The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-05-11
"A MOTHERS WORK
AND HER HOPES

AND HER HOPES
This editorial is not written for
women. 1t is written for for men,
and for boys; for the millions who
fail to appreciate the work that moth
ers do, for the millions that ignore
the selfsacriice and devotion upon
which society is based.
On hot night, in the dusty streets
of a dirty city, you see hundreds of
women sitting in the doorways, TAX
ing care of babies.
In lonesome farm houses, far out on
imonotonous plains, with the late sun
setting on long day Of hard work,
you find women, cheerful and perse-
vering, taking care of babies.
In the middle of the night, in earli-
est morning, when men sleep, all over
the world, in ice huts North, in
Southern tents, in big houses, and in
dingy tenements, you find women
awake, cheerfully and gladly taking
care of babies.
We respect and praise the man
selfishly working for himself
If he builds up a great industry and
great personal fortune, we praise
him.
If he risks his life for personal
glory and for praise, we praise him.
If he shows courage even in saving
his own carcass from destruction, we
praise him.
There was never man whose cOur-
age, or devotion, could be compared
with that Of a woman caring for her
baby.
The mothers love is unselfish, and
. it has no limit this side of the grave.
You will find one man in a thous.
and who will risk his life for a
cause.
You will find thousand women in
4 o thousand who will risk their lives
I for their babies.
} Everything that man has and Ii
he owes to his mother. From her HI
gets health, brain, encouragement
! moral character, and all his chances
of success
How poorly the mothers service i
repaid by men individually, and b,
= society as whole!
1 The individual man feels that h
has done much if he gives sufficien
= money and little attention to he
who brought him from nothingnes
into life and sacrificed her sleep an
q youth and strength for his sake.
s Fortunately, it may truly be sal
that the great man is almost Away
4 appreciative of his greater mother.
. Napoleon was cold, jealous of oil
er men, fundamentally egotistics
4 when comparing himself with othe
z sons of women. But he reverence
and appreciated the noble woma
] who bore him, lived for him, an
j watched over him to the end H
Il said
I 1T is to my mother, to her goo
principles, that owe my success an
4 all have that is worth while. | d
I not hesitate to say that the future
4 the child depends on the mother
y The future of the individual chill
81 depends on the individual mothe
= and the future of the race depend
& on the mothers of the race.
! Think what has been done for ma
] kind by thousands of millions of pc
g fectly devoted mothers.
I Every mother is entirely devote
I entirely hopeful, entirely conflde
8 that no future is too great for h
I baby's deserts
4 The little head-often hopeless
Z ill-shaped-rolls about feebly on Il
Z thin neck devoid of muscles. II
/ toothless gums chew whatever com
l along The wonderful eyes 10,
q feebly. aimlessly about, without foe
I or concentration. The future hum;
Z being, to the cold-blooded onlooker,
q a useless little atom added to the
, man sea of nonentity.
But to the mother that baby is I
, marvel of all time. There is endle
6 meaning in the first mumblings, er
/ less. soul in the senile, baby smi
4 unlimited possibilities in the knob
= forehead and round, hairless hes
I She sees in the future of the ba
{ responsibilities of government, a
2 feels that one so perfectly love
3 must eventually be acclaimed ruler
mankind
As result of perfect confidence
6 its future, the mother gives to eve
baby perfect devotion, perfect and
40 fectionate moral education. I