Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-17

always been respected. So Mrs. john
son made no remarks and asked no
questions. Then one day Joan opened
a letter that had snapshots in it,
showed them to her mother, and en-
Enthusiastically started talking about all
the things David could do! HE got
his letter in baseball - don't you
think this one is good of him in his
baseball suit? This is one OF him diving
Il he doesn't dive so we'll. He's trying
hard to make the hockey team
don't know If he can" The next letter
from David brought a casual inquiry
from Mrs. johnson: How is he get
ting along with hockey -. p
Joan was pleased that her mother
had remembered and she handed over
the whole letter to be shared.
Toiksd Over Lsstsss
WHEN Frank. another boy, who had
written from an agricultural college,
said he thought he would like to have
a chicken farm later on. Joan told her
mother about this, and Mrs. johnson
became interested in chickens. Not
once did she seem more interested in
David than in hockey. or more in
terested in Frank than in agriculture.
Yet. in time she knew all about both
boys, as well as about all Joan's other
friends, whose letters were little by
little talked over as they might have
been with a girl friend.
The fact that these letters were
shared in the end is quite beside the
point. They might equally we'll have
been kept by Joan to herself. The i'm
portant point is that there are certain
definite home rights which each and
every member of the family must be
granted - little children as we'll as
their older brothers and sisters And
the first of these is the right to I'M
opened letters.
When the child is too young to read.
his letter should be handed to him
still sealed. Let him open it - help
him only if necessary and then ask:
Shall l read it to your" Otherwise,
no letters belonging to a child - let
alone half-grown boy or girl - may
ever be opened by any one. Even if a
letter were left open on the table. no
one with high sense of honor would
read it. unless told to do so.
Suppose there is serious situation.
For example. letter to a daughter is
recognized. by its writing or its post
mark, as being from some one to whom
she has promised not to write. Al
parent might hand the letter to her Il
unopened. of course - and possibly
ask for reinsurance as to its contents,
but a parent should not ask. nor
expect, to read the letter.
Get Permission Fi,u
W. LET me give very different exam
pie. Suppose letter plainly contains
the results of college or other examina-
tons. A mother. no matter how eager
to hear the results. or how Immediately
they will be reported by the son or
daughter. must not open even this.
unless permission has been given.
If girls mother has impatiently
been asking: Haven't you heard YETI?
her daughter. before going, may say:
open the letter. darling. by all
means, when it comes!' Even 50,
though she has proper permission to|
read it. her doing so would depend
upon whether or not her daughter isl
likely to care about getting the news
first herself. If she is afraid she has not
passed, she may want mothers sup
port in breaking the bad news. But if
she is almost certain of getting honors,
then breaking the news to the family
adds zest to her joy.
Telephone privacy is another home
right which should be granted to the
children, as well as to the older men,
bers of the family. 1t is no more excus-
able for parents to listen. on an extern
sion telephone, to their children's|