The Cairo bulletin., 1907-10-27
A PLUCKY MOTHER
SENDS A BOY AND A GIRL
THROUGH COLLEGE.
A Widows Choice Between Farm In
the West and Laundry in Boston
Means by Which She Brought
Up and Educated Her Children.

man, q widow who earned liyil
for herself and her two children al
gave them both college educate
. and pro ession by means Of h
washtub ANA hatiron. Mrs. Blan
now living with her son and daug
ter In her own home a pretty &C
tage in a suburb of BoS on. Her sc
is a lawyer with thriving practit
7 and her daughter, besites being ii
organist OF church in Boston, is
teacher in a music school,
Both my husband and | wer
In New England and on marrying "
went out to live on farm in tn
northw estern part OF Michigan, Mrs
/ Blank told a Boston Post ieporte
who found her watering the 20
| plants on the piazza OF her home
When my daughter was and m.
son my husband died and | face
the world alone with no capital ex
cept good health and mortgageC
farm.
The question as | put 1t TO ny
self was whether | should remain IN
Michigan and work and pay off the
mortgage, allowing the children "a
go without a proper education, but
to have the farm free OF debt on
their coming of age or TO sell out
and take the money left after paying
OFF the mortgage and bring them
East where they could get an educa-
ton.
After two weeks thought / de-
cided to sell out and come back to
the East.
After everything was settled and
my railroad tickets were bought
there was less than 500 left. But
| had good health and had been ac-
customed to hard work all my life,
10 the small amount in my pocket
book didn't worry me.
This was the question that kept
my brain busy on that long trip
rom the West. If / went out as
.ook, while ! would have my meals
md quarters furnished | wuuIu be
to put my children in in
Institution. On the other hand
ould keep them with me and have |
little home of our own IL | took |
a washing. That decided me ia
aYor Of becoming a washerwoman
My first care after arriving In /
ioston was TO get shelter. 1t was |
wo small rooms in a cheap but de-
emit part of Boston. One room was
Or washing and cooking, the other
,r sleeping and living
THE second day | entered my
lildren in the public schools ana
i out to hunt washing. ] appeal
! first at large school. the very
usic school in which my daughter
DIV teaches. / came away with
ASKING from four girls.
II worked for the students ex-
usiyely for two years. Then hav-
G saved up enough money to rent
rger quarters | hired an assistant
ID began to take lace curtains and
le starch clothes. In less than
rec months | had more work than
and my assistant could do proper Z
so | hired another woman to do
e plain things while We did the
ncy work
When my daughter was / she
ished her course in the public
lools and announced her intention
staying at home and helping me.
ter much talking and reasoning /
ind out that besides wishing TO '
Up me she had been twitted by her
IOolmates with being the daughter
washerwoman. When she told
that knew that the moment had I
ne for her to learn one of the "
st important lessons of her life. =
i made her get her things ready :.
as a pupil in a woman's college @
r Boston. In the child's presence y
Explained 10 the president OF that II
Iege just what my work was and
about it. | didn't intend TO al g
a child of mine to feel that she -
the slightest occasion to be ash ~
I'd Of her mother for doing honest i"
X. 81
The president of the college nISt 10
G understood my motives. In any VI
nj she could not have been more q
te and courteous TO the FIRST iady -
he land than she was to me. I'D
Didn't / allow my children TO oo
, me? Indeed | did. all they
ID, My son carried home the
h and after he entered Harvard ~,
n called for it Monday mornings.
If he ever was snubbed he never
me OF it. but ! fancy that never
pened, at least not often for the of
who are working their way W
ugh Harvard do So many things OF
people have become accustomed 70,
seeing them work. Then. too. TIL
are not as a rule so mean to To
another as girls, and my daugh- be-
as A child was inclined to be sts
rsensitive. sol
.ong ago, when few people we're an
.ated, II didn't count so much. pre
now from my observations I ba,
Id advise that If you cans give abb
child an education and also TO
2 him an inheritance in money BY
should give him the education cir,
let him earn his own money" na
wis