Evening star., 1931-11-01

90 high. dear child. with Junior. you'd
have 70 have . servant; Alien would Be
cruelty burdeued And aren't we al
quite happy here" And she gives the
maddered younger woman q nice little
luncheon. with plenty Of whipped
cream and tomato aspic, to stratghten
everything out.
Allen. the husband, thinks his moth
er q miracle Of patience and tender
ness, and Is little grieved and nurt al
the persistent petulance and unres pom
sfveness Of hts wife. It's an old story
IL is being repeated all over the world
everywhere. The old woman has a IS
year start on the younger, and she
makes the most Of it.
The tragedy Is that often. nowadays
the young wife and the baby yield the
neld-they get out, and there Is an
other broken home. with a lonely von-
an raising q lonely little boy somewhere
q disappointed man living along year
after year after year with an aging
mother. and three lives at least-ano
perhaps four, robbed of what nigh;
have been happiness.
No mother has right in her sons
life until she and his wife are friends
independently of the family tie. When
the two women understand each other
like each other. and depend upon each
OkAkCA a. ul0SkEl&4Ehh BCAAkS
then only can wife and mother exist III
the same group And, incidentally, il
Is strictly the older woman's business
to establish this relationship. She has
to forget that Allen never could eat
clans. and that in her day babies wore
bands Of flannel around their blessed
little tums, and that $40 is an out
rageous price for q young woman tc
pay for hat. Elegantly expressed, it's
none Of her business.
PUT until she learns it's none of hel
business she and Aliens wife can't
be friends. No matter how lovingly
how delicately, how tactfully her hints
are given. they jar-they cause trouble
Aliens wife would rather make any
mistake in the world than be gently
set right by Aliens mother.
Mothers will not learn this.
One woman,s trouble was a contrary
small boy of 8. He was disobedient
stubborn, runaway, saucy; "and the
more mis- father and I whip him." she
wrote me, the worse he acts. tell
him what q bad boy he is. but Ii doesn't
make the slightest impression"
Being quite old enough to be this
woman's mother, and this little boys
grandmother, I took the liberty OF
writing her not one but several letters
about him; we corresponded for more
than q year My advice was to let him
alone for about a fortnight, feed him
speak kindly to him, but give him nc
orders whatsoever. which would remove
all danger Of disobedience, and tell him
cheerfully that he could play about as
late as he liked, stay away from school
and be his own master. Having hac
experience with this type of small boy
before. warned her that he would be
reckless in his new found freedom
and so he was.
y n n
! CHE followed instructions faithfully
indeed the poor girl was in COM
plete state of nervous exhaustion by
that time, and willing to try anything
She prepared no food that he coulc
not eat, and so could give him what
he saw and wanted When he made
the two smaller children cry, she
ignored him. not coldly. but with ar
understanding smile, and, comforting
them with q promise of a trip to the
five-and-ten, astounded him by includ.
! ing him in the party. That night, ir
his presence, she reported the incident
to his father. adding that she coulc