The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-10-13
A NEIGHBORLY CHAT.

brought her work to Mrs. Worth's
house. intending to spend the afternoon.
Had she been in some houses perhaps
her conversation would have been Cos
sipy-even slanderous- its character;
but Mrs. Worth, she knew, was not one
TO encourage anything of the kind; so
before she was aware she was discus
sing with her hostess topics of very
different nature.
care you mending Laura's dressp"
asked Mrs. Smith, in tone of deepest
surprise.
"Yes-why not?" answered Mrs.
Worth.
..BecauSc she's twelve years old
quite big enough to do her own mend
my"
big enough, yes-but she hasn't the
time"
Hasn't the time, indeed! Why Mrs.
Worth. never saw your Laura doing
anything"
20. Mrs. Smith. you must remember
she goes to school"
"Goes to school! So do my girls. But
there is plenty Of time for mending out
Of school hours"
'Not so very much" Mrs. Worth
spoke quite firmly. ''She leaves home at
5 in the morning and does not get back
until in the afternoon. When could
she sew?'
IAN hour before supper, or two hours
IN the evening"
"Why. Mrs. Smith. you forget her les
sons: they take up all the evening; and
| certainly think she is entitled to her
one hour before supper for rest and
amusement, and after her hard days
work"
well. Idon't think so. Think. af-
ter let my girls off all. day and enjoy
themselves doing nothing, it's little
enough for me to get some work out Of
them when they come home"
81 say it's cruel; children's constitu-
tons are not made of ironr' Mrs. Worth
was growing indignant.
That's all very well to say; but are
children any better now than they were
forty years ago? Their mothers and
grandmothers had to get up and do a
halt-day's work before they went to
school,"
''Perhaps-but, perhaps, if the chill
dren in the past had not been so shame
fully overworkcd, the children in the
present might have inherited more
strength than they have. The human
system is not machine, out of which
must be tortured the greatest amount of
labor of which it is capable; but it is the
abode OF I'M immortal life, to which all
labor, however great or small, is the
servant. Nj Laura Is not machine,
she is an anmclr' Mrs. Worth WAS so
earnest that she actually more than
half convinced her fault-iinding neigh
Dor.
.Maybe you're right" Mrs. Smith
heSitatingly admitted, .'but l think
mending for girl II years old encour-
ages her to idlcneSS."
mot at ALL" emphatically answered
| Mrs. Worth; .'she has no chance to be
idle. With her school and her lessons.
she has more on her mind than l, with
my whole house and family. And if you
will carefully question every mother,
teacher and child in the neighborhood,
! think you will be compelled to agree
with me-"
Mrs. Smith was at loss for an answer,
so she let her eyes wander aimlessly
around her. Suddenly she caught sight
vi tnc u'lNhCt HllCu Will HcsiIiy hohCu
clothes.
six handkerchicfs marked L. Four
pairs of stockings. Three sailor collars.
All in the wash in one week." Mrs.
Smith made a long pause between each
comment. Mrs. Worth, does Laura
use all those in one week?''
"She does" quietly answered Laura's
mother.
"But what extravagancer' exclaimed
Mrs. Smith. You indulge her too
much. You'll make her too dainty. I
think it does children good to keep them
down little. Why that's clean hand
kerchief every day.
Mrs. Smith, l do not consider myself
extravagant," answered Mrs. Worth
Laura wears nojewelry nor fancy dres-
ses 10 school. But feel that if ever
allow my child to bo anything else than
perfectly clean, do her moral wrong.
The body cannot be dirty without faint
ing the soul. Laura enthusiastically
needs-just what you see. will never
forget the miseries endured as child
by an insulliciency of these things. !
had no mother"
| As she spoke. the lady dropped u tear
on her hand. Her visitor was touched,
and felt rise within her something like
admiration for the speaker.
"Wcll," she said at length. Laura
ought to be very grateful to YOU"
Grateful to me?" asked Mrs. Worth;
"what forp"
"For all you do for heI'
"For all l do for her? Why Mrs.
Smith, only do my simple duty-hard-
| ly that, sometimes think, when l con-
| slider the groatnoss of my responsible
ity. Grateful to me! Why, whose place
but mine is it to give her a mothers
care? Who else should do it? Why, so
far from her feeling obliged to me for
caring for her, | ought to be severely
punished if did not"
"ChiIdren are a great trouble" feebly
began Mrs, Smith.
.Yes; but that's not their fault, They
do not ask US to assume any such bur-
den; it is voluntary on our part. They
have nothing to do with their coming
into the world of trouble-we every
thing. Is not this truep Have we any
right to buy what we cannot pay for"
The questioner was silenced for q
time. Mrs. Worth had finished mend
ing Laura's dress, and was now darning
her gayly-striped hose.
YOU'RE a queer woman" at last re-
marked the visitor. ..Now suppose you
had half dozen children"
"But haven't" replied Mrs. Worth.
Snow, Just suppose you had" per-
sisted Mrs. Smith. II have eight
How could l mend for and look after
SO many, like you do for twoP Could
youp"
II don't know" thoughtfully answer
ed Mrs. Worth, shut / know this-nO
woman has any moral right to any
more children than she can properly
care for"
"Whatp' almost screamed Mrs.
Smith.
"Its as true as gospel" firmly as
serted Mrs. Worth. ''The Lord never
requires of any of us more than we can
do"
"Well. sometimes think he does"
dolefully answered the other woman
1--WE see families of ten and twelve ev.
erywhere."
$50 we do" assentcd Mrs. Worth
"but if we think very carefully we are
compelled to believe that the Lord often
bears the blame of humanity's blunders.
n Ii Al