The Washington herald., 1917-09-07

II I were giving advice to any un-
bern baby. I should say:
For heaven sake, use a little dis
cretion. and don't be either the Oldest
child of family, or the youngest one
of 1t. II you are the oldest your poor.
silly young parents will almost Kill
you trying out on you all Of their
mental. and moral. and physical the
ories about how a child should be
raised. while II you are the youngest
child OF the family you will be bossed
and chicken pecked by your older
brothers and sisters until you Will
wish you were dead. So have little
sense, and be one of the in-between
children. That's the safe and COM
Portable place in the family circle
OF course, 1 don't expect any baby
to take my advice because babies are
the hardest headed people on earth
and the ones most determined to have
. their own way-as witness how often
they persist in being girl babies when
everybody has just begged and prayed
them to be boy babies. and It would be
the greatest possible accommodation
to dozens OF people If they would be
boy babies-but whether they heed my
words Of warning or not, I'm handing
them a good tip, all the same.
Especially to those who are going
to be of the feminine persuasion, for
II there is any poor, harried, ha-
rassed, put-upon creature in this
world 1t is the little sister in a big
family.
I've just got real heart-to-heart
letter from one of them. She says
IL ufa
and ever so many brothers with
wives. and that each individual In the
whole family thinks that he or she
has a perfect right to dictate to her
about everything on earth that she
does or thinks of doing.
This girl says that she Is %, but the
family persists in considering her a
mere infant in arms who lacks the
Judgment and intelligence to make any
decision for herself. and in particular
they hold that she is so young and
tender and unsophlsticated that she
can't be trusted to look out for her.
self in good American girl fashion.
but has to be. chaperoned in an inch
of her life.
Worse still. the girl complains that
her family is blocking her way to the
altar.
Il don't want to be an old maid like
my sisters" she walls. but how am
I ever to get married If they scare
every man away from the house by
sitting around looking sour and glum
whenever one comes to see me?
There's a young man now that like
very much. and who likes me. He
suits me, but because he doesn't hap
pen to appeal to their tastes they have
succeeded in making my mother be-
lieve that 1 don't know my own mind,
and that / would be throwing myself
away on a man who has his own way
to make in the world. and that they
know so much better what is good
for me than I know myself that my
mother has forbidden me to have any
thing more to do with this young man.
Won't you please write an article
telling older sisters to keep their hands
of of younger sisters affairs, and let
them live their lives in their own
wsy2"
l certainly will. poor little youngest
sister in a big family. / have seen
your tragedy happen over and over
again, for II Is sad, but true, that
more hearts are broken and more lives
are wrecked by our friends than our
enemies. and mistaken love and kind
ness can do US more harm in a min
ute than malignant enmity can devise
in a week. 1t is the pity Of goodness
that 1t so often puts its stupid foot in