Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-03-06
(By Dorothy Dix

hCGPANAiAC SOol uoNINC VI bAbJ ~
Brooklyn, has just settled the domestic
problem of the ages, and laid down the
law for mothers-in-law. 1t is, in effect
that the mother-in-law must preserve
strictly hands-off attitude when She
lives with her children, and especially
must she be careful to keep her fingers
out of her daughter-in-law's pie.
In the case before him woman, who
had left her husband because he in
sisted upon having his mother live
with them, was suing for support. The
man was poor and unable to maintain
the two women except under one roof.
He refused to turn his feeble and
helpless old mother out of doors TO
please his wife, so she packed up ami
left
After considering both sides of the
question the judge ruled that a wife
has a right to leave the home of her
husband if her mother-in-law causes
friction in the household, and in rend-
ering this decision he mapped out the
chalk line that all mothers-in-law
must follow. He said:
She can have no say whatever re-
garding the management and control
of the home; this belongs to the wife
and if the husbands, mother makes
discord where there should be har-
mony, interferes with the wife's con-
troll and management, even at the re-
quest of her son, or by her own i'm
proper conduct and thoughtless Ian
guage makes the home unpleasant
and distressing to the defendant. then
the wife would be justified in leaving
her husband and requiring support
from him elsewhere"
This is on admirable and just de-
cision that would cause the dove Of
peace to flutter back and roost again
over many a tempestuous household
if it could only be enforced. But all
of the laws and the statutes ever
promulgated since the beginning of
courts could no more stop an Interior
ing woman from meddling with her
daughter-in-law's affairs and handling
out unsought advice than child's dixie
of sand on the seashore would keep
back the ocean in a storm.
Nor can any injunction restrain a
daughter-in-law's impatience with her
mother-in-law, or make her more gen.
tie of speech and considerate, or give
her the intelligence to perceive that
age and experience, of themselves
bring wisdom, and that no matter how
more education in books or better ad-
vantages socially she may have hal
that the older woman can teach her
many things that she needs to know.
and that new ways are not always the
best ways
Life is SO short and all that we get
out of it is just our daily happiness,
that it seems but just and fair that
this should not be spoiled by our being
| compelled to live in the house with
those who antagonize us at every step.
and who are an ever present thorn III
the flesh. That is what the presence
of his mother-in-law in the home
means to many man, and what her
mother-in-law is to most women.
In view of that, no one can dissent
from the justice of the judges decis-
ion that man or woman is not
bound legally to live with his or her
mother-in-law unless it is agreeable
to do so.
But the law of the land is curiously
impotent to settle this most delicate
and tragic of all domestic problems.
A woman may force her husband to
send the old woman who has borne
him away from his home, but no ediclt
of court can keep him from hating her
for doing so. A man may refuse