story of Mrs. Francis shows the effect of adequate relief in
strengthening her decision not to take her husband back. He had been
a chronic deserter for years, had drank heavily, been foul-mouthed
and abusive, while failing to support the family when at home, so
that Mrs. Francis had only a little harder time when he was away.
His last desertion took place when she was near confinement. Owing
to her condition, the church and a family agency co-operated in an
unusually generous relief policy. This was in a state which gave
mother's aid to deserted w