The San Francisco call., 1906-04-01
THE MOTHERHOOD QUESTION
Discussed by an American Woman. Who
Tells Of Her Own Experience.

gossip, a funny story he. had heard or
something I had seen.
Now all this was changed. was tired
when John came home. OF course he
wanted to see his little grille first thing
and she was sleepy and wanted mamma
John was openlys aggrieved- she don't
love me-" he said more than once. Then
our hour was spent in preparing her for
bed. John took to reading AS for me.
I had stagnated long ago. I was too
tired to read and my conversations became
limited to the facts that baby is cutting
a new TOOTH" etc. Sometimes 1 saw no
one to speak to, but the butcher boy. for
days at a time; when the gas collector
came 1t was an event. John took to go
ing to lodge and the club and prayer
meeting and L sat home and moped and
recalled how Mr.. B. went to prayer
meeting and escorted Miss c. home. while
Mrs. B. minded the babies, and score
Of other things. and In the second year
the second baby came and things grew
worse. John and would have just DRIFT
ed apart, for he thought I did not love
him any more and wished was home
with ma"
With the common sense Of ninety-nine
out Of every hundred married couples
John and talked things over and agreed
that there should be no more babies In
the family.
The four years OF utter drudsery should
give way to careful bringing up Of the
two little ones God gave Us.
We now have what might be called tho
ideal home The hour after dinner 10
spent by papa and mamma and the little
ones in recounting the events OF the day.
Between the dark and the daylight.
When the night is beginning to lower
Comes a pause IN the days occupations
That is known as the children's hour.
NOW ALL Is SERENE
Then two happy little tykes are tucked
into bed at half-past seven, while father
and mother have quiet evenings game
of cards. book. a little music. visit
with friends One evening John goes to
lodge, one evening 1 devote to some
young girls whose mothers are so busy
with numerous small progeny that they
have no time for their growing daugns
ters. In return they gladly give one
evening a week to taking care OF my own
little ones whAe John and have an
outing together-theater, concert, lecture
or entertainment
And ere many more years are passed
away the little home. with its twelve by
fourteen bedroom for the children instead
of the somewhat crowded fat with its
seven by nine spare room viii be an as
sured fact. Two happy. hearty. healthy.
loving children. adored and. adoring, be-
ing brought up in a simple. wholesome
American fashion
Compare this home with the same sized
fiat next door. A bed in every room; an
overworked mother putting the baby to
bed; the tired three-year-old being
pcnched by five; eight-year-old always
sick and needing doctor and medicine:
two older ones running the street to be.
out of the way: tired. careworn father.
finding solace, In the cheap saloon and
ten-cent show.
DO you wonder. wise and great men,
that the American woman has gone TO
the extreme in a small percentage of the
population ana refuses to have any chill
dren? Would 1t not be better to educate
the men and women Of the tenements
and of such races that are producing
large families of sickly, ul-nurtured.
haIf-cared for children, to give fewer and
( better children to the world?s Then the
pendulum Will swing AGAIN. 1He AueIl-
can woman will not look forward to end
less years Of drudgery. She viii not
shrink from motherhood knowing that
when two or three little ones have clus-
tered about her knee she has done her
duty, and may then look forward to
years of enjoyment and self-education
in the society of growing sons and
daughters, and to being the true COM
rade of her husband
HELEN CHARLOTT.
San Francisco March 81 -