The Washington herald., 1918-03-08
MOTHERS OF MEN
BY DOROTHY DIX.
The Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer.

All hail Brooklyn. home OF the Spar
tan mother!
For years the cartoonists and the
wits have made merry over the Brook
lyn rubber trees and baby carriages,
but 1t appears that among the women
who tend the rubber trees by the
Brooklyn front windows and push the
Brooklyn perambulators there are
those who were the lineaI descendants
of the mothers who. in sending forth
their sons to war. made them come
back with their shields or on them.
A Brooklyn woman. of whom have
personal knowledge, had a son en-
listed in the army. He was a big,
strapping lad. but under age for the
draft, and not finding army life all
the beer and skittles he had Imagined
it to be. he wrote to his mother that
he thought she could get him dis
that, anyway. he believed that he was
beginning to develop fiat feet.
To this his mother replied that she
thought that what was the matter
with him was that he was beginning
to develop a yellow streak, and that
no son OF hers would ever have feet
fiat enough to come back TO her when
he ran away from his duty TO his
country.
Now comes the story Of another
Brooklyn mother who promptly tele-
phoned the police and had her son
arrested as deserter when he ran
away from camp and came home.
These are the kind OF women who
are the mothers of men, who turn the
weakness OF their children into
strength. and give TO the world the
heroes who do and dare. A monument
should be built in their honor, not only
to commemorate their virtues. but 10
stand as an inspiration to all other
mothers.
For we have glorified mothers love,
mothers tenderness. and mothers pity
so long that We have lost sight OF the
fact that motherhood has any other
function than Just being a soggy mass
OF maudin sympathy. Sometimes IL is
mothers highest duty to her child
to nail him to his cross and force him
to carry II on
Nobody will dispute that mothers
sympathy is a salve to our wounds.
and that it is precious and comfort
ing thought that there is somebody
whom we can go to when things 60
wrong with us. and who will blame,
everybody and everything else on
earth but US for our failures.
But this very mothers sympathy.
that Is such balm to us, is a dan
gerCus and deadly narcotic that kills
our energy and ambition. and para
lyEes effort. and makes weaiIings and
failures OF us.
What we need when we come TO
the hard shedding in life, where We
must put every ounce of Grit that
is in US into our work, is not a mother
who sheds tears over us. or poor
dears' us. and tells us how il breaks
her heart to see us having to put
our back into things, but mother
who gives up a bright and CHEEKY
smile. bids us go to 1t. and do a
| mans or woman's part In the world,
instead of being a gutter and
Stacker.
Everything depends ON the point Of
view. Work is a glorious adventure
or it's the curse OF Adam. according
to the way you look at Il. You can
achieve everything, or the tates are
against you just as you believe 1t.
You believe that the world is a fine
place in which man takes what is
his own by the strength Of his good
right hand. or you despair. and whine
about the unequal distribution of
wealth lRrNrSine 20 he
brought up.
1t all depends on your mothers at
titude towards life. II she begins
sobbing over you in the cradle telling
you how it grieves her that you can't
have the things that rich children
have, and if she walls because you
have to attend night school instead of
going to college: and IL she Is drench-
ed in woe because you have to 20 10
work when you are a boy, instead
of joy riding around in an automobile,
she inevitably engenders In you self
pity. which Is the most fatal mental
afflication that anybody can have.
1t renders Its victim morbid, pessi-
rnistlc. envious, and morally and ply
sically fiabby, and kills every prospect
of success. There's no pep and ginger
left In such a person. Nothing of
lhe spirit that makes him want to
go over the top, and fight his way to
victory, nor Is there in him one quality
that draws him to another human be-
ing. and gives that comradeship that
makes anyone give him a hand up.
Mothers sympathy has made more
failures than any other one thing in
the world.
On the other hand, the mother who
gives her children a brace instead of
pity when they face the hard duties
OF life, breeds in them the qualities
that makes success. Do you think
that those two Brooklyn boys whose
mothers held them steady in the ranks
when they got wabbly, and wanted TO
drop. out. will make good soldiers?
Never a doubt of II. They simply
wouldn't dare To come back and look
their mothers inShe face IL they show
ed tha white feather. Thay would