The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-03-25
american Motherhood"

siduity, if not assinirity, to the several
phases of female life in this country In
some capacity he has evidently had an
opportunity to observe women and
their habits in the sphere of upper ten
dom. That either the front or the back
stairs of Murray Hill residences and
Saratoga, Long Branch and Newport
hotels have been used as places of obser-
vation upon the female sex he has made
apparent in every article. He assumes
the air of severe and somewhat Gym
ical critic of that society and thus
escapes the vice of toadyism, but his
fault lies in the common Practice of gen
eralizing from very limited range of
facts, and possibly, of ideas. His las.
contribution is on american Mother-
hood" This is a theme which should
certainly inspire broad and tender treat
ment. The outlook should extend be.
yond any small circle and cover field
as broad as nation. American
Motherhood" is not Fifth Avenue moth
erhood alone, nor Saratoga motherhood.
Perhaps the structures of the writer
would work injustice to even those
classes, but they certainly show much
recklessness as we'll as foolishness of
statement in their application to
the mothers of the republic. HIS
special grievance is the devotion, or SER
Witty, as he esteems it of our women to
their children.
That the man of the Times has yet
much to learn of American society as
well as American motherhood, appears
in the following: "Where a family is
so very poor that nurse cannot be en-
ployed, mothers cares are necessarily
increased and her time absorbed. But
such poverty is not common here among
educated persons, and an American
father must needs be in great penury to
expect his wife to look after her babies
exclusively" All who know anything
of American social life, not in the mar
row sphere of the exclusive few who are
the slaves Of society and fashion, but
among tbs countless thousands who are
neither uneducated nor sin great pen
ury," know that the above declaration is
at variance with the facts. There are
multitudes of American families, not
rich and yet neither ignorant nor in
want, in which the mothers dispense
with the services of nurses and devote
themselves to the care of both house
holds and children. One servant to do
the drudgery of the Homework is all
they experience any necessity for, and
in many instances even such a helper is
not employed. 1t is true they are not
up all night at balls and masquerades
and not abed half the day, but they may
get mors real, solid enjoyment out of
quiet domestic life, aiding and sympa-
thizing with their children in their stud
les and their sports, occasionally taking
In concert, opera or play, than the
most enthusiastic devotee of the false
and frivolous goddess. fashion. French
men who have lived in their gay and
splendid capital hold that to be out Of
Paris is to be out of the world, and
there are society men who loftily ignore
the existence of even social facts, not to
say social enjoyments, outside their lit
tie sect. Such people need to travel,
live and observe a little among the
American people before they pronounce
Judgment upon any class of society.
But even when an American mother
has nurse, complains our critic, ''she is
forever uneasy about her child or chill
dren; she necessarily worries them her
self, and her nurse in her efforts to see
that everything should be done exactly
as it should be-" and his conclusion is:
''The American mother Of the future
will be pretty certain to abate her
motherhood, and with less unhappy con.
sequences" All this talk shows an ex-
traordinary conception on the part of it
Of the duties, obligations and privileges
Of motherhood. Fortunately the ma
ternal affection of all true women for
their children will prove successful foil
TO such perverted and foolish notions as
he sets forth with such al, air of author
ity. Instead Of abat;ng cher mother
hood" the American mo- her of the fu-
ture will, it is to be hoped, show greater
interest in the moral, intellectual and
physical health Of her children than
even the mother of to-day does. II
there happen to be around any sensitive
male creatures who complain that she
should sacrifice herself to their society