Omaha daily bee., 1912-02-16

that calls for the greatest diversity OF
talents and abilities. and the exercise Of
almost superhuman powers Of patience
and endurance.
Any fairly intelligent person can, by
study and energy, make himself or her
self into a reasonably good lawyer. doc
tor. preacher. diplomat, caterer dress
maker. milliner. school teacher. nurse,
shopper, financier entertainer, cook,
chambermaid or clairvoyant
But the wife and mother and home
maker has TO bunch all OF these profess
sions and dozen others in her own per-
son. She must be lawyer and judge who
can just settle all the disputes that rise
among her children. She must be physi-
clan and nurse who can cafe for them
when they are ailing. She must be a
cook who can get dinner, and a society
lady who can scintillate at the head OF
her table. She must be a clergyman
who can direct her ehildren's feet to-
ward heaven. and bridge a player who
can hold her hand with her circle Of an
evening. She must know how to spend
her husbands money so as to make one
dollar look like two and be clever enough
TO cover her tracks. Above all. she must
be seeress enough TO divine her husband
mood when he comes home OF an even
ing and discover before he speaks whether
1t is the psychological moment TO strike
him for new parlor curtains or whether
il is the part of wisdom to hustle the
children up the back stairs and lock the
cat in the cellar.
Rather a difficult undertaking, isn't II,
TO be good wife and mother and home
maker? Yet the fate OF the universe
hinges upon a woman being able to do
all these parlor and kitchen tricks with
one hand while she appears TO be enjoy
ing herself with another. And the won
der of il Is that the great majority Of
women are this kind OF prestidigitators.
You would think that any one who
had the transcendent ability and the
marvellous versatility required to pull off
an artistic performance of a wife and
mother and home maker would think
that she was headliner in humanity,
and entitled TO have her name in large
electric lights over her door. II she also
thought that she was starring In the
biggest role in the drama Of life, and
went about Dragging about II. and about
how she got the glad hand from her
husband and children and an admiring
audience OF friends. we might smile over
her swell-headedness, but We would have
to ADMIT that she was justified in IT,
But how do women really view this
subject? They are so little proud of the
great work they do-and that most OF
a. staa a, hfvlr
that It Is anything. They don't even
dignity 1t by calling it career. or a life
work. They think II is nothing,
There is no other piece Of sarcasm on
the face Of the earth like that which
applies the epithet working woman" to
the woman who works in an office or a
store, az distinguished from the woman
who works in her own home. Why. the
wife and mother does ten times as much
work every day Of her life as any Old
Scrooge Of an employer ever wrings out
Of his women employees. There's no eight
hour law for the protection of mother
as there Is for the protection Of the fac
tory worker.
Yet it is universally conceded that wife
and mother isn't a working woman. and
the humorous part Of II Is that wife and
mother. with her poor fingers worked to
the bone, comedies in the view. / have
had thousands Of women who were ideal
wives ard mothers and home makers say
10 me:
1t must be a fine thing to have some
work TO do in the world. | wish had"
Great heavens. woman" cried.
aren't you making a good man happy?
Aren't you raising up a nice family Of
children? Don't you make a home that
is blessing and a benedietion TO every
body who comes near it?''
oh. yes" the woman will reply hum
bly,, but / would hike TO do something
really important"
And the pathetic part OF this Is that
she Is doing the most important work
possible. and she gets no joy out of it.
because she has no pride in il.
1t is because women have no pride in