Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-05-13
MISTAKEN
MEDDLERS
PART THEM
PERCY NOURSA THOUGH BUT 13
YEARS OLD PROVES A REAL
MOTHER TO HIS LITTLE
BROTHERS AND SISTERS BUT
BUSY BODIES SEPARATE FAAII-
LY.

Six months ago the mother of
Percy and Charles and Leonard and
Daisy and Eugene Nourse went away
from their home in Brooklyn. She
did not die. She just went away,
although Eugene, the youngest, was
not two years old, and Percy, the
oldest, was but 13.
Let us all hope, for the honor of
motherhood, that this mother did not
know what she was doing when she
deserted her children. For it is diff
ficult to believe that so bad-hearted
a mother as she would be, if she did
know, could have borne and bred
son so faithful to the duty that lies
nearest as Percy Nourse at the age
of 13.
For their father had to be away
at work all day and as their mother
was gone, Percy did what he could
to take her place. He rose early in
Then, when his father had gone to
work, he washed and dressed and
fed the younger children and took
care of them all; he made the beds
and swept the house and went
through the day and all it's house
hold tasks until night came again.
And he administered discipline
and gave needful correction when
required. When little Daisy would
not be persuaded, little Daisy was
spanked, as she ought to have been
And the Nourse family were getting
along very well, in their own opin-
ion, and were happy together.
But some of the neighbors-we
must needs hazard the opinion that
they were meddlesome neighbors,
who would have done much better to
attend to their own affairs-thought
the situation was not just what it
should be, and reported the case to
a benevolent society.
So Percy Nourse and his flock
we're brought into court, as if it were
a crime for him to do what he could
to take care of them, and for the
Nourse family to hold together as
best they could in selfhelf, instead
of scattering in dependence. The
queer ideas some people have of
what is social welfare" then re-
ceived illustration.
For, though Percy Nourse pleaded,
with little Eugene in his arms, that
he had taken good care of his young
er brothers and sister-and they
showed that they thought so by their
childish grief at the threat of separ-
ation-and though their clean bodies
and neat attire were mute witnesses,
it was decreed that they should be
separated.
Perhaps this was well. 1t is i'm
possible at this distance to say posi-
lively that it was not we'll. But
there must be doubts whether by
any sort of arrangement that ex-
ternal benevolence can make it will
be better for the Nourse children
than it was and would have been
with their brother Percy doing what
he could to take their mothers
place,
At any rate, it is clear that Percy
Nourse is the kind of boy of which
the world never has quite enough
and can never have too much. His
is a quality of instructive faithful
ness whose value is beyond compu-
tation, 1t is to be hoped that his
experience with the benevolent soci-
ETY. will not break or sour his loyal
spirit
For his country and mankind need
such as he-need the spirit that does
uncomplainingly the duty that lies
nearest-that, though the task be
too great for the strength. yet faces
the task manfully and does all that
can be done.-Chicago Inter Ocean.