The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-05-03
A FATAL ERROR.
Mothers and Wives the Self-Ma0e Slaves q
Their Families.


Mothers and Wives the Self-Mads Slaves q
Their Families.
eff parents only realized what harm
they were doing their children and
how they were being handicapped by
being continually waited on when
they are small, they would certainly
reform in this particular" said a We
man OF wide experience. II dropped
IN, the other evening, at house where
the mother had simply made slave OF
herself ever since her married life be-
gan She commenced by waiting on
her husband in spirit of wifely devo-
ton, apd continued it until he Is the
most helpless creature imaginable If
his paper is not ready for him when he
is ready to read it, ne frets and wor-
ries until his wife finds it and brings it
to him. If his favorite chair, lamp and
table are not at his disposal, he either
makes things very uncomfortable by
sarcastic remarks or sulks, and reduces
the temperature in the house quite a
bit below zero.
while sat there, he allowed his
wife to put coal on the fire, close the
window and to open the door when the
room became too warm. Instead OF
his performing some of these little
tasks. he simply sat in his armchair
and basked By the glowing warmth of
an autumn fire. Several times dur
ing the evening he sought occasion to
make disparaging remarks about wo-
men who got out of their spheres in
various ways and whose doings were
in consequence extremely distastefui
to him. Later in the evening, one OF
the sons came in, laid his hat on the
lounge, his umbrella across q chair and
threw his overcoat over an ottoman.
He settled himself comfortably in q
chair, took at least six books from a
shelf, laid them here and there about
the room wherever he happened to be,
glanced at the newspa per, threw it
upon chair and, after little talk on
various unimportant subjects, excused
himself on the plea of a headache.
and went to his room for the night.
He did not take the trouble to pick up
anything that he had left lying about;
and because / knew his mother very
well, knew that she would take care
OF every article that he had dropped.
She had done it for him ever since he
was small boy and would doubtless
continue to do so as long as he re.
manned at home.
zone of the daughters came in from
a neighbor's house, bringing with her
some parcels. She unwrapped them,
tossed paper and string onto the
lounge, pulled some loose threads from
the goods she had bought, threw them
on the floor and then retired, taking
with her the materials she had brought
in, but leaving all the debris to cumber
the apartment. 1t was the family sit
ting-room, and, Of course, it did not
count.
Il saw look of distress on the
mothers face as she glanced around
the disordered and udtidy looking place,
but it probably never occurred to her
that she alone was responsible for the
state of things. l knew that it had
been many times suggested to her to
leave things where they were until the
children took care of them, but this she,
never had the heart to do. She seemed
to think, and often said, that they were
tired or busy, or were going some
where, or that she could not bear the
disorder and would much rather put
the place to rights than to wait for
them to do it
'Everything about that house was
conducted upon this idea, and if ever
there was a slave to her family that
woman was one. She never got time
for reading or study, and her husband
and children grew entirely away from
her until there was nothing of her but
a household drudge. Nothing else was
expected Of her and she was credited
with nothing else. If she had advanced
a brilliant idea it would have been met
with astonishmsnt or possibly ridicule.
A knowledge on her part of current
events would have been a subject for
family amazement At last, when it
was quite too late to remedy the worst
phases of this evil, this mistaken and
neglected wife and mother came to
realize that her life had been a series
Of grave errors and that instead of
<eeping up with the times and being
.hs associate and companion of her
'arnily. she was merely working
,ousekeeper on board wages.
There is many another in the land
who is doing the same way. 1t would
De quite as well for them If tkey dis
covered their error In time to correct a
ew, at least, of its worst features"-
Z. Y. Ledger.