Evening star., 1923-10-08
When Madge Came
Back From Wellesley
ny DIR. FRANK CRANE.

Madge was pretty girl, viva
lcious girl, and altogether the right sort
of a girl. She had never given her
parents any trouble. She was the
daughter of DR.. Blakeley of Phila-
delphia, a cultured gentleman, a man
of high standing in his profession
and an author Of considerable repute.
Mrs. Blakeley was in every way his
fit companion. and Madge. their only
child, was to them as the apple of
their eye.
Madge. had been home a month
after graduating from Wellesley Col
lege, This evening she was out with
a party of young people: Her father
at home. The following conversa-
tion ensued:
II don't know what's the matter
with Madge." said Mrs. Blakeley.
The doctor looked up over the edge
his hmagazine and and rsplieds sbes
spirit in as fine body as you can
find in the United States"
"Oh, don't mean that. OF course
she's healthy enough. and she's good
enough. What / mean is the way
she treats me and you. She used to
take my advice, and even ask for it,
She used to look to me for guidance.
Now she seems to have gotten away
from me. 1 feel as If had lost my
You have" said the doctor. lay
ing his magazine upon the table, and
thoughtfully wiping his glasses.
Yes, that's the trouble, you have.
| and none of us knew it. Our baby's
dead. And the worst of it is she is
not buried, so that we can go and
visit her grave and weep. She has
just disappeared. rather, she has
been transformed. and we have
strange young woman living with US
now"
well, I don't like it, said the
mother. She's not only not under
our authority any more. but she ex-
hibits q curious sort of antagonism
to us. I'm sure 1 can't understand
why. She knows we love her and are
her best friends. She even fatty con-
tradicted you today at the dinner
table. And she told you you didn't
know enough about art to have a
correct opinion about something or
other we were discussing"
That was funny, wasn't it?" laugh
ed the doctor.
TT didn't strike me as being so very
shocked me. 1t even struck me as
! being a little vulgar. People don't
say that sort of thing to strangers. let
alone parents"
The doctor thought while. and
then said: rive mustn't misunder-
| much as ever. and is just as sweet
and wonderful as she always has
| been. What has happened to her Is
| that she has grown up.
| And growing up is in some ways
| almost as violent a change as get
! ting born or dying. All her years so
| far her life has been spent in the
| matrix of the family. She got her
! opinions. her tastes. her whole spirit
ual furniture, from you and me. She
has suddenly discovered that she is an
Individual. She has tastes, opinions
and aims of her own.
You must remember that one of
| the strongest instincts in life is the
| instinct Of individuality. the ire
sistible desire that comes to every
/ one sooner or later to be ones self.
/ And the more thoroughly the child
has been enveIoped by the family, the
! more vigorously she Is going TO KICK
J to get out of ii.
/ its like the chick struggling to
get out of its she'll"
Then what ought we to do?" said
| the mother.
Help her" replied the doctor.
! You cannot force the chick back into
it's shell. You cannot make her a
child again. We must recognize her
individuality. AS skillfully as pos
| sible we must assist her to stand
on her own feet and be herself. We
must let her-see that we respect
| that self Then when she has found
| herself and has attained her own
place. she will come back to us. with
a different, and just as warm. flial
relation"
| The mother got out her handker-
| chief and wiped off~a tear that had
| started down her cheek. What you
say is probably true" she answered.
but 1 want my baby"
That" said the doctor, as he went
/ over to her and kissed her, "is what
women have been saying since the
/ world began"