San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-08-19

How the courage of good mothers
has fed and fired the race.
Those first small, bent, brown moth
crs of our savage days-what peril
they must have faced beyond the
threshold of their caves.
Those dumb and knotted peasant
women, moving. OX-likc. along the
burrows of the fici,,S. What toll and
suffCringS and brute discomfort they
endured in service to their homes
and children.
Those Staunch and slender pioneer
mothers. with their tender hands and
gallant gambling souls, who bore their
babies under Indian fire. and buried
their men along the trail they helped
to clear-nO warrior has ever faced
the test that they came through.
And now n new record has been
made to glorify the name of moth
era strange, appealing record thar
twists the heart even while it thrills
the spirit.
Six mothers made it-six.ignOrant,
poor mothers of foreign birth. Inrce
Russian Jcwesscs, two MeXicans and
one German.
These women all came to America
as immigrants less than five years
ago. They had had little education in
their own land, none at all in this
strange country. They could not read
or write English. they knew nothing
Of American history or customs. They
were only mothers. They could COOK
and sew, sweep floors and scrub and
nurse, according to the traditions Of
their people. In the countries from
which they came that had been enough
to put power in their hands. They
had not needed any greater wisdom
to maintain their homes. In those
countries mothers knew authority and
respect. Their children obeycd them
They held their homes together til
their day was done.
But in this new country it wa,
different. All their children went Al
once to American schools. And BE-
fore two months had passed a chang,
had come over them. They had en-
| tered this country clustering abon
their mother in fear, like cOvCyS o
baby quail. But now they cease
clustering. Their fear passed. They
began to play in the streets. mixin!
| American slang with their fOrCigI
iGioms. They brought American play
mates home with them after school
Before the year was over they wcr
chattcring English; they were doin}
more than that-thcy were THINK
ING English. They no longer lOoket
at their mothers with the same eyes
nor did they accept their mother
customs with the same hearts. The
ways that had seemed good ways il
Russia and Germany and Mexico II
longer pleased them. They laughc
at them. They rCbellcd against them
In vain these six mothers scoldcD
and pleaded, prayed and commanded
Daily they saw their children Sli
from them. Can you realize wha
anguish that must have meant? VIVA
would it mean to YOU if you were
helpless woman in a strange country
stripped of all your power, with you
children drifting from you? Wha
would YOU do?
1 wonder if You would be BRAY
enough to do what these six mother
did. They wiped their tears. The
rose from their knees. They tidic
their dresses and smoothed their hal
and drove back the panic from thei
quivcring throathS.
AND THEY WALKED OFT OF
THE DOOR AND WENT II
! SCHOOL.
They went TO school to learn tn
things their children were learning.
They put aside their pride and their
prejudice. their despair. their suspi
cion and hcavineSS the years ha,
brought. and they began as littl
children begin, to learn their A b C's
Day after day they tOilcd over thosc
lessons in their homes, following tn
courses laid down by the new Cali
fornia home teacher system. An
within three years those six forcig
| mothers completed the elcmcntal