Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-01-09
A Care.Free Motherhood.

following eloquent plea In behalf OF
women's right to be cared for, to be
GENERALLY supported, and kindly pro-
tected when she becomes wife and
mother: "The woman who, when
circumstances require it, can take
care of herself is a truly admirable
and delightful person to meet. She
encourages our hearts to feel that our
daughters may be tittet by proper ed
ucation to meet the emergencies Of
life cheerfully, bravely, and success
fully. But it is probable that we all
feel, when planning for the future of
our daughters, that if they are called
upon to fulfil the whole of woman's
natural destiny, if they become wives
and mothers, their normal condition,
and that which would be the most
favorable to their own happiness, and
complete and harmonious develop
ment, would be that of being cared
for. In this condition, as in all right
conditions, they are entitled to all
the rights and privileges, and have
all the claims upon the respect and
kindness Of men that could possibly
be claimed or awarded to the most
enterprising and successful workers
among women in any department Of
the worlds work.
Col. Robert Ingersoll says that
women have all the rights that men
have and one more, the right of being
protected. In this statement he shows
discrimination and genuine polite
ness, in that he did not use common
phraseology andsay the right of being
supported. A man has no more bus
mess to say he supports his wife than
he has to say he supports his partner
or his clerks. All good wives tender
full quid pro quo in the partnership
of the home, even though they do
nothing but make it pleasant and
meet their husbands on their return
from business with a smile. A young
woman, by virtue of fine education
and natural abilities, is able as a
teacher to earn say thousand dol
lars year. A young fellow asks her
to relinquish this and join him in
founding home, her part in it being,
perhaps, mainly to stay in the house
and overlook the housekeeping. She
may consent to do so, with most hap
ply results both to herself and him
but one essential element in her hap
piness must be that by so doing she
does not place herself in a position
that shall create painful sense of de-
pendence. There is no high-spirited
woman who can endure without pain
such an attitude, yet there is no right
ly constituted woman who does not
under the right conditions enjoy hav-
ing all her temporal wants supplied,
and being cared for and protected.
can earnest and thoughtful writer
upon social questions of the deepest
importance says what this country
most needs is a leisurely, happy, and
care-free motherhood. The period
when mother has her little ones
around her knees ought to be the
happiest of her life. But when ma
ternal cares press, a stronger hand
than hers should ward off all other
cares and trials that would Cypress
her or interfere with her care of her
children. This is the period when
woman's most sacred right is that OF
being cared for and protected. Alas
that to so many mothers the period
of maternity is one of being overbur-
dened physically and mentally, and
of unrest and sorrow of spirit. And
this condition is one from which, in
a majority of cases, she cannot rescue
herself. She may need recreation,
change, help in her labors, and many
other things, in order to healthful
condition of mind and body. But
she lacks the strength and energy t6
provide herself with them. Here i:
the opportunity for the good hus
band. Here is his chance to binC
his wife to him with "hooks of steel;'
here is his time to show that he APP
preciates what is due to woman il
the most important relation of life
But in order to do this he must rem
: der this homage, not asone whogive
to dependent, but rather as one wht
brings glad tribute to a sacred alter
Those who live in villages or il
| towns, and keep only one or two COW
? for family use, will find it great ad
vantage to the COW, and somethin!
that will increase her flow of mill
greatly, to get her to drink morning
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