The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-04-11
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
CBeu syndicate-wNU service.)

THE unluckieSt wife in the
world isn't, of course, the un-
L luckiest woman. There are
thousands of women in this coun-
try, and hundreds of thousands in
other countries, whose lot is harder
than that of Marjorie Mason.
There are women in your town
and mine who have been fighting
poverty all their lives long, living
along the boundary line of want,
able to give their children only the
barest necessities Of life, and worry
ing constantly for fear that those
necessities might not be always
available. Women who have never
known even few days-a few hours
of luxury and beauty, of plenty
and security. Women who have to
refuse their small babies the fresh
ness and comfort and safety small
babies need; who have to refuse
their growing children the toys, the
clothes that more fortunate children
take for granted; who suffer thou
sand deaths as the young men and
women of the family demand cars
and pocket money and college edu-
cation as their right.
This in America. In Europe and
in the Orient the situation IS IN
fniteIy worse. Civilized Christian
countries still see barefoot children
begging in winter streets; China
knows that every winter a million
of her people will starve slowly to
death, and a million more fall VIC
tins to the diseases that weakness,
malnutrition, cold and hunger
bring.
Comparative Misery.
So when I speak of the bitter trial
that Marjorie Mason has been
called upon to bear l am treating
only Of the comparative misery and
humiliation that can come to
woman who has comfortable
home, fine children, car, a club,
friends, a good cook in her kitchen,
books, leisure, enough money, good
health, and-she says-"a real trust
that God will help me through this
difficulty if I am wise enough to
heed His guidance.
Not much material from which to
construct an appeal to your pity,
is it? And yet there is no wife
alive that won't feel pity for Mar
jorie when she hears her story.
Marjorie is 80; she has been mar
ried for nine years to a man she
deeply loves. He is professor,
handsome, popular, successful, with
a comfortable little income of his
own to supplement his salary. The
MasonS live in a roomy house on
beautiful campus; there are three
children in the family; a girl of
seven, and boys of five years and
one year. Marjorie has as assistant
the fine colored mother of one of
the undergraduate girls; she is free
to do her part In campus work;
mothers and alumni groups, hos
pital, convalescent home, Shakes
peare study club, dramatics. She
not only teaches her daughter, but
she belongs to a little circle of col
lege mothers who take turns in
amusing and watching the younger
children on different afternoons.
Marjorie's life was all sunshine
until some four weeks ago, when
her husband, in one of those lux
uries of confession that weak men
so enjoy, told her that his assistant
professor, a handsome girl of about
%, loved him as deeply as he did
her. He was exultant over his con-
quest, and fatuously related to his
wife the details of the affair in
which the girls great love had over
come her scruples.
Bitter Injustice.
"This sounds as nauseating to me
as it does to you," writes Marjorie,
'but Arthur was like a Growing boy
over it. I did what could. Told
him that he must be out of his
senses to jeopardize his position, his
whole LIES work IN this way, to say
nothing of the bitter injustice to me
and to the children. I tried to put
my own heartbreak aside; it was
too late then for any outbreak of
NINA IN do ,pv cood Tor Jave