[31] See p. 169 sq.

[32] See p. 127.

VII

THE DETAILS OF TREATMENT (Continued)

There remains a fourth classification under treatment, of cases which demand even more individualized care and therefore more extended comment than those just considered.

4.  Man’s Whereabouts Known; Man Willing to Return.—­Here the question to determine is whether it is going to be a desirable thing for the man to re-enter the home and, if so, when.  This does not always lie within the power of the case worker to decide; the couple may and often do resolve their differences for the time being without reference to her opinion.  But she can often hasten, defer, or even prevent the reconciliation.  Careful consideration must be given the elements involved:  What causes probably operated to bring about the rupture in family relations?  If there have been other desertions what does their history show?  Is the man’s willingness to return a sign of real change of heart and purpose, or is he merely afraid of punishment?  Are his habits such as to make him a fit inmate of the home?  Is he capable of supporting the family?  Can any adjustment of temperaments be made which will lessen incompatibility?  Is the wife willing to have him return?  What are her motives?  Has she enough firmness of character to carry out a plan to which she has agreed?  These are only a few of the questions to which the social worker needs to know the answer, if the decision is to be a wise one.

If none of the elements is present in the home out of which family life can be reconstructed, if the man’s self-indulgence and cruelty have been proved beyond any doubt, or if affection is dead or never existed, then the decision may have to be that no reconciliation be attempted.  In many cases the question then is how best to protect the woman and children against the man’s forcing his way upon them.  Court intervention is usually necessary here, if it has not already taken place; and a first step is to have the husband placed under a court order to give separate support and to stay away from his home.[33] The wife should be armed with a warrant for his arrest, which can be served by the policeman on the beat if the man appears.  Such a man usually considers that his proprietorship of the home and the family is not affected by his absence or even by court orders, and when fortified by liquor he is likely to force his entrance into the home and perhaps do harm.  The protection of the warrant is not absolute; in such cases as this it ought later to be reinforced by a legal separation.  Social workers avail themselves of this resource far less than they should.  It controverts the principles of no religious sect and gives all the protection of absolute divorce (including the payment of alimony) to the woman and children.  To the children it is likely to give more protection than divorce; for in the event of