The Washington herald., 1921-02-16
THE BEST GIFT.

Three women bent over the era
die of little newborn girl baby.
II WISH" said one of them, that
We were the traditional fairy god
mothers of the story books, and
could bestow upon her all the good
gifts OF life"
What would yeu give herr" ask
ed the mother of the child.
u would give .her money" said
the first woman; Il would assure
her a life of ease and luxury, and
pleasure, and amusement. She
should have the lovely clothes that
are a frame for a pretty woman's
beauty, and that make even a home
| Iy woman good looking.
She should ride in automobiles
through life, and have the back
ground of a fine establishment She
should have the culture and poise
| that wide travel brings, and live
safe and soft behind the barriers
| that money builds about its fortu-
nate possessor,
"As a girl she should never know
what il is to stand weary hours
behind a counter, or with humping
nerves, and aching head, pound upon
a typewriter. or to drag herself,
| tired and exhausted in mind and
| body, through the struggling mon
| ON the street cars to tae dull, poor
| place that she calls home.
She should never know the bit
! ter envy that fills the poor girl as
| she sells to more fortunate girls
! the silks, and laCes, and filmy finery
! that she Graves but can never have.
| She should have the joy-time of life,
| the years when a girls feet ache 20
| dance, the years when the hunger
| fer pleasure is a knawing appetite
within, free for enjoyment. She
should not be chained like a slave
to her job during the allGtoo-briei
play-time of a woman's existence
And when she was a woman
would save her from the purgator!
Of anxiety about money, and thu
sordid, pinching econbmies tina
make the poor woman old and worl
before her time. She should neve
know what it was to burn up he
youth over the kitchen stove, L
agonize over the price of butcher
meat, to pare the potatoes a littl
thinner, and use oleomargerine in
stead of butter to save the money L
get Bobby a new pair of shoes, o
Mary stockings. or to have eve
the horror of sickness made tenfol
worse because of the added burde
of the doctors bill.
mo. 1 would give her the none
| that lubricates the wheels of do
mestiCity, that takes the burden o
ministering with her own hands t.
her family off a woman, and let
her enjoy her children instead 0
being their beast OF burden; tha
enables her - preserve her heaItI
and strength and keep her nerve
and temper intact, and that max 2
mother as young and jolly as a girl
That's why. if l were a goo,
fairy, I'd leave a bag OF gold il
every girl baby's cradle. The prir
tag of happiness. and the physica
comforts that mean happiness, ha
got dollar-mark on il for every
body, but it is much more neCes
sary for a woman to have none,
than it is for a man. He can max,
1t easier, for one thing. and 70
another, he needs less OF it. TO
there isn't very much that none,
will buy for a man, but it buy
1t purchases fairly good substitutes
and anyway, there is no situation
In life that the possession Of a gooc
checking account in a bank doesn'
enhance or ameIiorate"
"lf l were a good fairy" said tn,
second woman. 81 would give tn,
baby beauty. II she had that, sh,
wouldn't need to be born with you
money bags. She could marry them
and she would have your gift, will
mine added to it.
Il have always thought that tn
most wonderful sensation in tn
world must be to be able to lool
int your mirror and admire tn
reflection that you saw there l
must be heavenly to be able t
gloat over yourself as a master
piece of nature, to love your owl
face fO-' its sheer beauty.
And the beautiful woman
the unCrowped queen. Whereve
she goes she receives the homag
of the world. Every eye bright
ems with pleasure as she passes
every head turns to follow her.
The beauty does not have {
struggle for what she wants. Tn
She IS loved. admired, feLed. Ev
erybody gives way before heI
She Iray 60 where she plcases. Sh
may have what she likes. She ma
break every law of God and mar
All is forgiven her for the sake o
her fac". Relieve me, beauty is