The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-08

out of town home from the shop where she made the purchase. She was telling me of the different articles she had selected. when suddenly her face clouded
 T do hope 1t won't be delivered before I get homel" she said. " I want the fun of showing it to mother myself"
 But wasn't 1t addressed to youf- asked.
 Yes, but that wouldn't make any dif- ference. Mother would open 1t just the same"
 The statement was made with no com plaint or criticlsm-merely as the recital of fact. The daughter evidently took 1t for granted that the mother was entirely within her rights in opening the parcel she simply regretted 1t in this particular instance.
 Later I spoke to friend of it, repeating the circumstances and the conversation.
 Well, what aboutit? " she asked when l had finished.
 Doesn't it seem peculiar to you that a mother should open a parcel addressed to her grown daughter?
 Why, no, I don't think 1t does. My mother would do 1t If she happened to be interested to know what was inside" (Thls daughter was a woman of 40. un- married. and living at home)
 Perhaps we are queer in our family" I said. would not feel had any right to open package under those conditions any more than I would letter addressed to some one else"
 "I know families where the different members open one another's letters" commented my friend. dryly.
 When l came to think of 1t I knew that 1 did, too, Not many of them, but enough to set me to wondering at other persons lack of respect for individual rights.
 Years ago, when I was a young girl, recollect reading aloud from one of Miss Leslie's books, in which the occurrence was related of a mother having opened a daughters letter and the remark made by the author that this is something which should never be done. A matron present interrupted the reading.
 !" think that is foolish'' she said. "A mother has a perfect right to open her daughters letters and read the contents if it seems best to her. The daughter should not get letters her mother cannot see!
 Even then I was antagonized by her otf and | l. my position has been intensified rather than lessened. In my own family 1t would never occur to one to open the letters of another no matter how close the bond between the two. The sanctity of the seal is always honored. The same rule obtains about parcels. We go even further than that. We do not ask questions about one another's letters. The fashion I have seen followed in other families of inquiring, Who has been writing to your" or From whom is your letter?" has always been un- known to us.
 This is the point on which I would like to get the ideas of the constituency. Is 1t common thing in the majority of fam flies to open parcels belonging to other members of the household; to investigate the contents of letters and to ask ques- tions about them? Is my personal opin- ion the exception rather than the rule?
 am willing to concede certain points. l quite agree with the feeling of the mother whom l have quoted as saying that a daughter should not get letters her mother cannot see. But I also hold that the relation between mother and daughter should be so close that the child will be willing to show the mother the letters she receives-not that the parent should take upon herself the right to break the seal of the daughters corre- spondence and read matter which was not intended for her eyes. but was written for the perusal of another.
 More than thls, the consideration of the daughters correspondence is not the only matter under discussion. This is but one part of it. A parent may feel that there are circumstances in which she must investigate child's letters. but to my mind this should be a rare occasion and the examination should be made as last resort.
 Let me illustrate. A mother who had . daughter in high school became much worried over the girls health. Parent and child had always been on exceptional ly intimate terms and the mother be- came convinced that there was something wrong of which she should have cog nizance. She was positive that there was no love affair, nothing clandestine or objectionable but there could be no doubt that something was much amiss. She talked to the girls school fellows and was confirmed in her suspicion. without being able to get any clear information.
 Finally. during the daughters absence at school the mother investigated the girls desk. feeling driven to this course by desperation. The she found the secret of the trouble. The girl had been unjustly accused of having cheated in her examinations; a prejudiced teacher had refused to give her fair chance at ex- culpation, and the girl, mortified at the position. shrinking with terror from hav- ing the matter made public, had said nothing of it at home in the wild hope that in some way she might right herself and spare her parents the distress she knew would be theirs at the disgrace brought upon her.
 At once the mother took things in her own hands. went directly to the principal of the school, laid the whole case before him, and compelled an investigation which proved her child s innocence. and set mat