The Washington herald., 1918-01-11

the world, the women who do the
most harm, and who are the most abb
solutely callous to the misery and
suffering they bring on others?
That's easy to answer. you say. The
wickedest women In the world are
the vampires, the degraded women
Of the slums. the women who are
thieves. the women whose hands are
red with blood.
Not at all. These poor creatures
| that you have mentioned. at their
worst. hurt only a few people. Life
dealt hardly with most Of them and
they had little chance to be other
than what they are, and neither God
nor society can hold them to much
accountability.
The wickedest women in the world
are the sweet. gentle, pious. respect
able. church-going mothers who are
deliberately raising up children 10
wreck the lives Of the innocent and
unoffending people they marry. to
! bring grief and sorrow into the homes
they enter and to add another sorrow
to the hearts Of their husbands or
parents.
In all the calendar OF crime there
is no other act so brutally cruel. 1t
is far worse than theft because to
be robbed Of ones money Is nothing
I in comparison with being robbed of
ones peace and happiness. 1t Is far
worse than murder because 1t takes
only a second to slay one physically.
while one who n miserably married
| Is slowly tortured to death through
| long years. It IL a crucler and sub
tier form OF parasitism than any YAM
pire ever devised. because 1t sucks
courage and enthusiasm and the abn-
4 ity to succeed out of a man or worn
an, and there Is no way to free one
| self from It save through scandal.
Every woman in the world knows
/ that not only does marriage make
| or mar the life OF the individual
/ but that It affects all those who are
nearest and dearest TO him or her.
When a beloved daughter marries
man who is cruel and brutal to
her and who makes her life q pur-
gatory. not only does the girl SUI
fer but her parents hearts are
wrung with hers. When a dear and
splendid son gets as a wife q vir-
ago who makes his days a burden
to him, he does not grieve alone.
His mother and father. his sisters
and brothers, softly and silently
tread his Gethsemane with, him.
An unhappy marriage is like a
pebble thrown into a sea of trou-
BILE. Its waves spread on. and on
until they touch every edge Of the
family circle.
Once upon a time a woman said
TO me OF her sister and her sisters
children: God sent Louise angels
but she is doing the best she can 10
turn them into devils"
And Louise was eminently sue
cessful. The two children were
unusually handsome and intelIi-
gent and OF a most winning charm.
They should have made splendid
man and woman, but their mother
spoiled and pampered them. She
INDUCED them in their every wish
and desire; she never taught them
any self control or any considera-
tion for the rights OF any other
human being on earth.
The boy grew up to be a good-look.
ing, fascinating, gay young chap,
with plenty Of ability 10 do anything
had 1t ever been turned in any def
mite direction. He married q splendid
young girl who tried to make him
good wife, but he broke her heart by
cruelty, neglect and abuse. II she
dared to cross his will be would curse
her in shameful language. He was
too lazy and selfish to work and he
drifted down and down until he be-
came the town loafer and drunkard.
| In trying to save their daughter
from want the girls parents impov-
crished themselves so that their old
age was hard and anxious, instead OF
being comfortable and easy. and they,
too. were the victims Of this wicked
woman who raised up her son to be
a curse to those who were nearest to
him.
The wicked mothers daughter grew
up unto a beautiful and attractive
girl and she married as fine a young
fellow as was in the community. The
girl had been raised to the belief that
she was the one who must always
have her hearts desire, no matter
how she attained II, and as she was
gay and liked to go about, and as she
was pretty and liked to adorn herself,
she embarked upon a career Of ex-
travagance that soon swept away all
of her husbands fortune and brought
him to bankruptcy.
Faced by bills that he could not
pay. bounded and harassed by debts
Of his wife's making, he ended IL all
by putting a bullet through his
brains-a murder for which his,
wife's mother was just as much re-
sponsible as II she had first tortur-
ed him and then slain him.
II did not take the pretty young
widow long to marry again. This
time she married gifted young
man who was full of ambition and
who had already begun to climb the
ladder of success. He will never
get any higher than he Is because
she has made 4 mack horss nut of