The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-08

ashamed, and not Knowing WHERE W 81
she comes to the great city TO hide herseli,
and finds soon that what she Drst thousht
was her shame she can make her dis
honor. and q dlshonor which. in the coin
of the realm. pays her well. She affects
10 believe in the honor OF no woman;
that IS her part, for at heart is always
q desire to talk to good woman, ana
when she can't, she revenges herselt Dy
pretending TO believe that all women are
impure The day comes when, perhaps
she Is Ill. not unto death, and she goes 10
the hospital. The Sister talks TO her gent
~ and kindly: urges her TO live better
life. and when she is well she faces the
Sister with this question, WHO VIII heIp
me?" She has lived life OF luxury and
lazlness until she does not know how 10
work. and for some unknown reason she
positively refuses to be sent TO a strange
country 70 take a position as mald-ser-
want: when she Is well, she goes back 10
her old life, returns to the hospital per-
haps three or four times, and eventually
comes there 10 die. Can you do anything
but pity her? You an hoBored wife. a loved
mother. how can you say one word
against her? Put yourself in her place
and think out the riddle.
Sometimes the other woman comes from
a better class OF society; she is well ed
ucated and was well born. and she traces
her downfall almost invariably TO her love
for a man. 1t seems to me that when TINS
bappens. surely there ought 10 be forgive
ness: and yet, there very seldom Is. Inc
mother who has never had temptation
hurls all the huge stones of inyectiVe at
the daughter who Is weak, and then Inc
daughter becomes the other woman. VINO
was the man? Was It your son, or mine!
Was IL your brother or miner sometimes
the man is what he calls true 10 her; mat
gives her whatever love he mas, accepts
is. for three, FIVE, six or ten years ne
her faithfulness and love; and then, when
he wishes a wife to sit at the head OF
his table, reminds her Of what she has
been TO him and takes to bear his name.
a young and innocent woman. He tries TO
cure the leprosy with a lily.
For weeks past the newspapers have
been full Of the story of young woman
who says she was for nine long years
absolutely faithful to man who betray-
ed her when she was IL years old, by
whom she bore two living children, and
for whom she has lied, even TO her mother.
Now he has married sombody else. know
nothing about the truth Of her story; l
only say that If 1t is true, then hope
every man in Kentuckey will help to
lynch him. l am not given as gener-
al thing to sickly sentimentality, but the
betrayal OF a girl Of II by man OF AZ,
brilliant man, n man whom she had
always respected and hcnored because OF
his position in her State. seems to me
something very dreadful. And the giving
of nine years Of the best part OF her life
to him should at least have had its re-
ward by her bearing his name, and by
the recognition Of their oh. iren. Re
member, / do not think this would have
wiped away the sin; both would have suf-
fered for that, even in this world; but l
cannot understand how a man can so ut
terly disregard the rights of love and the
rights of his children, as to willfully force
this girl into acknowledging that she was
the other woman. Again / say, l don't
know that the story is true, but / do say
If IL IS, this man ought to be made 10
suffer here, as he certainly will hereafter.
A While ago, I was up at the Maternity.
and talking 10 Sister Irene Of the women
who came there. She told me that the
greater number OF those who came from
the better classes of society were almost
invariably young girls, who had lost their
purity through married friends OF their
fathers II is so easy for a man who Wis
Ats intimately at the houses, TO grow famil-
lar with a girl OF f2-to kiss her, and take
her on his lap; If he is fond OF children,
TO give some amusement; and then, as
the months and years so by, he discovers
that the child has become a woman-a
woman Of 49, and that he Is very fond OF
her. He knows how to do all sorts OF
pleasant things for her; and her mother.
foolish woman! permits her 10 go 10 the
theatre with her fathers old friend
when she wouldn't allow her to go out
with a boy of 20. l do not say that this
is always the result OF such an acquain-
tanceship but l do say that j blame
mothers for permitting such a state of af-
fairs 10 exist.
Last year at the Maternity there was a
girl about 10 years old, who had a private
room and who never came out Of IT with
out a veil over her face. Sister Irene, the
doctor and the nurse were the only peo-
pie who ever saw her face. That girls
mother believed she was visiting friends
i'm Italy and during the time the girl was
there, the mother visited the chapel and
gave her Offering for the poor babies. and
never dreamed that her daughter was hid
ing her shame I'm the same house in which
she stood. when IL was possible, she did
so go Italy and came back immediately,
and 10 this day her mother doesn't know
that every Thursday she goes TO see
little baby up there. and neither does she
dream that out Of her pocket money She
is supporting that child. And the man?
Oh the man visits the house. and IL is
constant surprise 10 the father and moth
er that their daughter. who use 10 be so
fond Of him when she was a little girl,
scarcely speaks to him now.
DO YOU see her future? I do. A love
| less marriage: children born who bear an
| honorable name, but who never have her
| heart as does that one which she cannot
acknowledge and about whose future she
is always worrying. Perhaps her life may
| be worse than this. IL may be one Of
wickedness. lacking love, lacking child
rem, she may 20 along gratifying all that
is worst in her, and never letting her best
self come even 10 the surface.
What are We going 10 do, you and II
The other woman exists I'm every station
OF life. Sometimes We don't recognize her.
but oftener she Is branded with the scarlet
letter. What are We going TO do. There
are only two things possible my friend.
We must stop throwing stones, for our
sins may be greater than hers. and we
must remember always that II was said
Of her, so many hundred years ago: BE
cause she has loved much, much shall
be forgiven her" Are you greater than
the Goodman who said this? ] think not.
my neighbor SO let ms join hands and try
10 do for her the best we can. II may be
only little. but It will help; Il will surely
help, even " the band only consists only
of you and Dab.
Girl Bachelors Den.