Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-05-03
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
MOTHERS-I S-IN-LAW.
A Few ForcIble Facts in Their Defense.

a few staple facts that were always on
tap for funny screen. 1.-The mule"
was one subject "The goat that eats
tin cans was another, and 'the
mother-in-law'' was another. | have
written many times on the subject of
mules, and goats, and putting up
stove-pipe, but l can't remember that
l ever wrote any thing mean about
mother-in-law. If | have would like
to apologize to every mother-in-aw in
the land. There is time in the mar
ried life of all young people when they
want to be alone more or less, and dur
ing that time / would not bother them
too much, if was mother-in-law
That is the time when there is an
awful crowd and perfect jam. At
such time the funny paper which
jokes the mother-in-law may be al
lowed to exist, but after little children
begin to come to the home of the
young people, and the mother-in-law
becomes grandma, a paper that
speaks disrespectfully of the mother
in-law has a row on his hands right
away. was in smoking-car once
with lot of passengers, when the
train stopped at the station, and a
middle-aged lady passed the window,
on the platform outside, and smart
Alexander said: "rll bet the cigars
she is a mother-in-law." A travelling
man for grocery house, who was a
big, good-natured chap turned in his
seat and said to the smarty. 81 can
whip any man that speaks sdisrespect-
fully of mothers-in-law, as class. "
The smarty colored up and said he
didn't know whether the travelling
man'coud do it or not. "Well, can,
and will begin on you in a holy min
ute if you say an unkind thing of a
mother-in-law. ] will wipe the floor
with you. Mothers-in-law are the
noblest women on Gods earth.
"After they have grown up children.
and are entitled to retire from the ac-
tive duties of motherhood" continued
the big travelling man, "they find that
little grandchildren have taken as
strong a hold on their hearts as
their own children ever did,
and they are ready, old and feeble
though they be, to go through any
number of sieges of diseases OF child
ren, from whooping cough to scarlet
fever. My wife's mother is the best
woman on earth. The first year was
married / used TO think it would be q
good thing if my wife's mother would
90 to Dakota, or Alaska, or Heaven, oil
some summer resort. Twoy years after
ward l telegraphed her a hundred dol
lars to come from California
when our baby had diphtheria, and the
cars could not come fast enough. She
has been with me now for ten years
has saved the lives of five of our child
ren, worked harder than she ever die
with her own children, and am going
to pay her expenses for a trip to Eu
rope next summer if | have to stea
the money. That's the reason say
can whip any man that speaks slight
ingly of mother-in-law. Get up her,
till knock you down once more fol
luck" The smart Alex said he SPOKE
before he thought, and he had nothing
against mother-in-laws. well, shu
up, thcn," said the big travelling man
as he took pencil and began to mak'
some figures in his order book.
There is no more beautiful title il
the world than "grandma," but a wo
man has TO be mother-in-law befor
she can be a grandma. There was
case in this city few days ago, tha
illustrates the love of grandmothe
for her grandchildren. The story i
told in a few words in q daily paper, a
follows: '.ln her death she was a ,nal
tyr to duty. About three weeks ag
her married daughter wrote to her thn
her four children were sick with ty
phoid fever, and continually calm
for Grandma. She at once went t
them, and nursed them until she too
the fatal infection and died. " One ca
almost hear the call of the fever strick
en- babies for grandma. Is there
grandma in all the world that woul
not have done as this good lady did
Not one! There never was nigh
so dark that the grandma would nc
hurry to the bedside of the sick grand
| babies. Dakota never had blizzar
: so cold as would keep grandma ava
| from her grandchildren that were sicl
and calling her in their feverish deli
, ium.
She would 60 through packs {
: wolves, fight her way through tribe
. of Indians, brave all the diseases of tn
world, to go to the babies, and all tt
t reward she would ever care for woul
D be to have the darling, when it W;
:. well again. look up to her with its lo'
ingeyes, put its arms around her necl
S and say, Il love you" That love
/ more to her than the wealth of the Go
, condas. / know man that is suffe
ing the tortures of the damned. On,
he said to his wife's mother that
4 did not marry the whole family. II
! mother-in-law was bit too fresh,
4 have no doubt but he almost brol
her heart by his remark. She was n
i too fresh any more, but only can
!, when sent for. Time passed, and fol
! little girls came to the home of Il
man that didn't marry the whole far
lily. Then the mother of the little gil
died. and for fourteen years the man
mother-in-law has taken care of {
children and taken care of him, to
: for hehas been sick and unable to wo
: a good deal of the time She has be
a mother to him and to the childre