The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-10-22

own family The very thought OF in
dieting a letter to those OF his own
household brings on case OF total
pen paralysis, 50 that ii is a common
thing for brothess not even to CORES
pond
Worse still there are many men who
never even write ~ their mothers
They keep up a cold, vague and ilabby
communication with her through their
wives, or through their children. Per
haps II they consider themselves good
sons, they send the old lady a little
check at Christmas or on her birth
day, with a few formal lines that they
dictate TO their stenographers
But they never sit down and take
pen in hand and write their mothers
long, intimate, personal letters, telling
her all the dear details of their lives
that she would like to know. or saying
to her the words Of love and apprecia-
ton that would be honey on her lips
as she read them, As for writing her
such a letter every week. or two or
three times week, why, they would
be appalled, at the very thought OF such
thing
They have never written to mother.
When they left home when they were
boys and come to the city to seek their
fortunes they were too much glamour
ed with the stir and hustle and bright
lights at first to write to her Then
during the years in which they we're
struggling for a foothold they we're
too busy to write 10 her. And by the
time they had won success so many
new interests engrossed their atten-
ton that they had ceased to even think
about writing her.
None OF these men are Intentionally
selfish or deliberately cruel. Not one
OF them would torture his mother or
darken her life with sorrow and anxi-
ETY. by any overt act Of his
Yet that is exactly what his silence
does. II is a stab in the heart as decp
as the black hand of ingratitude and
neglect can thrust. 1t is the ceasecSs
gnawlng at her mother love of thou-
sand needless anxieties that letter
| would have slain.
The average mothers world is bound
ed by her children She has few inter.
cSts outside OF that narrow realm, and
when they go away from home they lit
orally take her life along with them.
Their sorrows are her sorrows, their
struggles her struggles, their triumphs
her triumphs The smallest thing that
happens TO them is vital 10 her. The uni
verse exists for her as it affects them.
To hear that Jim has been made head
| clerk IN the grocery store is OF more
thrilling interest to her than that
new Napoleon has risen on the field
OF battle That John has lost his Job is
greater disaster than the overthrow
Of an empire. She is more filled with
| curiosity to know what sort of a gil
SKINNY is engaged to than she is about
the whole future OF the feminist move
mcnt, and the news that typhoons and
cyclones have destroyed villages and
! towns, and sections OF some far away
/ country does not cause her a hundredth
/ part as much regret as hearing that
| inns crops have had too much rain.
Wherever her children are. her moth
er heart goes out TO follow them in
their fortunes, and this is why it is 50
cruel thing for her children in their
Selilshness and their self absorption IN
their own affairs 10 deny her the COM
/ tort OF their letters that would enable
her to keep step with them, and to feel
that she had part in their daily lives,
no matter how far removed it was from
her.
The twilight OF mothers lie is gen
orally dull and drab Perhaps it mus.
be spent IN some lonely place where
nothing ever happens. The only way IN
which any interest, any thrill of excite
mcnt anything new to think about anil
talk about can come TO her is trough
the letters from her children that she
has sent out into the world. They arc
IN the thick OF things where everything
| is happening They are having strange
adventures, meeting the people OF whom
! one reads III the papers, seeing queer
things they are fighting, struggling
achieving, failing
Write mother Uf these things. Give
her some OF the overflow OF your over.
| tull lite. 1t would be a ray of sunshine
across her dark hour II will give a
/ new tulip OF interests to life that
has few interests of its own She will
read such a letter over and over aga'l
and show It to her cronies, and the
old gray heads will wag over it with
their tea and gossip.
And the prlde--the pitiful prlde-lhat
mothers have in being remembered, aud
IN their children showing them even de
cent appreciation and gratitude Did
you ever hear a mother brag, my John
Is a very successful business man IN
the city and he has a million things to
! do every day, but no matter how rushed
he IS with work he never lets a week GO
los without writing 10 me ~ 1t is a thing
To bring the tears to your eyes. Il is 50
little thing for the man to do for thc
mother who has done so much for him
But generally John doesn't write lie
doesn't even think how dreary il must
hc Tor the mother who watches and
waits iOr the letter that never ComtS
from the son who has forgotten her,
Boys write to your mother" say the
commanding officers to soldier boys
, say men, everywhere write to your
mothers And write them love let
tiers. Soon enough the time will come
when your conscience will torture you
, with the thought OF your neglect, and
the many many tunes the anxious old
, eyes watched in vain for the poStman's S