The Washington herald., 1917-10-22

bounded by her children. She has few
interests outside of that narrow
realm. and when they go away from
home they literally take her life along
with them. Their sorrows are her
sorrows. their struggles are he strug-
giles, their triumphs her triumphs. The
smallest thing that happens to them
is vital to her. The universe 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 a new Napoleon has risen on
the field of battle. That John has
lost his Job is a greater disaster than
the overthrow of an empire. She is
more filled with curiosity to know
what sort of girl Sammy is en-
gagged to than she is about the whole
future of the feminist movement, and
the news that typhoons and cyclones
have destroyed villages, and towns,
and sections OF some far-away coun-
try does not cause her a hundredth
part as much regret as hearing that
Jim's crops have had too much rain.
Wherever her children are, her
mother-heart goes out to follow them
in their fortunes. and this is why It
is so cruel a thing for her children
in their selfshness and their self
absorption in their own affairs to deny
her the comfort of their letters that
, would enable TO keep step with them,
and to feel that she had part in
their daily lives. no matter how far
removed it was from hers.
The twilight of mothers life is gen.
orally dull and drab. Perhaps 1t must
be spent in some lonely place where
nothing ever happens. The only way
in which any interest, any thrill OF
excitement, anything new to think
/ about and talk about can come to her
is through the letters from her chill
dren that she has sent out into the
| world. They are in the thick OF
things where everything Is happening.
They are having strange adventures,
meeting the people of whom one reads
in the papers, seeing queer things;
they are fighting, struggling, achiev-
ing, failing.
Write mother of these things
Give her some of the overflow OF
your overfull life. 1t would be q
ray of sunshine across her darl
hour. 1t will give a new fillip o.
interests to a life that has few in.
terests of its own. She will reat
such a letter over and over agar
and show it to her cronies, and thc
old gray heads will wag over Il
with their tea and gossip.
And the pride-the pitiful pride
that mothers have in being re,
membered. and in their children
showing them even decent appre.
citation and gratitude! Did yor
/ ever hear a mother brag. my Johr
J is very successful business mar
in the city, and he has a million
things to do every day, but no mat.
ter how rushed he is with work h
never lets a week go by withou'
writing to me?" 1t is a thing t.
bring the tears to your eyes. 1t 1.
so little a thing for the man to d.
for the mother who has done Sc
much for him.
But generally John doesn't write
He doesn't even think how drear Il
must be for the mother whc
watches and waits for the letter
that never comes from the son who
has forgotten her.
Boys, write to your mother" say
the commanding officers to soldier
: boys. I say, men, everywhere
write to your mothers" And write
them love letters. Soon enough tn,
time viii come when your con.
science will torture you with tn,
thought of your neglect, and thu
many. many times the anxious ole
eyes watched in vain for the post.
mans coming with the letter yol
were too careless to write.