The Washington herald., 1920-05-05
PARASITIC SONS.

EAnASIEIS SONSs
Among my acquaintances Is a
family which consists of a mother
and her three daughters and one
son. The girls are all in business.
and every Saturday night turn in
their unopened pay envelopes TO
their mother. That supports the
family. There is no other income.
The son, big, husky young fell
low with plenty OF intelligence. who
Is ten times as able to work as his
sisters and who could earn twice or
three times what either one of them
does, works only when the spirit
moves him. which is seldom.
He doesn't have to work. He
doesn't really need to because
whether he works or not, he is sure
OF three good meals a day, better
than his sisters get, for mother
saves up the tidbits for him; a good
place to sleep, and a little pocket
money for which he can always
stand mother up.
The sisters are naturally very
much outraged at this state OF az
fairs, but when they protest against
1t, and tell their mother that they
do not feel called upon to support a
lazy loafer. even il he is their
brother, the mother turns upon
them in fury and demands to know
what sort of stony hearts they have
that they begrudge their poor
brother a bit of food and a place to
lay his head. Then she weeps and
says that she will never turn her
own son out of her house and shut
her door in his face; that as long
as she has a crust she viii divide
with him, and give him her last
penny.
So the scene ends. and when the
parasitic son comes in, mother cooks
him up something extra to make up
for the way his mean sisters treat
him in not being willing to sup
port him. Then she gives him the
last of the housekeeping money,
and runs an account with the
grocer which the girls lave to pay
in the end.
And what are We going to do
about it?" inquire the girls. 1--WE
love our mother and hate to hurt
her. but we feel that II is neither
right nor just for three frail, deli
cate women to have to support an
able-bodied man, and be able to lay
Up nothing for the future because
all of their excess earnings go to
pay for his excesses."
OF course II is neither just nor
right either to the girls, or to the
boy for that matter, for their
mother to take their money to
keep him in idleness. but how any
body is going to get Justice out Of
Ia woman where her idolized son is
concerned, Is a problem far beyond
my poor ability to solve.
Biologists tell us that mothers can
not help loving their sons better
than their daughters and having a
different feeling towards them. It
has something to do with n boy in
heriting more from his mother than
his father. Anyway they say. that
1T is a fixed law of nature. and the
mothers can not help it. poor things,
since loving Is not a matter of voli-
tion. but of some mysterious attrac-
-tion that we can neither understand
nor explain. '..
Perhaps this accounts for the case
cited above. and hundred amilar
ones that each Of US can recall, in
which q mother who was good
.woman.-and really loved Ter daugh-
ters dearly. nevertheless sacrificed
them without a pang of compunc-
tion to their brothers. So
Did you ever know of a widow
with money whose boys did not get
tho bulk OF the fortune? Isn't it
the boys who go off to college and
buy racing cars. while the girls stay
at home and economize because
mother can not deny her darling
sons anything: but she can say mo"
fast enough to the daughters.
Haven't you known mother to rob
even an invalid daughter of the last
cent OF her Inheritance to pay a
scrape-grace son out of trouble?
You have often.
The mothers Of working girls. one
would think. would be peculiarly
tender to them. for the girl who
tolls all day long and then lays
pvery cent. OF her earnings in her
mothers lap. Is making the most
marvellous and beautiful Offering
ever laid on the altar Of filfai de-
votion. She is giving Ter life. her
youth, her beauty, all the playtime
and joNtime Of existence TO keeping
soft. warm. and comfortable the
mother who bore her.
Surely YOU would think that,
a L A. :. r..-