The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-24

The reader may feel inclined to visit how
ever, that some cognomens less impersonal
than and could have been found for
the two households. for it is impossible to
get up fervid and passionate interest in
peoples trials unless one can imagine
knowing them; and one can no more fancy
being on intimate terms with A and b
! than the town Of c.. so often mentioned
in the Editors Drawer" Of "Harper's
Monthly can appear a delightful or in
| teresting place of residence. But that is
small matter beside the problem involved
which is convusing the moral perspective
of the AS and BIS and probably all the
relatives on both sides down to q. Rela-
tives have way of taking special and
particular interest in these questions, and
that is one reason why the world is SO diff
ficult place to live in.
AT first sight it appears that Mrs. BIS
problem depends largely upon the kind Of
! man her husband is. Most men would re-
sent capricious antagonism suddenly
manifested by their own daughters in the
way described. They would be likely to
sumably that of the daughters lover or
his family; but as the A family is out Of
reach the B paterfamilias in question
might perhaps be disposed to blame his
wife. Some men seem to regard a wife as
catch for all the little scraps of blame
which chance to be lying around loose. II
Mr. B were that kind of man it would
certainly not conduce to domestic happi
ness for his wife to visit the AS, or even
her daughter when the latter became Mrs.
A, Junior. Mr. would be just as likely
as not to form the theory that by these
visits she was keeping alive the antag-
onism in his daughters heart.
On the other hand II Mr. B happened to
be an easy-goins man he might not object
to the visits, in which case the difficulty OF
Mrs. becomes one of abstract ethics. She
then has to consider not what her husband
would say. but what she herself ought to
do. In that case the chances are ten to
one that she will visit her daughter
sooner or later. II maternal affection
did not prompt her to do so, the de-
sire to hear all the news certainly would.
ldhiHS every lulO ~
seems as if it were a condition, not
theory, which confronts us. 1t Is almost
certain that if her husband does not OBJ
ject violently Mrs.,B will visit her daugh--
ter; if he does, she will not. unless she is
an unusually strong minded woman. ABB
stract ethics are not likely to have any
thing to do with the case.
But if the family in question is really
anxious to obtain the mathematically cor
rect solution of this problem it should be
sent to the editor of the Ladies Home
Journal" Mr.. Box is used to dealing with
tender consciences-he has one himself
and he is also familiar with complicated
situations in which the affections are in
volved. He has been known to settle the
relations of a young man with the grand
mother Of his fiancee's stepmother's cous-
ms aunt, without using more than one
sheet of copy paper; and he is the past
master of difficulties involving married
people, because he has recently been mar
ried himself II he should advise the A
and B families to get box of dynamite
and blow themselves all up, or take
course of Mellens food they may take
their last nights rest assured that that is
the proper thing to do.