The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-21
living ON $3.50 A WEEK.

seriously given, SO seriously indeed that
those who read their expressions OF
opinion could scarcely refrain from in
dUleing Il wicked regret that the shock
had not proved fatal The question
should never have been suggested,
should never have been discussed. If
any reader inquiries why, then, / refer
to it, l choose TO shield myself behind
the excuse Mark Twain once gave for
perpetrating a similar folly, viz, Il
mention it so that you may never do
So Circumstances may compel n
young woman to work for no more than
that amount, but an existence supports
ed by it could not be termed Giving
which in the fullness of its meaning en-
braces the use of all ones powers for
the highest good The question of COM
pensation, although most important, is
yet secondary. What we should do ana
how We should perform our duties, are
the chief questions for our consideration.
1 conceive of no possible good that can
arise rom21eading young people to be-
lieve that they can support themselves
on such a pittance. The same spirit OF
mischief that suggested that question
has offered others also.
THE BOND OF MARRIAGE.
Is marriage anything more than a
legal contract entered into by and be-
tween two persons voluntarily and like
all other contracts should it be dis
solved by mutual consent without legal
formallties, assuming of course, that the
parties can amicably arrange all the
terms of separation? Those who regard
this relation as far too sacred to be dis
cussed through the papers and in public
hold their peace, and this accounts for
the fact that all or nearly all published
utteranceS hold that the question con-
Germs only the parties Interested, and
that legal interference or restraint is
wholly unnecessary. The law should in
terfere only when the parties cannot
agree or where there will be an in
nocent sufferer. I leave it to your read
ers 10 judge how strong is the idea that
there is nothing holy or divine i'll mar
rage. but cannot forbea1 saying that
there is much that is novel in the dis
cussion. Closely allied to this is another
question. Should woman drop her
name when she marrieS?' II Miss w IL
son marries Mr.. James, should she be
known as Mrs. Wilson. or as Mrs. Wal
SON James, and should the husband be
called MIR. James Wilson? Some of the
ladies' clubs have discussed this ques-
ton. vigorously holding that q woman
should retain her name. Marriage no
longer destroys womans identity-it is
not merged into her husband S. They
are not one, but two, and very often the
woman is the more important OF the TWO.
She has her mission beyond the home
and the family circle, to perform In the
world, many wrongs TO right, many
speeches to make, many theories to adj
vance Shall She do this work In her
own name or in another's? / am quite
free to confess that l am not willing to
venture an answer to these Welgnty
questions. Since the ladies declare that
they are quite able to dispose of them
I,cSr. (N11J
CHILDREN SUICIDES.
There is another question, the discus
sion of which is fraught with danger, and
vet | am not sure that it does rot call
for most serious treatment. mat tnere
is an alarming increase in the NUMBER or
children suicides there can pc no queS-
ton. There is something strangely pa
thetic in these stories Of Self-deStruct1on.
During the past month three cases have
profoundly touched me, and would Ike
TO relate the circumstances in detail, eX-
cept for the fact that the account would
seem morbid and uneXcuSably shocking.
Not one Of these was without exceptional
ability, reasonable ambition and good
character What led them 20 take this
awful step? I remember once speaking
to a boy who possessed a brilliant mind,
and a gentle and affectionate disposition,
upon this subject, which he himself had
introduced. He was very young, but he
held that life was a gift to an individual
wholly at tie disposal of the Individual
Whenever any one became convinced
that he could be neither happy nor use
full, he had right to put away life
that would only make him miserable. A
few SaonthS afterwards l heard OF MS
sudden death, and was told that 1t was
elf-destructoin. Each Of these little chill
dren died by his or her own hand because
ne saw nothing in life for Kim. One
was gifted in music, and another in art,
and all Of them dreamed of success, OF
the glory of winning applause, of real
! izing the fruits Of a lofty ambition. Like
| the poet in his vision of the golden city
! of Islam, they rose above the earth, only
| to fall back again b: uiSed that they
| could not recover. But not all are like
! these; some through petty spite, others
| in a moment Of anger, almost any little
! circumstance makes them weary of IN
existence that rightly understood and
| appreciated is full of hope and of happi-
ness. Are these accidental or do they
! point to some radical wrong. that turned
| against children and drives them
! Though the gateway that opens but
! once for them? I am not disposed to ac-
! cept the theory Of emotional insanity, or
! of sudden and unaccOuntable impulse. On
/ the contrary, believe that it is usually
! premeditated, and is undertaken cheer
| fully. There's a grave mistake somewhere
| and it must be attributed to some neglect
| or oversight in education. Here I am
| not blaming the school, for 1 have re-
| peatedly said that the school can be but
one of many agencies in the child's edu-
! cation. Possibly one CT the causes IS
| the absence Of all feeling of responsible
| ity. The sacredness and beauty Of life
| should be taught in school directly but
! every child should feel the far more pow
| erful influence of the home and Of the
church in this matter. The divine origin
| of life, and its divine purpose the sense
/ or accountability to God who gave it
should be earnestly taught Suitably i'm
pressed by the mystery of existence, chill
| dren should early in life realize that
somewhere in some way all would be
mace clear, but that for the present. II
! was only understood that happiness and
peace would belong to those who guarded
| ne against All wrong. Perhaps, too, chill
dren are lacking i'll knowledge of what
they owe their earthly parents
! Parents live for their children. and r.
| sometimes happens that they do not ex-
! act or receive that consideration to which
/ they are entitled. Parental authority
| seems to have lost much in the pag
| twenty-five years Children do not mn
derstand why they should obey. if II
does not please them; cannot tell WHY
they should not have everything thew
want, and are therefore INDUCED to eX-
cess, or permitted to live in open DISC
Deolence, and in defiance of all parental
restraint. A child who screams or falls
into commissions because he is denied
some small favor, unless vigorously cor
fected Will reach points in his life when
ne VIII seriously conclude that life is
not worth living. But doubtless one
OF the most significant causes of suicide
among children is Utter WEAKNESS. result
ing from condition of unrest that per-
Vades all ranks of society: uncertainty
IN the chlld's mind, and unrest for both
mind and body are called by modern
| physicians nervousness" We do NOT
| object to the name, but we feel that the
| remedy is not applied to the real trouble
! II is condition of society that needs
| treatment. Nor are the schools entirely
Tree from cengure i'll this respect. This
OH h. ,,R1