The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-02-03

ton. she had only half heard her in
terest was slight. her sympathy uueX-
pressed. Her thought wandered RS she
waited for pause and sidetracked his
confidence with the latest instance OF
the marvellous intellectually of the
baby She may not realize thaI the
child that began as 4 real reason for
dropping familiar customs and sweet
habits is now but an excuse.
If their Uast life together were not
always roses and sunshine they may
have made up their little miSuudr-
standings. smoothed over difficulties
and let new love and kindness take ON
the pain of Il memory But now the
child may become a refuge to the
mother. Concentrating upon it all hps
love, she bears stoldiy a GOODNESS that
otherwise She would seek to remove.
sits i'll the shadow Of her dignity when
but a word would bring peace and
sweetness, while The husband, playing
his poor counter role. draws more
closely around him his robes of sack
cloth and ashes And they both think
things about each other not edited for
publication. and they just become sulk-
lily reticent and selfish with speech
and they will not talk.
When the child begins to escape from
babyhood and the mother begins her
siege of morning talks on the necessity
Of moving away from the city so they
can get good country air for the child
though he may murmur something
about there being cases on record
where children were actually brought
up in the city and lived through it."
he may finally capitulate. But there
is a resentment that cannot be stiiled
that his comfort and ease might have
at least standing room on the floor Of
discussion. He hates the suburbs. He
does not relish an hours railroad ride
night and morning, but at last. finding
opposition wearying, he succumbs.
When the children come these prob
lens have to be met and worked out
by both. Neither can do all The
husband must make allowances"
manifest new tenderness. watchfuI-
ness, consideration, thoughtfulness
fOrbearance and self denial. He
should not take himself and his griev-
ances too seriously.
He must take broader views and
throw away the microscope with
which he is studying the wounds of
neglect inflicted on his vanity. If he
wishes the home life to move along
as it did of old. despite the temporary
shadow the light of the new joy may
cast, he should do more than his share
toward keeping up all the traditions
of the old sentiments.
He should, so far as he possibly
can. relieve the mother of the mere
drudgery and added care of her new
responsibilities, so that the close lines
of the old comradeship may never be
broken. a rose or some trifing gift
that means nothing but the thought
it messages may bring instinctivcly
the smile, the glad look. the love light
in the eyes, which he so misses. and in
the rewinning he may find new hap
piness that will never come to his
sulky demanding as a right.
To the wife may come the need Of
care to prevent the child even tenn
porarily eclipsing the husband. AS
her mind glOws under the inspiring
dreams of the child's future and in
fancy twenty years panorama of its
growth and progress unrolls before
her, she must watch that she does not
lose that close. telepathic kinship of
mind and heart with her husband, so
much more easily lost than regained.
1t merely requires a wise sense of
values, seeing life and its relations III
true perspective. little sterling com
mon sense united with love-then the
coming of the children will mean only
new joy and truer companionship to
both.
In the true spirit of acceptance of
changed conditions they will wakeD to
the completeness and conservation of
the larger life with the children. the
new inspiration, the new. sweeter de-
peudence on each other the new,
broader vision of united usefulness,
and they will be dearer and nearer to
each other because the children are
dearer to them, and the rooms echoing
with the laughter and romping of the
little ones will seem to them filled only
with music.
When two friends start out for
long walk together they seem instinc-
lively to adjust their steps so that they
walk side by side within touching dis
lance of each other If one gradually
Quickens his pace until he is yards
ahead of the other and in his self alb
sorption increasingly widens the dis
lance between them they cease to be
two walking together and become two
walking alone. Marriage is a lifelong
walk together Of two who have select
ed each other from all the world. 1t is
community of thought. ideals. aims.
needs and sentiments that tends to
keep them in step. 1t does not mean
a sacrifice of individuality, nor does it
demand unanimity Of opinion, but
there should ever be progressive har-
mOny on essentials and progressive
sympathy on nonessentialS
1t is so easy to keep together if both
realize the vital Importance of all that
is sweetest in life in keeping in step.
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