The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-03

One of the most unhappy house
holds l have ever known anything
about is that of a neighbor in the lit
tie town where was my childhood
home. The mother of this family is an
exceedingly ambitious woman and from
born she began TO plan its education
and its future career. According to
her own ideas and preferences, she
mapped out the path each child was
to follow and as the children grew
older their education proceeded just
as the mother had planned.
Now. this might have been well
enouEh-mother is usually the pivot
on which the family life turns, you
know. and in most families she is In-
determining influence in the educa-
tional affairs of the children-but in
this case all the mothers plans were
made to crafty her own ambition
and did not take into the account the
individual tastes and capabilities of
the children.
For the oldest child. a boy. it was
settled at his birth that he was TO
study law and become a member of
the law firm of his father and his
uncle. The elder girl was to write
all her life the mother had aspired in
vain to become herself a writer of
tales and novels-and the second
daughter was to take up a scientific
course of study and become, perhaps,
a great chemist, perhaps an astron-
omer like Maria Mitchell.
The tragedy of it was that the boy
developed much mechanical genius. He
had no bias toward the practice OF law.
but was never so hapy as when making
electrical experiments or in watching
the operation of machinery. The elder
girl was entirely domestic in her tastes
and wanted to cook and sew and at
tend to the duties of the household.
When she was about ten or twelve
years of age she gave little fictitious
promise of becoming a writer by the
originality of her school compositions.
and the proud mother Dragged of her
child's literary gift to all their &C
quaintances. But it did not last long.
The girl left school at sixteen and
could never be persuaded to touch pen
or pencil afterward.
As for the younger girl, she cared
not at all for her books. She wanted
only to have a good time with the
boys and girls, and when she was
seventeen ran away with and married
a man of whom her family could not
approve.
The mothers disappointment in all
her children was keen. and 1t was also
loudly voiced. She made each child
feel that it had brought nothing but
disappointment and disgrace to the
family. But she consoled herself as
well as she could by the pessimistic
reflection that motherhood always
means non-fulfillment.
I'VE bring our children into the
world" she often used to say to my
mother, only to lose them. They are
ours while they are small; We think
they are going to reward us for al'
our care and trouble by making ur
proud of them, but you see how il
is, Surely no children ever had better
advantages than mine nor more in
centive to make something of them
selves, and just look at them! Not
one of whom ! can be PROUD
The last time l visited at the old
home town I had long talk with the
elder daughter. She had married, a
plain, but prosperous man of the place,
had a good home and two attractive
children and. her mother being dead,
was giving her old father a happier
home than he had ever had with his
restless and ambitious wife.
Mother made such a mistake" the
daughter said to me. we never had
any comfort out of our home, none
of the good times other people had.
All our mothers talk was of the full
fllment of her great ambitions for US.
She made my brother very unhappy
because he could not go into the Of
fee with father, and his wonderful
success as an electrician never con-
soled her for his failure to realize her
wish to keep the family in the law.
As for poor Mamie, all her misfortunes
in life are due to the fact that she
could not find happiness at home. She
is impulsive and affectionate and she
needed to be loved. That was the last
thing our mother thought of showing
us--a little affection"
But surely your marriage atoned
for her other disappointments," / sug-
geste1.
Mother was disappointed in her SON
in-law, too. She said people had al
ways told her she would not lore her