Omaha daily bee., 1915-05-31
The Bees Home Magazine page
Forgiving War
Mothers
BY HELEN RING ROBINSON.


England is planning to forgive the wo-
men OF the empire who are soon TO be-
come mothers Of war babies-without
bchcfit Of cierey.
The cables say nothing about forgivins
the soldier fathers OF those babies Hence
vs., may assume that neither Zeppelins
nor submarines have shattered that
codble standard Of morality which Eng
iand chorishes a. she does the throne and
Msena Charts.
Many Of these women are girls of IL
a. Is. They live in rural corners OF Eng
land and Scotland where a soldier had
never been seen until the gathering
armies OF Britain were bilIeted there at
the outbreak OF the great war And those
soldiers were no longer mere soldiers.
They were heroes, saviors OF civilization,
defenders of the empire from the on
Fiausht OF the Hun. So all Britain was
calling them-venerable divines. men Of
letters. finaneiers alike caught in that
epidemic OF hysteria which IL as truly n
camp follower OF war az cholera. Those
young girls caught tlTe epidemle too
And now. in heaviness and anguish. they
are sha ping new lives for the race.
Membets OF Parliament and reverend
bishops are planning ROW hest 10 stage
thir-forEiveness
'.Afa specified time" we learn. "a gem
eral ediet Of forgiveness will be read
from the puipits throughout the country
which will automatically remove the
stigma from tie mothers."
on the other hand, those who preach
forgiveness protest that ny forgiving VIC
mt
less something ~ done 10 remove the
stigma from the mothers. they may in
many instances abandon their babies for
the state 70 care for In institutions"
Ah-h-hl Plainly matter Of ''business.
as usual" II viii be easier for taxpay-
ers u those mothers rear their own chill
drcn. though in England. whore women
soilers are systematically sweated. such
rearing must condemn them to ceaseless.
sofdid drldeery or 10 recruiting the sad
army ef Sinking shadows which turk In
midnikht atreets-a curse 10 womanhood.
fnbhace 70 manhood
II V mot strange. then that we nowhere
read about the war mothers gratitude for
such Forgiveness
We learn also that amy legislation 20
remove The stigma OF ilieRltlmecy from
the war babies IL not considered possible
~ this time The babies. Il appears,
must remain ''nameless"
Ever n the father Of one OF them
should return from the trenches Of Bel
eium blind and crippled. and the mother
should marry him. to toll for him and
their child all the days Of her llfe yet
that child born before wedIoct. could
not be icgifimatlzed by the marriage. SO
runs the English Law, which Parliament
does not consider Il expedient 70 change
81 this time"
Eneiand may forgive the war mothers.
nut can the war mothers forgive Eng
iands
There Is but one righteous thing for
ENGLAND to do.
She has encouraged the loveiess mar
rlages OF war brides" to assure herself
future soldiers, She has been unable TO
prevent the women Of other fighting ma
Hons from having motherhood mon
strously foreed upon them. She has itz
tered no word OF protest when Fellows
OF the Royal Geographical society OF
London have publicly advocated polygamy
as the only hope Of repopulating Europe
after the war.
England, then. should stop peddling pale
pinh palter tpuut tofhiNanh "oF inotneF3.
She should study a law that has lately
been enacted In Norway. then command
Parliament forthwith TO pass a similar
one a law giving the ro-caiied iliesit-
innate child the right 70 bear rs father
name if the mother 80 wishes; law
Swing that child equal rights with chill
dren horn IN wcdlock IN All matters Of IN
horltaacc-and OF war relief.
Ts1,ert ~ cas- nafafv lava a.