The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-29
responsibility
of Mothers
BY MRS. JOHN A. LOGAN.

TEW persons who enter into the holy
bonds of wedlock realize the re-
probabilities they are to assume
1t would be a brave sutton indeed who
would picture to the woman he wished
TO make his wife the realities of life
and ask her to share in the ordeals
through which all welded pairs must
pass. They are more likely to throw a
glamour over the future when the two
are welded and to paint everything in
a truly rose color. They build castles
IN the air, make schemes for pleasure
and happiness and prOphesy that they
are to dwell under sunny skies, wholly
pushing aside the responsibilities, the
realities and the dark clouds that often
times hang over all lives.
Men, when trying to win the love OF
a woman, invariably talk Of their ambi-
tons and determinations to achieve sue
cess and fortune usually saying that
they want no surer guarantee of the
realization of their widest aspirations
than the smiles and devotion of the
woman whom they ask to share in their
fame and their fortunes. HoneymoOns
are brief affairs, and all married people
soon settle down to the humdrum and
treadmill OF life's struggles. They may
have wealth and position but there is
never time when even such auspic-
iOus conditions do not require self
denial sacrifices. patience loyalty and
unwavering devotion.
With the coming Of children they
must necessarily put aside all romance
and take up the duties of caring for
the minds and bodies of these pledges
of their love. From the first lisping
of tiny voices to man and womanhOod
there is not an hour when mother
should not keep a loving vigil over her
child. The attention to the physical
wants are Insignificant compared to
the grave matters of understanding the
nature, disposition and mentality of
Anes offspring. Like the unfolding of
the petals of a flower, the character
and souls of these creatures are re-
vealed. 1t is for the mothers love and
vigilance to discover the traits, the pos
sibilities and the genius of her child
and to guide and direct them Alright
The father should share with the
mother by his companionship and inter
ested devotion in these sacred respon-
sibilities that are usually left to the
mother.
The providing of the support of
family naturally devOlves upon the
father, and this, important as it is, is
Insignificant compared to that of the
duties of a mother SO far as the future
of the child is concerned. Many chill
dren are well clothed and fed and prop
erly educated, who are in no sense fitted
TO take their places in life simply be-
cause they are not mentally or morally
we'll equipped. As children grow older
the mothers cares and anXieties multi
ply. Some mothers, through selhshness,
fail to appreciate that what infants re-
quire is as nothing to what is abso-
lutely necessary when children have
grown older. And that there is no time
from the birth of her first born to the
day she lays down her life that she
should for a moment forget how essen
tial her loving care and counsel are to
her children. They may reach the
years of manhood and wOmanhOOd, but
they can never be older or wiser than
their mothers. Her unwavering solicit
tude is their surest safeguard through
all the difficulties which they may en-
counter in their struggles in life.
The mother who has the confidence
and loyalty Of her children is ever their
wise counsellor. She has spent days and
nights analyzing their characters and
knows best how TO advise and help
them There is an adage, Like father
like son, like mother like daughter"
and who has not often observed the
fulfllment of this saying in seeing
children follow the righteous or I'M
righteous example OF luelF parents.
There is no rule without exception, and
one is often at a loss how to account
for the action Of the sons and daugh-
tiers of most worthy parents; such in
stances only prove the perversity of
human nature
The probabilities are that the many
failures in domestic life had their orr
gin at the very beginning of the
union, because one party or the other,
holy relation of wedlOck without proper
affection for each other or right con-
ceptiOn of the gravity of the RESPONSE
bilities of real life. The good resolu-
tons that are often made in the be-
ginning of married life are not carried
out, and both men and women allow
themselves to drop into ways of indif-
ference, when, as a matter of fact, it
requires constant effort to live up to
the high standards that men and
women should make for themselves.
The multiplication of their account
ability in the increase in their families
should be a constant stimulus to
greater effort for the highest possible
achievements. The wife and mother
who sends her husband and sons to
the club because she is bothered to en-
terrain them when they would spend
their evenings and hours of leisure at
home, viii sVOner or later reap the
consequences of her selfishness
The mother who manifests indiffer-
ence, Impotence and lack of constant
solicitude for the comfort of husbands
and fathers will ultimately discover
that her daughters are following her
example and will make very poor wives
and mothers. Mothers should always
realize that the families of their chill
dren are to be blessed or neglected &C
cOrding to the influence that she exer-
cises over her sons and daughters
American women should not lose
sight of the glorious record of their
maternal ancestors in the matter of
housekeeping and home-Tnaking in
their mad desire to take part in the
worlds affairs and TO secure Cor them
selves higher privileges in avenues out
side of the home.