The Washington herald., 1918-10-21
STACKER MOTHERHOOD
BY DOROTHY DIX
THE WORLDS HIGHEST PAID WOMAN WRITER.

A rich woman with her two big,
husky. grown-up sons has just been
arrested in New York as the three
of them were sneaking off to South
America to try to evade the draft
law.
The woman gave as her excuse
for her conduct that her mother
love was so great that it out
weighed everything else on earth.
and that the thought of her boys
living in filthy trenches. suffering
cold. hunger and other privations;
being possibly shot. mangled or
killed, was more than she could
have endured. Beside that fear,
every ideal of honor and patriotism,
or justice and right, paled into in
significance.
And the Stacker sons of a Stacker
mother said that the reason that
they were leaving the job of defend
ing their country TO other men was
because they couldn't bear to grieve
their precious mother.
1t is lucky for America that there
are not many such mothers as this
in the length and breadth of the
land. Otherwise there would have
been no khaki heroes to stand at
the bridge at Chateau Thierry. and
turn back the hosts of the Huns,
and in this country we would have
known all the horrors that Belgium
and France have suffered.
The great mass Of American
mothers have shown the mettle of
the Spartan mothers of old. They
have sent their sons away with a
smile to fight and die, IL need be.
for God and country. and they have
seen the high faith and courage in
which they have reared their boys
bloom in such deeds as has made
the whole world gasp in amaze
ment.
For as the mother is. so is the
son. Just as the Stacker mother
breeds Stacker sons, so the brave
mother rears brave sons. Just as
the mother who brings up her son
TO put his own selfish good and
safety before everything else on
earth rears a profiteer. or a draft
dodger. SO the mother who keeps
the flaming ideal of patriotism and
duty always before her sons eyes,
rears the man who is ready to max e
any sacrifice on the altar of his
country.
This woman who was not willing
that her sons should do a ma n S
part. and bear their share of the
common burden OF war says that she
loves her sons better than do these
other mothers who have sent their
boys to the trenches. Such a speech
is almost blasphemous. for the
weak. pusilla animous. habby souls
who have rot the strength to suf-
fer and endure never really love
anything but their own personal
ease and comfort
They are incapable of the passion
of selfless devotion that the brave
hearted and high minded feel for
those whom they love. II could not
love thee, dear, so much. loved ] not
honor more" is the eternal cry Of
those who have the vision to see that
even love must be founded on some
thing higher and greater than mere
selfish physical possession, and that
after this war is over the tie between
millions of mothers and sons will be
closer and more beautiful than 1t ever
was before, because each will revere
in the other a dauntess spirit, and
the stuff of which heroes are made.
This incident of the Stacker moth
er who has made her sons slackers
calls attention again to the fact that
we are apt to overlook, and that is
that mother love can mar as we'll as
make, and be as powerful for evil as
II can for good.
Curiously enough women do not seem
to realize this. The majority of
mothers seem to think that IL they
love their children enough it ex-
cuses any harm that they may do
them.
Il love my children so well | Just
can't bear to punish them" a woman
will say by way Of excuse for rails
ing up brood of hoodlums. IL love
my children so ! just can't deny them
anything. mother will explain In
justifyins herself for letting her
babies gorge themselves on candy un-
III they are sick. Il love my children
so can't force them to go to school
when fhay hate