National Republican., 1883-03-01
THE NOTABLE MOTHER.
How She Studies the Wants OF Her Family
--Her children Reflect Her Virtues.


--Her children Reflect Her Virtues.
Every careful mother studies The wants of
the family. She knows just how long the
children's shoes ought TO last, just what quail
ity is best paying in the end, and grows.b by
practice into judge Of leather just as she Is
of beef. Her husbands means are TO her so
much capital TO be judiciously dispensed,
Like awoman ofscriptural fame, "She looketh
well to the ways Of the household" There is
no department that does not bear the indelible
imprint of her judicious management. She
has learned the full force of the homely prov
erb "a stitch in time saves nine" With all
this she does not deteriorate into homely
drudge. The careful learning of her children
IL tho motive power which urges her forward
There is not little tangled problem in the
thumbed arithmetic which has not been
touched by the far-reachingness Of her moth
crly care. Through the medium of bruised
fingers little cuts and burns she has become
skillful in the fine art Of healing, and knows
how to relieve the sufferer without calling TO
her assistance the aid of doctor. The matter
of diet she watches with solicitous care she
knows what best agrees with those young
constitutions which In later years will de
veop what she has sown. IL Is TO her energy
that the boy owes his thorough preparation
cational matters that her children may not
suffer from the loss of an early training. Be-
side all these matters she understands the art
of cutting and fitting, of getting good effects
from small means, and has that wonderful,
magical power Of making home pleasant To
her the children come with their conf
dences, their little aches and troubles. She
is always ready to listen. She never says,
Run away, children. and don't ask ques-
tions," but teaches them in early life that
home is for them. Under what beautiful con-
troll, too, does she keep these same little ones.
We feel that the mother is reflected in the
child. Those children behave better at school
are more sedate on the streets and are respect
ful to all. They are c0nsiderate of the feel
ings of others and have that fine sympathy
with sorrow which is the natural outgrowth
of home training.
We easily detect the children of the true
mother, for they reflect generously all her
virtues. Little ones are naturally diminutive
echoes; what they hear at home they repeat
abroad, these little stealers Of thunder. To
what end does il all Gomez
man who has sinned seriously, previously
thinks first in his hours Of contrition OF the
mother he has injured for Is not true, honest
affection something that he carries with him
through lifel 1t is opined that Achilless in
tense love for the sea had its origin in the
fact that his mother was its goddess, and we
hnOW bHdl nlhlOTy lnnuutThDlO tA-
amples of the effect Of strong and vigorous
mothers who have stood beside with their
sons through the direst trouble. r"
Beyond doubt even genius feols the benefit
of home training Goethe, in his imaginative
childhood when his soul was all afre with the
latent poesy within him, found gracious vent
in the mother who wove marvellous stories for
his amusement. 1t is not necessary to 90
through the grand line ofhistoric women and
bring forward illustration after illustration.
We need not speak Of the mother of the Grac-
chi or come down to later times when heroes
and heroes mothers stand side by side insep-
erably associated on the page of good deeds
We have only to look at tho children Of the
present and see the impress left upon them by
tender, conscientious home training. There
is something in the appearance of child that
indicates the mother. And when we who
have passed on into middle life, having put
our shoulders to that miserable wheel which
must turn inccssantly, fair weather or foul
and come to look upon our deeds as past We
realize then how much might have been
made of the home, how much possible bright.
ness has been lost.
The mother is the queen of the world she
wields mightier power than the monarch
for has she not guided those same little hands
that now are so powerful2 If we would be
great in this world, lot us commence by max
ing childhood most blest.