The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-08-27
STEP-MOTHERS.
A Few Words in Behalf of This
Misjudged Glass.

SlClSS.
The world is every day growing more
humane, more just and charitable. The
narrow, social, secular and religious
walls that have so long divided man
from man are breaking down. Human
sympathies are broadening, ample el-
bow-room and fair play seems to be the
motto of the present generation.
But amid all the humanitarian prog
ress of our age there remain few pref
udices that like rank weeds DEFY all eff
forts at determination, and foremost
among these is the old-time prejudice
against stepmothers, class that with
mothers-in-law may justly claim to be
the most ill-treated portion of the hui
man race.
The step-father and the father-ir law
awaken none of this antipathy which
society, with an objectionable lack of
chiyalry, visits upon that so-called
weaker sex it claims to protect and
cherish.
The very word step-mother recalls a
series of portraits now pathetic, now
repellent-portraits slowed away in
most memories from fairy tales and
picture-books that were both the de-
light and torture of childish days. On
the one hand we see the step-child half
clad, half-fed, groaning under the lash
of cruel task-mistresS and tyrannical
usurper-a pale, sad, forlorn, ghostly
little creature, who, after the arduous
tasks of the day are ended, steals softly
to the grave of the own mother to pour
forth unayailing plants and tears upon
that senseless sod-to pray in agony to
be laid at rest from life's sorrows by the
side of the one heart that has beat in
unison with its own.
The reverse of this doleful picture is
the step-mother-a grim, remorseless
female with cast-iron features and Me
dusa glance, with nose and chin SHARP
as her temper and almost meeting over
the toothless jaws, with long arms end
ing in skeleton fingers that delight in
blows. with heart hard, preyerse anG
hideous as its outward tenement
The world abounds in step-mothers.
We all know them, but who has ever seer
one answering to this picture? The
actual step-mother is no being apart
ike men and women in general, she
has her full share of faults and virtues
But in her case the faults are exagger
ated, the virtues scarcely recognized
She is martyr to whom few are will
ing to accord the martyrs crown;
tragic heroine who may never expect tC
find her poet Her history, save in ex
ceptional cases, may be sketched as
follows:
BY marrying widower she has be
come at the same moment both wife
and mother She enters the new home
with heart full of kindly sentiments
with sincere desire to take the owr
mothers place to the child or children
Heaven has bereft of maternal care
The more children there are, the harder
and more complicated becomes hel
task. We will take the easiest case ant
suppose there is only one, but that this
Que is girl-a less facile subject fol
-motherly management than bov.
The step-mother's first meeting with
her little charge (whom its fathers fond
eulogles had led her to believe an ange
all out the wingS) is not encouraging,
one llnds averted glances where she
had hoped for the gaze of truthful
ifostful eyes; her caresses are repelled
uct loving words awaken no response
Inc tile one is shy and distant like
nnos, children in the presence of strang
,a I,s' says the father; 'she will soon
learn to love YOU"
Months pass. The child has grown
accustomed to the new mothers pres
nJe' 10 the new atmosphere of care
"nu tenderness, but she remains dis
.aht, The little soul. that should warm
~ lhese caresses as the spring sol
warns WARNS to the sunlight, is still cold and
"n!eSponslve. The sweet cherub has
s snllies Tor others, sunny glances, kindly
MotuS and merry laughter for all the
as %uriu out her step-mother. Her gayety
s,gn agnoao Is IN strange contrast with he1
s'Hen obstinacy at home. Her hear
seems an .Eolian harp, responsive tC
every kindly outside breath, echoine
Every voice of affection save that from
her step-mother' lips.
me step-mother broods over all this
asking herself the reason, and question
ing her own conscience as to anv remis
s,oh IN duty. She little dreams tina
some some outside Penelope is all the Will,
p DuSy unraveling her homework. Thi
ieheiope is presumably a relative O
oosom friend of the first wife, who from
= misguided sense of loyalty to the dea(
mus wrongs the living.
me child, on her visits to these ol,
friends and relatives, finds herself tn
constant *, object of fearful lamentation
1ae one theme upon which they rim