Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1934-02-15
A Country Editors Problem

There is one task in connection
with editing a country weekly news
paper that we dislike, and that is
writing the obituary of an old lady
It seems so futile trying to set down
in writing the things she has done.
She was born, she grew to woman
hood, Joined church, was married,
became a mother, and passed on to
her reward in the future life. The
dates of her birth, marriage, and
death are mentioned, for they are
the high points of her life. The
story of her life is pitifully short.
The life story of her husband would
record the facts of his existence,
and also Of his business or profess
sional life. Perhaps, too, it would
tell of political triumphs, and Of
what he had done for his town, the
county, the state, and the nation.
The stranger who might read it
would understand that the COM
munity had lost valuable citizen.
We cannot tell, in writing the obit-
uary of a woman, of all the tri-
umphs and disasters of her life:
they would sound too petty. When
as bride she and her husband set
up home she assumed response
bilities that she had never known
before. She learned to spend long
hours doing toilsome work that was
never finished. Day after day the
same thing had to be done, and she
became an expert in doing them.
But these things that she did SO
well do not deserve mention in the
final story of her life; they were
not outstanding.
She risked her life each time
child was born and, perhaps, once
or twice ventured so far into the
valley of the shadow of death that
she almost slipped away, and it was
only by fighting with every iota of
her strength that she was able to
pull through-not always because
she wanted to live but because she
was needed there was a family for
her to care for. But we can't give
credit for that; mothers have been
doing that since the dawn of time.
She brought her children into the
world, and washed them, and dress
ed them, and loved them, and kiss
ed away their tears. She bandaged
their injured fingers and toes. She
nursed them through sickness and
she smoOthed their paths through
life, and all the while she was en-
couraging her husband and helping
him to become successful. She made
his home cheerful and restful. She
listened to endless stories of his
troubles and encouraged him to try
again when disaster overlook him.
And when success would come and
his head would begin to rise among
the clouds she would gently pull
him back to earth and continue the
process of making a man of him.
The life story Of the average man
would not sound so thrilling and
would not be so successful were it
not for the guiding influence of a
good wife and mother behind him.
But she gets no credit for any of
these things. 1t was what she was
put on earth to do.
And at last she comes to the end
of life's toilsome journey and is
laid to .rest-perhaps the first rest
she has known in her busy life. Her
funeral is attended by many who
did not know her, but who came
out of respect to her husband or to
her children, who are their friends.
The minister reads from slip of
paper the uninteresting facts of her
birth, marriage, and death, and
gives the names of the members of
her family who survive, but he does
not tell all the. things she did, part
ly because they are taken for grant
ed. You can't put all that into an
obituary: people might laugh at
you for writing it.-Carmi, Ill.,,
Democrat-Trihune