Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-07-05
A PLEA FOR THE 6rEP-MOrHER

How many good books do VIC still take |
up in which the plots turns on the mach
nations of the step-mother, and surely
the writer's ought to be wiser now. They
make the very name bately; it seems to
ring with unk,nduess and injustice. and
far be it FROM us to say that the prpto-
type is nowhere to be found. Cold
hcartedncss and oppression to the chill
dren Of the one who has preceded her in
home are no doubt At times to be
met with, but cannot many households
tell another tale-a tale of love and gen
tlcncss, and mutual affection and peace
Aad cannot; too, some homes tell third
story, where the sufferer is the one that
is looked on as an interloper? Are there
not cases where man, whose hearth has
been carly desolated, and who is left with
little ones whom he canno. look after,
with heart still yearning for affection,
brings home some warm-A hearted girl rca-
dy to pour out no stintcd measure of love
on the little ones and what does he and
she find On settling down to their daily
life7 That foolish relatives or ignorant
servants have already poisoned the baby
mind against their second mother, and
that all her comforts to win their affec-
ton and trust are blighted by the unholy
influence that has been welded. And
with other children came, too, often, in
stead of being welcomed with brotherly or
sisterly love, they are greeted with feel
ings Of bitterness and jealousy. Nor is
this only 20 where the children naturally,
perhaps, have feeling that they may be
deprived BY stranger Of part Of their
birthright. Cases there are where hun
dreds have been added to the income by
such marriages-hundreds not even set
tied on the woman who brought them to
a comparatively poor household; and yet
she was sst aside as "nobody," treated
with cold insult by step-children and I'M
defended by her husband. We might
tell Of sick beds watched with all a moth
cr's devotion Of dying hours soothed
with all mothers faithful self forgetful-
ness Of the young spirit sinking to the
grave, cliusing with fond affection the
representative Of the real parent whom it
soon was to greet in the spirit land and
We turn with just anger from pictures
laid before us that are Is false as they
are illjudged. Into many household
must the second mother be brought, or
they never could hold together. How
many families must consist Of the chill
dren Of one father, but Of two mothers :;
and is it well that the young minds
Should be prejudiced against state of
things in 50 many cases necessity But
in the novel of tale youthful hero or
heroine is more interesting than he or she
suffers under the domestic roof, and that
suffering is supposed to be most easily
wrought by the step mother. Let us
hope that truer view will be taken Of
this relationship; that the vulgar feeling
with regard to ia feeling showing it
self SO plainly in great many localities
that the name stepmo,her is given to the
most painful thing on the finger, (some-
times called hang naiD may ere long
pass away from among us; and that, at
last, the long despised ''old maid is meet
ing with juctice and kindly judgement,
the same may Be meted with no stinting
hand to the long suffering and much
slanderous step-mothers