The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-11-27
From Harper's Bazar.l
A Mitigation Of Step p-Motherhood.
BY GAIL HAMILTON.


To the general truth that the marriage
between two people concerns only them
selves, there is single exception. When
either has, by previous marriage, chill
dren who have arrived at the age of dis
cretion, and who are not established in
separate families, the marriage should
not take place without their consent.
Any one may make a marriage which
shall be disgraceful to his parents and
his brothers and sisters But
while this is very provoking, and JUS
titles his family in withdrawing from his
association, should that be the wisest
course, it is of a different sort from the
folly and perversity which involves chill
dren in trouble. A mans duty to his
father is of far less intimate kind than
his duty to his children. Moreover,
though he makes a match displeasing to
his father, it very much less affects that
fathers daily life He takes the obiec-
tionable wife to his own house His faith
er and mother need never meet her. 1t
is but an outside matter, mere affection
of reputation, vexation by proxy. But
to his children it is sore evil, and of a
long and daily and hourly continuance.
l have seen the father of a respectable
family live for years happily in his wild
owed home His daughters, under the
loving hand of an accomplished relative,
grew up everything that fathers heart
could wish. And that father, tempted
by the devil, and aided and abetted
thereby, suddenly became enamored of
a fierce, unprincipled, powerful woman,
who speedily set his house by the ears,
drove his daughters out of it. and into
crime and woe which will not end with
his life. Daughters may be foolish, and
prejudiced against step-mothers in gener
al, and step-mother in particular; but
they are daughters, existing by and for
his will and pleasure, and not their own,
and he should be lenient even to their
folly, and heedful even of their prejudice.
He has no right to introduce
discord into their home and I'M
happiness into their life in the shape of
a woman who is not needed, and whom
he would bring, not for their good, but
right to consult himself, but this time
his children should be consulted, and if
they may not have the full appointing
power. they at least should have the
right of veto. If they are more than
properly and naturally reluctant, if they
are unreasonable and selfish, he is the
right one to bear the penalty, for he
should have brought them up better. If
he has succeeded so i'll with the children
of one marriage, it is of very little conse-
quence that he is prevented from making
another. r..
In all cases of discord in these foreign
alliances the sympathy of society, both
in and outsof fairy stories is with the
children and against the mother; and
this is well, though it works harshly
sometimes But it should always be re-
membered that the children are the
helpless, the ignorant, the passive party,
agent The little children are lsimply
handed over to a stranger and an alien
and | refer now only to the families of
little children who are not old enough to
make assent or dissent intelligently If
woman allies herself to family of
grown children, without their cordial
welcome, she deserves all the trouble she
encounters. But even where there are
little ones, she is not D little one, and
the sympathy of society is justly with
the weak, and not with the strong. Nor
is the tenderness, the humanity, of wo-
man so overpoweringly predominant in
this relation as to make the prejudice
against it wholly prejudice. While we
have all seen many who discharged its
duties with fidelity and warm affection,
and who were beloved and honored as
they deserved, it is not to the credit oi
woman that so many have but an indif
ferent success If there is anything
which would enlist all the pity and indul
gence of a feeling heart, it is the little
children from whom a mother has beer
torn away If, IN addition to this, wo