The Washington times., 1921-02-20
Today
Books Are Needed
About Women-Mothers.
More Sincere Than Men.
Far More Interesting.
BY ARTHUR BRISBA,
Copyright. 1890

about able women in history, espe-
eially about mothers. Seeing a
nne painting, you ask the name Of
the artist. Not one in a dozen,
hearing of a famous man. asks
about the mother that created him
and gave him his ability.
On Tuesday, February is, at
Orangeburg, S. c., they sold some
fne pigs. A young Berkshire boar
was bid up to 81 500 and with
drawn from the sale because that
wasn't enough. He was a fine ami
mai, tall as Shetland pony, more
than six feet long, and fattened,
would weigh close to a thousand
pounds.
The man that bid the 81 500 said
to c. f. Miller, of McSherry's
Town, Pa, "Pd like to see the
mother of that boar" He meant
that the important thing about a
fne animal-pig, race horse, or
prize BULLS the mother.
Men ought to realize that human
mothers are at least as important
to humanity as the mother Of
Maud S was to racing. Now, if
You mention Nancy Hanks, ninety
nine think about race horse and
one thinks of Lincoln's mother.
Does anybody know a good, mod
ern book on women that have
made, for this world, whatever is
good in it, and in the human race?
There is to be had in French
Libraries a DICTIONNAIRE HIS
TORIQUE DES FEMMES CELE-
BRES. There is an old BIO
GRAPHIUM FAEMINEUM and
some other antiquated books that
discuss women, feebly.
The best known to this writer
are the six volumes, Female Biog-
raphy, or Memoirs of Illustrious
and Celebrated Women of All
Ages and Countries" written by
Mary Hays, published in 1903.
That book is out of print; a new,
better book is needed.
Reading many lives of Napoleon,
you find few, scattering state
ments about his mother. She was
greater than Napoleon. She Gre
ated him and a dozen others, hav-
ing children from fourteen years
of age onward. Success did not
spoil her, she retained her common
sense to the end. Napoleon did
not. There ought to be a volume
about Letitia Ramolino Bonaparte.
She had genius and could create it.
Everybody reads of Henry the
Fourth, his battles, his gallantries,
his white PANACHE, the rallying
point always on the path of hon
or" at the battle of Ivry. Nearly
everybody knows something about
the various young women that
Henry Of Navarro honored with
his attentions, respectful and 9TH
erwise.
But who knows anything about
his mother, Jane D'Albert, daughter
of the King and Queen of Navarro?
Her father, Henry, knew that brave
mothers make brave sons. He
promised her chain of gold, and
Ills ldot VIII anu tCoJdhCII, pC-
slowing great treasures upon her,
If she would sing song in the lam
guage of Bearn while her child was
being born. 1t was a difficult
birth, yet, at the most painful part,
Jane sang the song, "Notre-ddme
du bout du pont, aide MOI En-, cette
he1tre"-"Our lady of the end of
the bridge, help me in this hour"
The King, as soon as the boy
was born, handed her the will, in
a gold box, and put chain of gold
around her neck, saying: These
are for you, my daughter, but this
is mine' He took the infant,
Henry of Navarro, carried him off,
rubbed garlic on his lips, and gave
him a little sip of burgundy, to
make him start life properly. That
last news should he withheld from
earnest prohibi Onists, although
they might find comfort in the fact
that the baby grew up to be rather
loose in his private life, although
extraordinarily courageous and
useful as King, That sip of bur-
gundy, ID per cent alcohol, may
have done 1t.
Jane, mother OF Henry of Ma
varre, like the mother OF Napoleon,
was a better man" than her ia
nous son. Unlike him, she would
not change her religion for any
body or anything He said:
"Paris is well worth a mass" and
changed from Protestant to Catho-
lie. But you could not change
Jane. Women are thousand times
as sincere as man, and the lives Of
mothers prove it.
Agrippina, mother Of Nero
would fill interesting volumes with
her extraordinary talent, courage,
firmness in danger. A Chaldean
soothsayer said that her son, Do
mitius, afterwards called Nero,
would be emperor, but would red
den his hands "in the blood of her
who should advance him to the
throne" Content" replied the
mother, provided he reigns, let