The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-07-11

right to your own things if her children
want them
And it is so amusing, and also tragic,
to note how this mother seliishness
dlstorts womans sense of justice
when she comes to deal with one of the
most important problems in her life
that OF her relationship with the men
and women her daughters and sons
marry, Mother holds two radically
different codes as to the duties of hus-
bands and wives as they aiiect'her own
offspring
She believes that it is the duty OF her
daughters husband to toll day and
! night to supply her Mamie with all the
extravagances she Graves, and to gen
orally make himself doormat before
her She think, that it is a terrible
imposition for Mamie's husband to ex-
pect Mamie to do her own housework,
or even keep house unless she feels so
inclined, or to practice any thrift or
economy, or do anything that interferes
with her pleasure She thinks the city
is too hot for Mamie in the summer
and too cold in the winter, and that the
Maine coast or Palm Beach is her be-
fitting habitat in inclcment weather.
But mother thinks the city pleasant
at all seasons for Johns wife. Johns
wife should economic by doing her own
cooking and sewing and baby tending,
and why on earth she should consider
that she's got right to spend his money
by gadding around instead OF staying
at home and making her husband COM
Portable is something Johns mother
will never, never be able to understand.
The worst phase of mother selfish
ness, however. shows itself in the alb
solutc heartlesSness women exhibit
toward those whom their children
marry. A woman will shut her lips
upon the secret of her child's iniirmity
that absolutely units him, or her, for
marriage, and let the wedding go on,
although she knows that the marriage
will wreck the life of the unfortunate
and innocent man or girl who is getting
her defective daughter or son.
Murder is a small crime compared to
this yet women who esteem themselves
good Christian women, and who are ex-
amples IN the community commit this
lnhuman cruelty without even a pang
OF remorse.
Not long ago, Just such a case fell
under my observation, A beautiful and
noble young girl, the darling OF her own
parents, was invited to make a visit in
the home OF woman who was leader
IN the church and foremost in all good
works and philanthropy in her town. The
womanS son, an utterly worthless,
drunken, immoral loaier, with a past
as black as sin could make it, fell in
love with this pure young girl.
The mother urged on the suit in every
possible way, and with such good re-
suit that the unsophisticated girl mar
ried the moral leper Not one word OF
warning dd this mother say to the girl
concerning the pit that she was blum
dering into unawareS Not once did she
make a single revelation of her sons
vile history. She said nothing of the
sanitarums and cures that he had been
in and out OF for years.
| a'bl hlh NllN lup'ntl NiNsluTI IL net
duty to tell the girls parents of the
sort OF a man that their daughter was
about to marry though she knew that
the marriage was bound to bsing misery
to the girl and break her parents
hearts. She even took steps to keer
them from finding out the true char
acter OF her son
You knew your son was not fit tc
marry anybody" someone said to thi,
woman How could you sacrifice tha,
innocent girl to him."
Il thought perhaps that marriag,
might save him. II was chance and
took it" replied the mother, with a
cynical indifference to everything bu,
her own child's good.
II is mothers inhumani,y to other
mothers children that makes counties,
thousands mourn.