The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-11-07
SLAVERY OF The AGES.
No Freedom for OLD aen and Women
Without Independent Heans.


That another society is urgently
needed in New York City is the
opinion Of more than one person
who has looked into the matter.
There are societies for the protec-
ton Of children, horses, cats and
dogs, of soldiers and sailors, of i'm
migrants, of cattle in transit, etc,
etc, but there is no society for the
protection Of old people from the
thoughtlessness and want Of pa
thence on the part of the young.
"My heart" said middle aged
woman, the other day, "goes out
to the countless old women and
men who already have, as the
world thinks, pretty good homes,
but who for all the freedom or Joy
that is theirs might as we'll live in
dungeon. Haven't you seen
them?-nominally given a home
by a son or daughter, but uninten-
tionally it may be and quite I'M
consciously, made to feel super
fluous, snubbed and sat on at every
turn. l think a lot of it comes
frCm the tendency of the modern
mother to give her children I'M
limited liberty. Her children must
not be interfered with. in the
slightest degree, even by her own
mother or her husbands mother.
l visitin one such household. The
old aunt who lives there brought
up her nephew, the father Of the
household-was his second mother.
She has always spent herself for
others. Perhaps she is getting a
bit fussy now. But it is pathetic,
all the same, to see how she is
perpetually quenched by her brisk
young niece-in-law.
Never mind, auntie; don't
worry the children. Don't
bother, auntie; that isn't the way
I want it done. Now,
auntie, the children are all right;
don't interfere with them. d.
And then in an undertone, oh,
why can't auntie sit down quietly
and leave things alone?' The
children take their tone from the
mother, Of course. never go
there but l say to myself that,
come what will, shall have little
home Of MY own when I am old. "
Il believe, said another woman
who had been taking notes OH the
subject, "it is not exaggerating to
say that the majority of old people
who live with their children are
not happy. There is a great deal
of sentiment over the mother ques-
ton, aud honoring gray hairs. and
all that Any vaudeville singer
can make people weep by singing
Home and Mother, but as mat
ter of fact there is a great lack OF
respect in America for the aged
the dependent aged. In one home
l know. and it's not an unusual
case, the old parents, who live
with their son and are supported
by him, never appear when there
are guests at dinner. They don't
want to, you say? Nonsense!
They are not wanted They are
kept in the background. They
are little queer, no doubt. They
are old-fashioned, and their gram
mar is bit off sometimes, and
grandmother uses an ear trumpet,
and grandfather is attached to his
pipe. What then? Is that any
reason why they should be made
to dine by themselves, in a little
back room, when there are guests
If they are not as cultivated as
their children are it is because
they worked so hard for those
children when they were young.
If they are dependent on their son,
it is because they spent their sub
stance giving that son the advan-
tages he demanded. And now it's
oh, well, mothers 50 fussy, you
know, and Poor old father! |