The Irish standard., 1918-04-06
4 Gentle Criticism Of
The American Mother
An Ursuline Religious Views the
"Angel Child" From Teach
ers' Standpoint.
Parental Indulgence and Lack of Con-
troll Deprecated-Why Converts Do
So Little With Many Of Their
Charges.

NrIolu -. r. "A. Literary Bureau.)
A clever teacher in one of our pub
lie schools once defined the Modern
American Mother as an institution
especially designed to make the way
of the trangressor hard, the trans
gressor very rarely being the Modern
American Mothers "angel child" but
very frequently the "angel child's"
harassed teacher! If the parent so
spoken of does not prove so much a
chastener of the spirit in the case of
religious teachers, it is because, in the
first place, blessed majority of Cath
olic mothers are too busy to chasten
anybody but their fortunate and num-
erous offspring; and, in the second
place, because most parents, no mat
ter what their drawbacks may be,
have great confidence in nuns and
their teachings.
1t does not follow from this, how
ever, that what we call the pupils
parents problem" never obtrudes it.
self into convent circles or that teach
ing Sisters do not have almost in
superable difficulties to overcome, aris-
ing if not from parental interference,
at least from parental indifference or
too great indulgence. That the chill
dren coming from great many Catho-
lie homes are not wholly uncomfortable
at Catholic schools is due, not to any
discipline they have had at home,
but to the fact that they usually like
the Sisters and are willing to please
them, and besides have enough intelli-
gence to recognize authority when they
see it.
The Worldly Mother Wants Her
Daughter to Go to Public
High School.
The choice of school usually lies
with the daughter after she has
reached what seems to her mother the
use of reason. but which anyone ac-
quainted with facts would call the age
of unreason: namely, fourteen. The
worldly mother often prefers the con-
vent for her daughter while she is
still in the grades, because "the nuns
are so refined, don't you know" and,
attracted by the Sisters kindness, the
child is usually pleased to do what
pleases the mother. Grammar school
finished, then comes conflict. The
mother, if worldly and ambitious (and
what Modern American Mother is
not?) usually wishes her daughter to
enter the Public High School, because
she thinks it offers exceptional adj
vantages for her daughters future So
cial career. AS rule the daughter
looks at the matter as the mother does
(but not because her mother does)
and leaves the convent just when she
most needs its restraining influence.
If she happens to prefer the convent
at the convent she stays, mothers
preference for the High School not
withstanding.
The Fourteen-Year-oId Decides For
Herself.
Sometimes the child herself, passing
through the first paroxysms of the
"boy craze" finds the convent stupid
and unexciting, because she does not
have there the opportunity for silly
fiirtations she might elsewhere have.
In such cases the mother, not alto
gether blind to her daughters good,
may prefer that the convent training
continue through the High School
course, since she considers it "safer
on the whole" to use her own express
sion. AS a rule, the mothers pref
erence is not regarded, the fourteen
year-old deciding the matter for her
self by going to the High School.
Afterwards her constant reiteration
of ooh, I'm just crazy about High!
We have the SWEETEST time! Why
don't you girls go? You don't know
what you're missing!" sometimes re-
suits next semester in the detection
to the High School of two or three
of her former classmates.
Many mothers lament their inabil-
ity to control their children and the
laments are often made in the chill
dren's presence. ooh, l know Elsie
wears her dresses too low, Sister,"
one mother says in deprecating an
swer to Sisters lifted eyebrows and
sidelong glances at Elsie's display of
collar bone, "but she just orders her
dressmaker around as she pleases and
l can't do a thing with her. And
she just won't study at night, so I
tell her father it's no wonder her re-
ports are so bad"
And Elsie smiles sweetly and bids
her mother not to tell tales out of
school"
Not All Angels Have Golden curIs.
Sometimes the mother more active
ly interferes with school discipline.
The Sister in charge of school en-
tertainments has given out the parts
for, let us say, Christmas play.
Some fair damsel reports at home
that her histrionic talents have not
been properly recognized, with the
result that she comes to school next
day armed with note from her
mother who wants to know if isis.
ter can't let Gwendolyn Alicia have
the mart Of tho anoo1 ipctood of LOT.