The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-02-19
THE MOTHER-IN-LAW.
Fresh Ideas Concerning that Prominent
Character.

Fresh Ideas Concerning that Prominent
Character.
i A writer says: The mother.ln.law eithe
does or does not take the lead in her Owl
house. If she does the appetite grows b.
what it feeds upon, and longing, like Alcxan
der, tor other worlds To conquer, she tries he
hand on her son-n-law's home. Ii size Is
cipher in her own home, she seeks for com
peRsatIon in that of her daughter. Accus
TONED, too, look on the latter as still child
she finds il difficult TO lay aside her old ha
bits of command, or thinly wells them undel
the cover of obtrusivc advice. Her daughter
may, from custom, tlal piety, or weakness
at first put up with such treatment, though
after time even she rebels The sOn-in law
however, is different. From the TINE he lief
school he has considered himself capable OF
managing his own affairs, and the dignity OF
married man has inflated his selt-importanct
greatly. He has II" scruples about resisting
rule or even advice. He Is restrained by nc
habit or tilial piety. His mother-in- law talks
of and 10 him as her son. but he reefs mat 10
be only a conventional expression. lew
weeks previously his molhcrin.law was a
mere acquaintance, and ne has nos felt sumo
tent interest in her To study her disposition,
find out her good qualities, and m he allow
ances for her fallings He looks on advice
from a comparative stranger as u liberty, and
makes no exception IN her favor. She mis-.
takes her footing altogether, and torgets that
mutual regard or ties Of blood alone can JUS.
tlfy interference. She perhaps repeats to her.
self, my son is my son I'LL he gets him
wife, but my daughters my daughter all her
life" Nothing can be talscr than that old
provcrb. Marriage interposes a greater bar
ries between the present and the past IN the
case of the daughter than that OF the son. The
son simply brings another person into the
family. The daughter is adopted into strange
family. That family probably has nothing
in common with the one she has left has dit
terent ideas, different tastes, adliferenl stand
ard. Ifshe is young when she marrles, the
wife is insensibly moulded by her husband
and his family circle, and soon becomes quite
Il different person from that which she was IN
girlhood. Even as regards the daughter,
therefore, 1t is foolish Of the mother TO test
her influence too severely. But before the
wife objects to interference il has become in
tolerable to the husband, and IS the family
increases the breach becomes wider and WI
der, for the management of children presents
a splendid theme for advice. Here the wife
herself grows FESTIVE, and begins TO agree
with her husband that they are capable OF
their own affairs If the mother
in-law is widow she Is peculiarly objection
sble tor having perhaps no family to look
after, she feels it her duty to aid dear Amelia
with maternal counsel, and give that sweet
child the support of a fond mothers heart
At first Amelia becomes hurt If Philip ms n
yates that dear mammals visit is rather awk.
ward just then, or that it threatens to be i'm
long. The tears, Mysteries and
upbraidings which bring Philip to proper
state of submission on this subject do not
make him love the mother.inlsw more
Then the most affec,i"nale couples have oc.
casional tiffs, especially at srst and the moth
er-In-law, if an impulsive, foolish woman, is
sure to espouse Amelias cause violently and
openly, thus aggravatIng into serious quar-
rel that which was probably only little mis-
understanding. When Philip and Amelia
kiss and make friends, you may be sure Phil.
ip lays the blame of the row on his mother.
in-law, while Amelia herself feels no means
grateful for the interference which evenomed
the wound it was meant to heal. Then the
inlaw Iondly imagines that what is
her daughters is her own, and acts on that
theory, to the fury of tie servants, the annoy.
ance of the husband and by no means even
10 Amelia's satisfaction.