The Washington herald., 1920-01-28

In these days when life is just one
union after another. it may seem to
| be work of superogation to sug-
gest that another union of workers
be formed for offensive and defensive
J purposes.
Nevertheless, there is a crying need
4 for one more union. and that Is a
I Union OF Mothers.
/ Probably the idea OF a Mothers
Union will strike your funny bone.
/ 1t is to laugh to think of mother
demanding an eight-hour day, and a
six-day week. and a 25 per cent raise
of wages. and threatening to go out
on a strike IL she doesn't get them.
Nobody has imagination enough to
picture mother refusing to go to work
until s o'clock and knocking off at 5.
and calling it a day. Or demanding
overtime when she has to work all
day Sunday getting up an extra good
dinner for all the other members of
the family who are loafing and rest
! ing. Or refusing to cook up something
extra for father, or the boys. or girls
because they have come in late after
the regular meal hours and the dining
room IS closed.
or stopping walking the baby when
it has the collie because her time is
up Or refusing to nurse someone
who is sick because she is a regularly
qualified cook. or searnstress, and not
sick nurse, or joining in a SYM
pathetic strike because some other
woman's husband is stingy to her. or
some other woman's children treat
her with inGratitude.
No. 1t doesn't look, at first sight.
as if mother was really good union
timber. But even so, there is des-
perate need the mothers of the coun-
try should get together and form an
orGa Ganization through which they
could effect some greatly needed re-
form that they can never bring about
individually.
The purpose of this Mothers Union
should be to enlarge. increase. solid
ify and enforce mothers sacred in
fluence. Perhaps that seems unneces-
sary to you. 1t | sn't. Mothers sa-
cred influence is the most over-touted
and over-press-agented thing in the
world. 1t does not control even her
own children, and it is nullifled by
whom her own associate.
Individually, mothers influence
amounts to almost nothing, but the
influence OF a mothers union would be
so great it could change the world, and
even save 1t.
For instance, you cannot find in
all the length and breadth of your ac-
quaintance a sensible, right-minded
mother who approves OF the manner
in which girls dress, and dance, and
generally conduct themselves nova
days. No woman really wants to see
her innocent little girl 60 out to a
! party looking more like a woman of
the streets than a pure young girl.
She deplores the plucked and dyed
eyebrows, the painted face, the inde-
cent exposure of her gown, but she
cannot prevent her daughter from get
ting herself up in the same sort of
style that all the other girls effect.
1t makes every woman who knows
life turn cold with horror when she
sees her daughter dancing the dances
that were imported from the brothels
of South America, and borrowed from
the sensuous savages Of the Pacific
Islands. and with her fresh young
cheek laid against that Of some de-
generate or roue. but mother cannot
stop her Sally. or her Mary because
shimmy. or jazxing, and IL Sally and
Mary don't they win be wall filow-
ers. =.
So the mothers individual infiu-
ence. even with her own daughter,
falls to work when It is put to the
test. but II the mothers of any COM
munity. or any city. or of the whole
country were banded together they
could stop any social abuse they
pleased in ten minutes.
Suppose the Amn2gaAated Order Of