The New York herald., 1922-11-12

Is III ner parents eyes the one career that
Justifies the girl in leaving her home In
nine cases out of ten when girls take I'D
careers. even with the consent of their
parents. they know at the same time that
they have implanted in their parents
minds feeling of disappointment To the
mother Of yesterday it seems impossible
that her daughter should feel a strong
love for her parents and yet forsake the
parental roof
Mothers, American and European.
The American mother of yesterday is far
in advance of her European sisters. This,
probably. because her traditions are not
SO old; therefore the American takes
much more easily to new ideas and habits
against the selfishness of girls who leave
their homes to carve out a career. This is
most unreasonable. 1t has never been
suggested that a son is selfish because he
wants to leave his parents roof and earn
his own living; indeed, everything and
everybody, including their daughters
would be gladly sacrificed by parents to
establish their sons in a career. In one
family 1 know of the two daughters were
barely educated; they are now completely
deprived of all pleasures and have scarcely
the necessities of life, the object being to
provide sufficient money to enable the
elder son to remain in the most expensive
regiment in the army. 1t used to be a
matter of course that the daughters should
be sacrificed: if they demanded equal con-
sideration with their brothers they were
looked upon as unnatural and almost in
decent
In my opinion parents who desire affec-
ton from their children generally will find
that they receiveit. but 70 expect from
them sense of duty and obligation is un-
reasonable. Why should a child be ex-
pected to feel sense of duty to one whose
only claim to it is that, having once brought
it into the world, she has fed, clothed and
educated it? Surely this is the least that
child may expect of its mother
Considering her generally, how does the
young mother of to-day compare with the
mother of yesterday? She is more selfish
and sacrifices herself less, which is good
for the child. Her attitude toward her
children is more impersonal and therefore,
more likely to be just. Her interests are
much wider and, therefore, she is anxious
that her children should have interests of
their own. Her children are being taught
that they are free to choose whether they
will remain with their parents or take up
career. Her daughters are receiving edu-
cational advantages practically equal to
those of her sons; in houses where money
is scarce sacrifices are as readily made
for the one as for the other Children are
reared less sentimentally therefore more
sensibly; probably the effect on the chill
dren will be a harder outlook on life This
may not necessarily mean that their affec-
ton will be less deep but they will certainly
not be easily moved
The modern girl is self willed outspoken
and selfish but. on the other hand, she is
honest sympathetic and intelligent. The
mother of yesterday has done fine pioneer
work; she wanted to develop in her daugh-
ter some independence. a capacity to face
the world; she was resolved that her daugh-
ter should have better chance than she
had had herself TO think and act freely
and, if required. to earn her own living. If
required! There came the trouble. The
mother did not understand how far the ball