The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-03-24
DUTY TO OLD FOLKS
DIFFERENCE FROM THE Chill
DREN is THEIR DUE.
Those Who Have for Lifetime Been
Eager Workers Do Not Want to
Set With Their Hands
Folded.

There should not be any unhappy
old people. Age should bring its com.
pensations of serenity and philosophy.
AS a matter of fact, however, the av-
erage old man or woman is far from
content.
The problem which confronts sons
and daughters in caring for their par:
ents is a grave one. Old age is SEN
sitfve, and the feeling of uselessness
fills many an active soul with rest
lessness and discomfort.
Perhaps the greatest mistake that
is made by young people is that, in
their eagerness to relieve father and
mother or grandfather or grandmoth.
er of burdens, they take away every
Those who have, for lifetime, been
eager workers do not want to sit with
their hands folded, and so it often hap,
pens that father butts into" his sons
business affairs, and mother med.
dies" with her daughters housekeep!
ing. Then comes friction, and the son
or the daughter having shown plainly
that they desire no interference, can
not understand that their rebuffs have
scared the souls of the anxious, &C,
tive old people.
1t is always we'll, if possible. to
provide something for the aged to do.
If they can be made to feel that they
are helping, their satisfaction will be
supreme. If father has been a wise
f1nancier, it surely cannot hurt his
son to talk over the affairs of the
store or office. If mother has been a
practical housekeeper, her daughter
need not be too "snippy" to take ad-
vice.
One dear lady's daughter insisted
that she should sit with folded hands.
Then when the old face took on I'M
happy, haggard lines, and the frail lit.
tie body dropped, the anxious daugh
ter asked the doctor, Whats the mat.
ter with herr"
He was a bluff old person and he
Numbered, Give her something to do;
she's pining for action"
But the maids don't like to have
anyone around the kitchen" the
daughter said.
Then let her go there when the
maids are out, the doctor suggested.
So on Thursday afternoons the dear
little lady cooked the dinners. The
whole family learned to look forward
to them. And the satisfaction that
mother got out of that one day in the
week lasted her through the other six
She made chicken pies, and she
baked beans, she concocted sauces
and soups and gravies after old-fash-
toned recipes, and when they were
served she beamed across the table,
as If to say: Should l be put on the
shelf when l can cook like this?"
The duty OF children toward their
problem, but l believe that if there
Is any question of preference it is the
grandparents who should have first
consideration. No child can be hurt
by being made to have an attitude Of
Difference toward the aged. Often, if
old people are eccentric, the children's
sympathies will be at once aroused if
we tell them grandfather has borne
SO many weary burdens" or grand
mother has had sorrows" On the 9th.
er hand, to say, Never mind, grand
father is peculiar" or grandmother
is fussy," will foster a contempt.
which will be evidenced by the child s
manner.
To those of us who grow impatient
with the faults of old age there will
come day of reckoning. Some day
all of us will be old. Do we wish our
children to treat us as we are treating
our parents? Would we be happy un.
der the circumstances with which we
have surrounded our aged father and
mother?