The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-21
HEaRT
0a0 |
HOME |
TALKS
The Old and tho New Mother.

! me Ola ana the New MothcF.
Along with new ideas in house
keeping and modes of living is there
not coming new mother? You see
! her now and then, but at present
this new attitude of hers toward the
responsibilities Of motherhood is no,
( always understood by the feminine
! part Of the world at large. She il
apt To be criticized. But isn't she
uchering In a newer and better moth
erhOod2
Two mothers in this little suburb
often set me to pondering the matter.
one is the old-fashioned mother.
There are six children. the older ones
able now to go out in the world and
earn their living, the youngest still
small children. This mother has
pinched and saved and denied for
her brood, for the father has been
able to earn only a modest salary. She
has displayed an executive ability and
an energy that would have brought
her large returns In the business
world. But she has lavished her ali
upon her children. 1t has brought
To particular returns so far as her
children are concerned. They are
quite ordinary. None are brilliant In
any way 1 HeS nave nAu the usual
public school education. They take
all their mother does for them quite
as matter of course. And now that
they are beginning to go out in the
world and fend for themselves, they
are looking out largely for their own
interests, as young people are apt to
do. The mother Is getting old, she is
not as strong as she might be. for her
Years of work and worry have told
on her health; and, OF course, she has
not kept in touch with the intellec-
tual progress of the world, for neither
time nor energy was left to do 1t when
her days work was over. The chill
dren. Of course, love her and respect
her, as children do, but they think
she is a bit old-fashioned. not quite
up-to- date, that her opinions and ad-
vice are not always to be considered
because she doesn't know about things
if the other mother had stayed
in the home, her life would probably
have been a replica of the one de-
scrfhed. But she has gone forth in
the world. earned a good, fat salary
every week, which. added to her hus~
bands. makes comfortable family
income. She has put good house
keeper in the home, so that it Is run,
rot stylishly, perhaps, but well. She.
dressed them smartly. and they view
life from far better position both
in the matter of home and asso-
ciates than do these other children
But the point to be considered most
of all is their attitude toward their
mother. They not only reverence her
Tor she has watched them carefully
mentally and morally. but the have n
thorough admiration and respect for
her. They not only are proud of her
looks one of the youngsters, who is
only eleven, said one day admiringIy.
Ihere Is some class to you, mother i"
nut they know she has made rec
ognized place for herself in the bust
ness world, and they respect her adj
vice and counsel.
There is a vast difference in the
methods pursued by these two moth
ers though both are equally capable
women. There Is vast difference in
the homes and in the children Re-
suits so far show that the new mother
has the best of it. not only in her
home and children, but also as regards
herself. And I sometimes wonder il
this isn't the next stage in develop
ment, if there will not come a new
mother. and Ii the old mother who
has served her time faithfully will
not become only a loving memory
and an example of patient unrecog-
ntsed self-sacrifice, such as the world
can nowhere else show.
/3A4>%A~s4- .a~x<