Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-12-25
NOTES FOR WOMEN,


Or lead me 10 the night,
NV step shall be a song of praise
An echo of her own delight;
For now assuredly l know
(Ffer mere existence proves it SOL
Though less than ever understood
Because of Celia, God is good.
If wise men speak final word,
Her silence is Il better,
Yet many a little witty bird
Is much my Celia's debtor;
For If she speak or hold her tongue.
II seems alike a song Is sung,
As though her pause and her remark
Circied in worship, like a lark
If truth be not the truth she knows
/ will not find it out
She is my faith and my repose
My spirits forward battle-shout;
That now, no matter what things be
All things are authorized for me;
For He who blessed my doubling need
With Celia-is the Lord indeed!
-Witter Bynner, in The Century.
~o-.-o-
The Mother-in-Law.
Ny Dear Phoebe: You will be sur
prised to learn that l am actually in
stalled as a member of my son Henry'e
family. That was one thing | said 7
never would do. (Ah, how little we
know of the future when we make those
positive statementsD Everything looked
bright to me in those days and | was
very confident. No mother ever found
more happiness in the labor of bringing
up family than i found. If | had been
able to harden my heart or to show a
little more business capacity, probably
the competence left to me at my hus-
bands death would have preserved me
for the rest of my days the humiliation
of dependence upon my children. But
what could | do? What could you or
any other mother do in such circum-
stances? Mothers early from the fatal
habit of denying themselves TO the last
degree when what seems to be their chill
dren's welfare is at stake. Sc when my
son William met disaster in the panic
joyfuly turned over to him, in the hope
Of saving his property half of my little
bank account Times went from bad to
worse and he finally lost all, including his
health.
When Henry, my youngest son, had
the fine opening which promised so WE'LL
and all he needed was a little capital
it gave me another opportunity of fill
ing the breach. | don't think | ever was
or can be happier than when that darling
boy held me in his arms and expressed
his appreciation of my help, and told me
more fully than he had ever done in his
life before what his mothers love had
meant to him from his babyhood. How
he had met and conquered the tempta-
tons of his young manhood through the
strength it had given him, how it daily
inspired him to faithful work, and that
to the last hour of his life, with Gods
help he proposed to be true to his moth
er's ideals and to take the place to her
of the husband whose companionship
and protection she could now no longer
know.
You will remember that Henry was a
IEyl N ngn lpI,
sparingly. and will see that he must have
been stirred to the depths of his nature
to open his heart so fully, even to his
mother. You will also understand how
abundantly repaid / felt for all my sacri-
fees and devotion.
see now that their father would
not have approved my course but
thought | was doing right. | had no
idea that misfortune would finally over
take my other little investments. AS
you know the great corporation in
which Henry was concerned went to
pieces at last 1t was Il terrible blow.
lie has shown great energy and cOura &c
and | know that he will make good"
II his health continues. His wife is
most attractive woman and she certainly
has that rare gift, that in New England
they call faculty" l ought to be very
happy in his household and often | bitter
Y
iuLy my present lot. Do you know
the old saying, Weary are the feet
That climb another's stairsI' Perhaps
that explains it all. l feel myself an
outsider. My own real existence seems
Il thing wholly of the past. You may
tel me that | am morbid, but it is true
luat / cannot forget that everything
have is so much taken from Henry
Nlle and their dear little ones For
Instance my ha1pnp0o is obcoiutnIN~
needed for nursery. Though my
c,otmng is naturally very modest [
always realize that the dollars that
must 20 for it would buy many little
luAurleS for the others. / am able to DO
a great deal of the work which more
tAan pays my way" You must see
lne palnfulness of my position, and l
sincerely want your advice.
| hasten to add that there is no open
lhharmony between Henry's wife and
mysell-God forbid! The vulgarity Of
such a condition would be unbearable
10 me, | think. | do truly love her
ana | daily strive to put myself in
1et place" to realize that in my early
married life the presence Of my own
A!Sband's mother would not have
ADDED to the delight of our home life.
Keep out of the way as systematic
any AZ l can. 1t isn't quite as neces-
>aFy as 1t appears, perhaps, that /
spend most of my evenings in my own
room writing letters, and the head
SgneS that give me frequent excuse for
YEA and toast upstairs, allowing Henry
aIq ms wife to sit at their cozy dinner
s4he alone, the babies being in bed,
are sometimes superinduced by my
seen understanding of their innocent
J4y III such unrestrained companion
know that love and love alone con-
4lefs all things. My own heart IS
hungry enough for an expression of
y from them, but l must be patient.
LOU may not be able to give me any
SUGGESTIONS which will help me to inn
prove matters here, but / am going TO
maze bold 10 ask you to take from me
J5I ,aea for the training of you,
uaHg4te before her marriage Couldn't
que De- taught to be good daughter-in
ID" 10 see this question from my point
" view as well as from her own? And
n. -" 1T possible for her to appreciate
lLIaJ 4er JOY and pride and happiness in
'l husband is in direct proportion to the
are and devotion and wisdom of the
..lAah who in anguish brought him into
r r-H world; with self-sacrificing love and
IIIiAh1ted patience led his steps through
UgjtoEAood and boyhood up to manhood;