The Washington herald., 1916-02-02

she expected to be in town on Christmas
Day. She replied:
mo. am going home. family coun-
Gil has been called
"A family council" 1 echoed stupidity
enough. What do you mean?''
My youngest brother has been offered
a position with a great business corpora
ton and his duties win take him to
China IL he accepts" she explained, land
1t has always been our family custom to
get together and ask the opinion of every
one of US about everything that hap
pens to any one of US.
l must have looked inquiringly for she
went on as II in answer to a question:
"Oh. 1t isn't only the important things:
that would be understood. but when we
were very small children father and
mother started the family council. When
any one of US children committed an act
of aggression against another. the matter
was formally laid before the council and
the punishment determined by the con-
sent and suggestion of all the members.
When II came to going away to school,
making a visit or doing anything that our
parents might well have decided by them
selves on their own authority, we were
still asked to discuss the affair, and the
decision was taken only after we had
talked 1t over in this way. l think 1t has
been a good thing for US as a family, for
It has held us closely together. We are
a very diverse set of children, with tenn
peraments SO radically different that
am sure we would not all have continued
to be good friends now that We have all
flown from the home nest IL father and
mother had not taken this means to
keep us united"
You were fortunate in having wise pa
rents, my dear" I said to her 'If more
mothers and fathers had the good sense
to make their children feel that they
really make a family, there would be
more happy homes In this world, I know"
I made up my mind then and there to
repeat this conversation to our Mothers
Club and ask our members to try to put
something of the kind into practice in
their own homes. l believe IL mothers
occasionally gave serious thought to
the life their children are to lead after
they have flown from the home nest,
they would realize that 1t depends upon
their own efforts II the tie of brotherly
love is to be a knot that no effects of
time and distance shall loosen.
An elderly woman to whom l was re-
peating the conversation I had with the
young librarian sighed as she said:
'T wish 1 had had a mother like that,
I have brother and two sisters and 1
have not only not seen any of them for
twenty years, but we never write to
each other. In fact am not sure wheth-
er one of my sisters is living or not! 1t
has been ten years since 1 have heard
anything about her. And 1 blame the
separation upon our mother. We were
very different in our tastes as children
and as we grew up we never had the
same interests nor cared for the same
people, Our mother was a notable house
keeper and thought only of keeping the
house clean and neat. She was glad to
get our litter out of the way and always
made me feel-1 think 1 was more sensi-
tive than the others-that she did not
need US or care for us ourselves, OF
course, as soon as we could we got away
from home and today my happiest recol-
lections and my best friends are events
and people entirely unconnected with
home or the home folks. 1t is bad
heritage"