Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-30

tons. But our grandmothers-peace 10
their ashes are now dead and gone, ana
there's nothing TO save us. Oh! that
they would establish a Chair OF Penman-
ship in our female colleges.
a northern newspaper recently printed
interviews which purported 10 come from
certain women to whom everybody OBJ
jects-that is TO say, female book agents
mothers-in-law, matrons who take sum
mer boarders. and last, but not least, the
lucky ones who capture seats In the
street-cars. Each OF the quartet, which Is
representative OF a large and energetic
class protest against the abuse and JiDe5
10 which they have been subjected, and
beg the humorists 10 give them a res'
The mother-in-law is, perhaps, OF all IN
four. the most yituperatiye and her pro
test against the indignities which are
heaped upon her II vigorous and striking.
She declares that since the earliest days
OF antiquity she has been the never
ceasing butt for joke-makers, and sug-
gests that if Adam had had such a kn5~
woman there would have been Jokes
cracked about her in the Garden Of Eden.
In reality. she says there Is nothing
funny in being a mother-n-law'
we. ourselves. think this noble inst-
tuition has had her share Of abuse and
that. be she good or bad she is not
subject for testing. Indeed, we never
could see anything funny about our
uothe--ln-law. nor could we understand
how other people could find the subject
one for friyolity. To our mind, mothers
in-law are very serious things.
The one whose remarks have attracted
our attention SAYS that her scn-in-law,
though not himself a very disagfeeapie
nerson. gives her unlimited trouble ana
that as "A class, she decidedly objects 10
him. He bOres her 10 death at utnes'
and will persist in reading mother-lh-iaW
iokes al the dinner table and IN gigghnS
AZ the humor directed against these
worthy women.
To Law testing aside, we think all 'he
"i, laws" are at fault-that Il, an except
the fathers-ln-.aw. who are sene!aly
GOOD hulnored old codgers, ana roma OF
the babies and inclined 20 help inc youns
folk along. The mothcr-in-laW' 10 mat
Ter how sweet and amable she may DC
thinks that no man Is quite good enough
for her daughter and IT, on l,ie o'ne'
md she is about 70 dispose or son
r. l. certain that no woman IS dple
30 take care OF the yOungster ana give
btr, The attention which be has hitherto
erIoyed And so, from the time the II tt-
yiaee license goes into the hands OF me
preacher. she Is a critical observer anu
ever booking for trouble The sons-in-
10. and dauehtars-in-law squirm uhoer
- irsne,tlon and are necessarily IN
e ',.r and suspicious. and by and by when
he old lady makes her appearane.e-.-as
she aIyavs does IN nction-they feel ca.
. Night has fallen upon them. They 700
become critical and eNactils anu 0 Ge,
sfn,e every evidence OF interest on ue'
80 ., as meddlesomeness and pugnaci'y,
p bnS SO 90 petty wars spring up and houses
hesome divided against themselves ,s n :
the neishbors gossip and there - me se.s
mischief TO pay. The tan' - az
Las but be she shrewish, meddlesol,v,
sloes, ,a,uerons the motives OF ne
r ., are never seiash. Maybe
shs would like TO have things done me-, asr
,nsva weakness OF many OF the iussy
sex-but for all that, she mas 'As N'''