The Washington herald., 1920-09-10
MARRYING MOTHER.

The young man was raving to me
about the charms and graces OF his
fancee.
she seems a miracle of perfec-
ton" | said. but what kind Of
mother has she got?" -
-Oh," ne replied airily. -her moth
er is about everything l object to
in the female sex. but then. you see,
] am marrying the girl. am not
marrying her mother"
"Ah." / said sadly, there's where
you are making a fatal blunder
sop. You are not only marrying
ryinE her mother, and her mothers
mother, and her mother. and all OF
her female ancestors all the way
back to Eve.
And / am not talking about he
redity, either, though the call Of the
blood seems stronger in women
than it does in men. I am talking
about, the environment in which a
sfrl is reared, and which moulds
her character into the form of what
ever ideals and principles her moth
er cherished.
For the mother makes the home,
and all the plastic years Of her life,
the little girl is shut up within the
confines Of the home. Her mother
is her oracle and what her mother
teaches her by word of mouth and
example is ingrained into every tber
Of her being. \ mother and daugh-
ter are far more intimate than
father and son ever are. 4 mother
influences her daughter far more
than a father influences a son.
In every family there are certain
traditions and precepts that are
handed down from mother to daugh-
ter through generations. and these
form the code Of the women Of that
family code whose laws are as
unbreakable as the law of the Medes
and Persians.
Home and early influences put no
such indellible stamp upon a boy as
they do upon a girl. You often see
a man who is no more like his
family than if he had not drop OF
their blood in his veins and who
thinks and acts entirely differently
from his father. but a girl nearly
always runs true to form. What
her mother is. she becomes: what
her mother made her she stays.
Therefore, son give mother the
Oncc-Over very carefully before you
propose to mothers daughter. Also
cast an appraising eye on mothers )
husband. For as mother is the girl
will be. and as mothers husband is
so will be your fate unless some
miracle happens.
Maud may be all that your fond
est fancy Graves. She may be PRETTY.
and dainty and sweet and appear
so aTiabIe that the proverbiaI but
ter would not melt in her mouth.
But all the same. look at Maud's
mother. Is mother sloppy. and
slouchy- and thriftless? Is her
house always in cOnfusiOno Does
the parlOr sofa need sweeping un-
der? Are the curtains crying aloud
for soap and water
Don't marry Maud unless you
want to live in the same disorder
and dirt for Maud has been brought
up to be lazy. shiftIess and untidy.
and she will always think you are
an unreasonable crank if you desire
well kept house.
Is Maud's mother wastefuI and
eNtraVa CANT? Does she live beyond
her means? Be sure that she has
taught her daughter that clothes
are the most important thing on
earth to a woman and that she
must have them. no matter how she
gets them In her very cradle Maud
was taught to worship the great
god Appearances. and when she
marries she offers up her husband
as the saCrificial goat.
And look at Maud's father. Is he
care-worn and hump-shouIdered? &?
Has he got that deprecating. hope
less furtive expression Of a hen
pecEsd mantle man who is afraid
OF his wife, II you don't want to
UnGerstudy him. beware Of leading
Maud to the altar She has been
taught that husband is good for
nothing but a bill payer She has
oren So used to making a door-mat
or her father that she will not even