St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-01-19
Is the Mother of a Young Family to be
Pitied ?
Bl 4 MOTHER.

BN 4 MOTHER.
/ | am perfectly well aware that verl
many OF my friends pity me. Not al
| of them are candid enough To tell mt
this i'll so many wOr,lS-sOme show it il
their looks, Others act it out, but 4 few
take me 10y the hand and say. M,
dear am downright sorry for you"
1t has been Il curious. and confess {;
somewhat amusing study To Inc To oh.
serve that these good people pity me-
not because they see the trials that
feel, but because, imagining themselves
with their ideas and elegant surround.
ingS, placed in the predicamcnt OF hav.
ing 80 many children. the diliicultie,
seem appalling. They don't stop Il
think that the evil (as they look at it,
has come on very gradually at intervals
of q year or two, and that by now
have had time to get used to il. and
that all my former ambition to have
elegant dresses and to hc Il stylish
housekeepcr is laid away for Il season.
Mrs. keepemstraight says: IF you
would only manage your children better
you would not have half the trouble
with them that You do now. When a
child knows enough To cry. it knows
enough to learn somcthin'. Everybody
knows Il child thar ant fool cries
when it Is horn. and thrn's The time
To commence TO eddicate them. | say
If You had brought Your children up :s
| did. they never would cried after
the first week or two. and after they
had been washed and polished and
dressed the first thing i'll the morning,
thercd he no more trouble with rul
than the chairs and tables"
| am conscious that look at hen in 4,
dreamy sort of Il way. as hug my ba-
by tighter i'll my arms. for | am thinking
of three little graves side 10y side in the
cold churchyard. and of the small
and that this j. all that i left of the
theory of Mrs. keepemStraight.
Mrs. -Allchapcl don't see how it Is
that | can consent To he absent from
the sanctuary 81 much. Just think of
il, she says. sometimes you don't hear
:. gospel sermon for six or eight con>cr-
utivc Sabbaths. and that pretty laven-
der hat rOu had last summer yoH didn't
wear to meeting three times, and all
because you had so many children.
should think you would feel ~ though
Nou could not have it So
Mrs. Evrr>hinc often comes i'll to see
me. because she SINS il does her good
and makes her more rumtcntCd t. see
how cheerful | am under Idversity iby
this last word she means my children.
supp0sel. hut she always acts a> though
| allowed my darliny- to make Il dining
table of the parlor sofa. She "lanccs
ut the chair, and turns up her velvet
cloak. and sits on the Ntricst corner.
I,vlt uI,I iSit. Inv tulu Al uciuIIi,uI Of
mine that my house looked neat always.
hut then how could il he clean with 80
many children
Mrs. Do-it- Brown. one nf Your ;huI-
oughlv neat, childrcnle>S. Whitc-apron-
cd women. who dcVoteS all the encrg les
of her capacious mind to keeping her
no I>c. herself. her husband and mother
in-law neat and clean never hy any
chance dc>iating from this object in
life thinks when she remembers me ::
If had To have those children, ii had
To have the doors left open on nIc ev-
cry few minutes. and the dust and dirt
blown i'll from the street Oh my broc;,-
tel furniture. and had To have mud uu
my hltclltH moor ana wet lctt on my
sitting loom lounGr-had tn have my
sewing machine scratched and the
chair stavcS marked. and my door
knobs creased. and my window-panc>
fingered. and the tablccluthS knitc-cut.
and the china broken. and my gia>>r.
cracked. and the nap worn off my car
pets. should 90 ont of my mind or
die. | know She trclS i'll this way. tor
not long since. Whcn Size Was trrtting
about her troubles. h.t> illG such inct1i
cient help. aud the NcHati"n "t chang
ing servants >" often. and that it took
untlinching vigilance /" keep every
thing just a. clean i, il COULD he. and
vcntuTcd 10 sty. And il ynu hdd as
manly chilircu a> | have she turned
and looked ut me with :, peculiar eN-
prcSsiom Of ply and >corn. and said. Il
should 90 "li of my mind or die
Well. but am To he pitied! Let u>
SEE, These people a,r lonesome. Wca-
~ of themselves. filled with CaHgi.
Now have II" chance to hclonrlN. very
little time Ia think about myself. and
as 10 cnnui. why the thing i absurd
These people feel that they can depend
I know rhar | and my children Iuy,. one
another. What SORT of an old are do