The record-union., 1899-12-15
WHO TO CURSE.

A sick and respondent mother in San
Francisco is praying for death because
of the revelation of her shame In
her youth she was led astray by man
who became extremely wealthy later
en- and upon death left to the child Of
the pair large portion of his worldly
goods. In the meantime however. the
woman had married, her husband hav-
ing from her full knowledge of her
shame which to the world was a Sc
cret. The woman Is now widow and
has been living quietly and unobtru-
sively in San Francisco and training
up her little daughter as a good
mother should
She prays for death now (and as she
is weak and fragile and aged before
her time her wish may be soon graf
ifed, because of the revelation of her
child's dishonor which she had hoped
would be forever hidden. Indeed it
was covered by the child having been
given the name of her stepfather, who
thus sought to shield the innocent from
the reproach of the world.
The mother now curses the memory
Of the childs father. Why did he
not give to US what he wished to, she
exclaims, in his lifetime. If he wished
to end0w this child he might have done
so without putting her shame into his
7 h !,
dead than have this publicity Of our
dishonor. I would that We were COW
cred by the mercy of the grave than
have this awful exposure, and this
child whom I love so dearly confronted
by the world with her disgrace.
II want to de-" she moaned again
and again. L am praying for death.
Ny child, too, whom I love SO deeply
and tenderly-I would rather mourn
her dead than have her face the shame
of this awful exposure. If 1 had stood
beside when he was about to sign that
will that makes our little daughter rich
and independent would have snatched
the pen from his hand. Don't do it.
I would have implored him. I'll work
for her. only don't let the world know
that they may cast a stone at her. -
And so the woman raves. And who
shall be so hard Of heart as not to pity
her. But why is her child's disgrace
dragged into public view? Whose
fault is it that the shameful story of a
ruined life and an innocent one. is
paraded before the eyes of the world :?
Why is it that the entire community
is invited to look in upon this house
hold woe, and why is it that for life
time the stigma Of ilegitimacy is to be
a brand upon the forehead of this lit
tie one?
Had the sensational press been pity
ing instead of yellow, and chastity,
greedy and gluttonous for carbon; had
it been more merciful than mercenary.
this ignominy might have been spared
the child.
1t would have been sufficient to sat
isfy news demand to have recorded
the simple declaration of the will when
it became a court record. It was not
necessary, not essential to public well
fare, to drag all the details of the shame
to view. emphasized by pictorial dis
play. to delve in the past and rake
over ashes which had grown cold, to
unearth that which can do no good
either as warning or punishment.
Let the mother divert her cursing
from the memory Of the man who
wronged her, to the blistering sheets
which revel in filth and are never so
much themselves as when placing be-
fore morbid, vitiated appetites feasts Of
scandal and human misery.
Before the horticulturists in session
at San Jose, Professor Hayne. who in
vestigated agricultural conditions and
possibilities in the Philippine Islands
for the United States Government. de-
clared that we have very little to fear
from product competition with the