The Washington herald., 1922-11-19
KATHLEEN NORRIS WRITES:

and havin' your own way. ana
your pigs killed for ye, ana your
spinnin' and wsayin' and soap
making all done for ys. amt
going 10 touch the Lord's own
part Of ye-for that's wfthinf-
But Ne were just pretsodins.
Grandma" q loving. dutiful voice
said tenderiy. 'Tt'n be thousands
Of years before these things come
true, n they ever DO. And I'd
rather they never ala" said the
pioneer mother. seriously, -than
that we should get away from low
ing God and our neighbor through
having life too smooth
They were looking forward less
than two hundred years. these
struggling, harworking young
mothers. All their Arabian
Nights dreams-and how many
more.-have come true and are the
commonplaces Of our day.
But what had our pioneer
mothers that we have not Of
simple faith. Of courage, self.
sacrifice, high ideals?
What was. their conception OF
maternal duty. and what 10 ours?
And have we sold the heritage
we had from them-the love Of
God. Of home. Of goodness, q
neighbor. the strong and loyal love
OF country-for a mess Of pot
tage?
Suppose that we. In our turn,
look forward something just a
little less than two hundred years
to that year that viii be scrfbbled
upon Christmas thank you letters
as "2121?" What are the writers
Of that generation going to think
OF us?
VIII they remember that Il was
in the early second quarter OF the
twentieth century, in 1s25-1sSo.
that the newly enfranchised
women Of America suddenly swsk-
ened to patriotism. to goodness. to
a sense OF long-forgotten duty to
God and neighbor and that they
made the world anew7
IDOLATRY OF BEAUTIES.
Or will our generation merely b
remembered as one indulging in
untold luxuries. untold extrava-
gances. untold impieties and liber-
ties. disrespect for family ties. con
tempt for motherhood, idolatry Of
bodily beauties and appetites, and
utter indifferepce to the glorious
principles that make our nation
different from any other nation
in the world and that were the
guiding star of those very colonial
forefathers and mothers whose
Copley portraits, thin old spoons.
Pembroke chairs and Mayflower
highboys we cherish so carefully
in our snobbish hearts7
We have every facility In the
world with which TO accomplish
the only worthwhile object in life
in any life. II is the two-foid
object that fulfills all the law
and prophets"
Its first clause has TO do with
God-the acknowledgement OF a
higher power. and our dependence
upon that power. And the second
has to do with our neighbor; has
to do with the lessening-and les
sening-snd lessening of the hide
Gus sum total OF human misery.
There is enough sunshine,
enough cleanliness. enough food
and room and education and love
in America for every woman an
baby in the whole land: II is our
false gods Of vanity and display
and petty vulgar competition in
extravaganza and selfish short
sightedness that makes us feel that
anything else but sharing and
simplicity and service is worth
while.
When will the day come-1ee5.
= 1885. 1970?-when we bundle out
the old. sordid material gods once
and for all?
For when the false gods 60, says
the old proverb. the true gods
come into their own.
Copyright. 1929. by The Republic
Syndicste.D
This Is one Of a series Of Woman
to-Woman Talks on present-day
family and social problems that
Mrs. Norris, Americas bestowed
and most popular woman writer,
is writing especially for The WASH
ington Times. Another talk win
be printed next Sunday.