Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-06-05
Little Talks by
Beatrice Fairfax

I never see one of those mother
spoiled girls-they may be any age
from sixteen to forty, or older. with
out holding the mother strictly re-
sponsible.
Often the daughter is spoiled be-
cause the mother has never quite
finished playing with dolls. Her
daughter is her doll - toy to be
sewed for, fused over, cudd1ed,
petted, played with, never by any
chance does the mother regard her
as a responsible human being.
1t would never do for the doll to
grow up, because the mother would
then be deprived of her vocation.
So the daughter becomes a sort of
petritied product she is neither a
child nor a woman.
Frequently a mother of this type
has a passion for sewing; she loves
to sew, she loves to shop ana match
odds and ends of things. She loves
to tilch ideas from smart dressmak-
ers' Openings" and then reproduce
them from remnants off of the bar
gain counter.
In these various activities, the
mother expresses herself and such
selfish streak, that has been
watered and tended by the mother,
unconsciously perhaps, permits her
easier to accept these doubtful BEN
etits than to resist them.
Perhaps in the beginning, she she
| own soul, but gradually she has
given that up, and decided that as
Mamas little girl it Is perfectly per
proper for Mama to slave for her,
f,nr f,1nrninp night
Seldom an Attraction
The mother. on her part; repre- repre-
sents a sort of perpetual motion
if. She wanted to. Her fussy activi-
ties have gathered such momentum,
during all these years, that tnere ae
on doggedIy vi tn the sewing. match
ing and shopping, till she drops.
Sometimes lover. steps in and
rescues the girl from the terrible fate
of being killed with Kindness .put
Mama's elderly baby is seldom an
attractive person, the excessive cod
ding and cosseting makes for GER
tain weakness of character that mas
expression in being peevish ana whln
ing. She expects the world to spoil
her as Mama has done, but the woriu
has no time nor patience Tor thls
The man very naturally asks him
self who is going to continue the
spelling and waiting-upon processes, ts
panicky about domesticating this type
of ewe-lamb, and he drops out.
Curiously enough, mothers OF TINS ms
type are o1a always eager gIr,s 20 marx Apart
from their dressmaking talents that
were bound to find expression, the
sewing and shaving may nave oeen
daughter might eclipse her friends
and make a brilliant marriage.
Average Man Afraid of Type
But the average man SHES away
woman holding her. daughters llIe
in a wise, and a semi-young one con-
tent to have it thus held.
has any life Of her own. She is alb
sorbed as completely as water is ab-
sorbed by a sponge. she may nave
all the talents in the world, but they
never flourish on the thirsty SOIL OF
such maternal egoism.
| know a mother and daughter of
this kind - the husband and father
Of the pair al always tSe %am6ss Salea them rbeS 5e
laughingly responded TO the names, it
was the family joke.
One day the old gentleman died
trary to everyone's expectations. SO
the poor "Vampee," then past thirty,
had to set about making the family
living.
~
secured, by friends, but the old moth
er would not let the daughter accept
it. They belonged to what they
proudly imagined to be one of the
finest families in the world-crowned-l
heads included.
And no daughter of the house of
we'll call them the Adams of Eden
had ever gone into an office to
So the masterful old lady decided
that while her daughter. must work
she had to work in secret. The form
of industry she chose, was making
candy ION the sly" for the Ladies'
Exchange and certain stores = pro-
vided, of course, that no one ever
SuIking About with Boxes of Candy
Il can remember that poor middle
aged girl sulking about those places
with her boxes of candy. She always
went very late or very early so that
she wouldn't meet anyone she knew,
and always she looked tired, discour-
aged and forlorn.
In the wretched three rooms where
they lived - and also made the candy
the old mother. still sewed, patched
for, bossed and cosseted her doll. I've
often thought about those two, and
how they must have felt toward each
other there alone at night, after the
everlasting candy boiling was over.
The mother never thought about
the daughter as being entitled to an
independent life. God gave that girl
a soul and life to hand on, better
stronger, nearer the Masters ideal
hut the old woman broke the chain"