Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-20

immure himself between four walls De-
cause his wife must.
Believe me, there are not many hus-
bands made after that pattern, and u
young mothers persist in a morbid
self isolation they run the risk of los
ing their husbands, because men will
soon form habits Of staying away and
following pleasures that lure them into
various new places.
Another young mother leaves her
baby by O 80 or o'clock nearly every
evening. She feeds and bathes 1t and
puts il to sleep and claims TINT 1t is
80 we'll trained that il sleeps well and
does not need her. She and her hus-
band 20 out to dinners and theatres
and friends homes almost as IL there
we're no baby existing. The idea of
leaving a helpless infant alone fright
ems many women, because Of the just
possible calamity-the house getting
on fire or the baby's suddenly becom-
ing Ill: .,
prehensive that they would really be
in torture and could not enjoy them
selves. Which kind are you?
To an unprejudiced outsider 1t would
seem that there Is n happy medium be-
tween the two methods. 1t may be
unwise or unsafe to continually risk
Larm to baby By leaving 1t absolutely
alone for long stretches Of time. But
surely most mothers are not 30 devoid
of relatives or friends or ncighbors
but that they can, once In week per-
haps, prevail on some one to stay with
the child. There are little fayors that
one can render other women, for which
thcy will in exchange do this small
task.
Besides the actual loss of entertain
ment on the part of the young couple
we described, there was an actual de-
terioration of mind. They became dull
the husbands remarkable unseltish-
ness in refusing even legitimate
pleasure, such as a concert, because
bis wife could not go, he shrank, in u
mental way, from Jack Of association
with the masses of mankind and par
ticipation in their activities. Had the
couple attended the musical party, 1t
would have delighted and freshened
them up and they would have relived
the joy and talked Of the affair to each
other for weeks afterward.
1t seems to me the woman was in
efficient. as we'll Us stupid, to have
passed up that party. Why was she
unable to get her supper dishes cleared
away and the babies to bed before
8 O'Clock ut night when she had had
nothing else to do all day but prepare
for the event? Or. If it really were o
o'clock, why was she not good sport
why did she not rush around and at
tend the party anyway? 1t was on Sat
urday night so that every one could
have rested nearly all of the next day.
She was foolish.
Perhaps that one husband will not
wander away into gayer circles, but
many would. Perhaps :hosc especial
children will not grow up selfish and
ungratcful, but many do. In any case,
the mother who let's babies entirely
cnguif her, who finds no time to mingle
with her kind, or be part of the
great world, or even read and know
what life is developing into, is dwarf
ing her capabilities of being q good
mother and is losing a chance to be
the most helpful companion her chill
dren can need when they grow up.
Modern women are accused of being
unwilling to bear many children, but
they surely want to train those they
have intelligently, not selfshly, or too
narrowly.
Write and tell Irs. Cooley about
your problems. She riH be glad TO
take them up aud discuss them in this