Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-21
A STEPMOTHER'S LOT.
Bessie Bramble Says She's Entitled
to Top Seat in Seventh Heaven.
CATCHES IT FROM EVERY SIDE.
Why Women Undertake Such Woes Il One
of Creations Mysteriea
ALWAYS FOOLS ENOUGH TO GO ROUND
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsPArcH.l

will be sorely taxed by the trials and tribu-
lations of the position. Who knows but
that if Job of ancient renown could have
been 8 stepmother, the last straw would
have been added to the camers miseries.
1t is hardly to be doubted that if Solomon
could have had the experience of some step
mothers, he would have added the cap
eheaf to his tremendous stock of wisdom
| tor their instruction.
Benevolence, patience, endurance, for
bearance, fortitude. charity and love are the
virtues to be most cherished and cultivated
by women who take upon themselves the
responsibilities of stepmothers Supply,
we are told, always comes in answer to de-
mand it may therefore be for the reason
that the position gives SO much exercise to
these qualities that there are SO many good
stepmothers in the world.
What She Has to Bear.
Through the discipline of endurance
women can be trained to stand the abuse of
the first wiie's relations. They can grow
! accustomed to regard with patience the
''sassing" of the stepchildren as inspired by
| outsiders, who love to make mischief. They
can nerve themselves to endure with fore
bearance the meddling of the neighbors
and their malicious remarks as to their
methods of family management and mode of
housekeeping. 1hev can cultivate charity
under all manner of criticism and contrast
with the first wi e's manners and methods.
They can learn to console themselves with
the orthodox idea that they were cut out
and toreorlained by heaven to be dis
ciplined ior the happiness of the lite here
off fhn nF
husband.
The influences of such experience will
generally a ant a woman, in course of time,
to regard the trials and crosses of such po-
stion In life as fitting her for high place
among the angels. And certainly if any
woman deserves holy seat in the seventh
heaven of pure delight, it is she who has
done her duty nobly as a stepmotheE
Why Do Thy larry wid,w"r.?
But why in these DAYS should any woman
want to be a stepmother? In times happily
gone by when women were almost wholly
dependent upon men for their support
when being a spinsler was held to be dis
grace and a reproach-when many had to
get married for a living, it was easy to see
why such numbers, between a garret and
crust and the orld's contumely, were will
ing to accept a widower with RAFT of chill
u
pacity for martyrdom, but it is amazingly
hard to see why nowadays any capable, in
dustrious, Independent woman should de-
Iiberately-with her own free knowledge
and consent-walk into the chains and
slavery of stepmotherhood Selt-sacri6ce
has been preached all along the ages as the
nOblest virtue in a woman, and if she
doesn't get her fill of it in this world as
stepmother it would certainly be a wonder.
81 will have to get married" said a
thrifty old farmer q few months alter his
wife's DEATH "Here is harvest coming on
and then there will be the threshing and |
corn husking and can't afford to pay girl |
IS a week"
The neighbors knew he was ssnear'-as |
they call stinginess-but even those accus-
toned to measuring Q mans motives BY his
actions were a little surprised over the
given reason for getting second wife. He
W nted one who could do the work and call
for no wages. He did not consider his
children, but his pocket.
No Lack of Fools Here Below.
There are possibly plenty of women to
take such places. There never is any lack
OF fools in the world. This may be a wise
provision of Providence. Fate, destiny,
Denomination, or "call from heaven" as
the reverend brethren name it, provides
women to fill these places. 1t is possible
they are accepted by some good women out
OF sheer benevolence. They go into
family of children and put up with a stingy
shop-worn old husband, with the insolence
OF the relations, all the aggravations in
short that tall to such lot in the same
spirit that inspires women to go out to ex-
pend their energies and efforts in the en-
deavor to convert the heather on India's
coral strand, or where Africa's sunny foun-
tains roll down their golden sand.
Such women will need nothing so much
as the philosophy of the Stoics which held
that Eve should always be anticipating and
adapting ourselves to the worst that could
happen" so that when the worst came it
could be borne with an unruffled mind.
Moreover pride could be cultivated that
would hold up beyond the cavils OF society,
the tantrums of stepchildren, and the in
difference of husbands
Why do women marry widowers? Well,
as Betsy Bobbitt would say, ''The Lord
only knows" Ask us an easy one.
Low. Do. sn't Account for It.
Sir Philip Sidney has said that "Love is
better Than spectacles to make everything
seem great" This is true as to the young
girl who sees in her lover her ideal hero.
She endows him in her imagnatons with |
every virtue. To her he is all that is noble |
and beautiful. On his part, he loves Just |
as romantcally as does she. He matches |
Ju let as Romec. The pleasure and sweet |
ness oi happy love are beyond all the Joys |
that life without can give.
But it is only during Young loves dream !
that any fond and foolish girl, like juliet, |
wants her Romeo ''cut out in little stars"
1t is in youth that men, like Ham ct, get iar
gone, and "suffer much extremity for love-"
q -
cares, marries a second time it is seldom Tor
love-more often tor convenience or through
a selfish Sinking of his own duties He
wants somebody to keep his house and take
charge of his children. So girl knows
what the is rushing into hen she marries q
widower with family.
Who the thiIdren Regard Her.
It is to be oted that in the main chill.
dren hate ste pmother, which makes her
task much harder. This feeling is tostered
oitentimes by the relations, who take
malicious delight in sowing discord, stir
ring up i'll feeling and promoting jealousy.
The older the children are the more of a
rumpus is raised. They scorn and scoff at
the idea OF any woman taking their moth
ers place. 1t is intolerabl to them to be
placed under the domination OF a step
mother. They are full OF prejudice against
her, and not seldom in the troubles that
are sure to follow is her lot made more Bit
ter by The husband destroying her author.
ity and influence by taking their part
against her.
1t is . common saying that ''There is no
fool like an Old fool" This proverb gen.
orally comes in pat and to the point when
an old iool OF q widower is being talked
over by the gossips. He always wants q
young wife, say they, without wisdom or
experience. His children and friends know