Show ELLA WHEELER WILCOX ON aN ON Motherhood Motherhood The Duty of a Wife to Her Unborn Children I Is Maternity Cut Should Be Bethe Bethe Bethe the Holy Thing It Is Meant to Be By ELLA WHEELER WILCOX Co Copyright 1913 by Star Company THE TIlE UNWED MOTHER TO THE WIFE WIPE I bad had been almost happy for lor or an hour bour Los Lost t to tho the world that knew know mo me in in- tho the park Among faces while my little girl irl Leaped with tho the chirruped with the tho bir birds sJ Anti And with the sunlight glowed She Sho was so 60 dear So beautiful BO so sweet and for tho the timo Unto 5 y The Tho rose of ot love lovo shorn of oC its thorn of shame Bloomed in my heart Then Thea suddenly you Ou passed J I It sat Bat t alono upon the pub public lc bench You with your lawful husband rodo rode in state And whoa when your our eros foil fell on mo and my child They were not eyes but poison tipped God how pow good women slaughter with a look 5 j And like cold coil steel your glance cut through m my heart heart- Struck every petal prom from the rose roso or of lovo 10 And left tho cd stalk alive alivo with rn ragged thorns p I My f little one ona one came amo running to nw my my si side sile e CAnd C- C And called d mo ma Mother Iother It was Jike a blow Bets Bets' Between on the tho eyes and anti made marlo mo JIlO sick siek with pain hiam And thou then it seemed ht hs as j if each bir bird and breeze Took rook up the tho word and changed its syllables v From Mother into and aud cried cl My shame to all nIl the world worM I After ACtor discussing g Tho The Unwed Unwe Mother Iother to the Wi Wife ft your poem in inthe inthe the tho August Cosmopolitan tho the girls inthis in iu this thi office have hare decided to a ask k whether er you would bo Lc so 80 kin land kind as to advise ad all vise us through h the tho New Now York Journal whom you OU consider tho the greater Sinner anti and 11 why I consider the wife vito the greater creator sinner binner hut tho the girls girl tb do llo not agree with me inc They seem to think wh when u a woman is Ic legally ally married mar ned ried sho aho hr has the thc ri right ht to accept or r rn- rn fuse fuso Gods Goda 8 most wonderful blessing children We Wc would all appreciate a little j article aTtie on this subject Thanking you very kindly in ad atI vance anCl 1 am ant one of your Jour many man girl Jirl girlfriend girlfriend friend frien rea readers ers BESSIE BESSE HERMANNS The Tho poem quoted above aboc from th the thc August Co Magazine In is in itself an answer to this thil query Iner A woman who is l locally legally married marrie has no right to destroy her hor unborn child She Sho has bas the right to refuse motherhood mother hood if she sho is is that her children chil hen dren would ho bo liable to inherit vicious or eliea diseased d tendencies That is is she has hUI th the right to decide she bo wilt will not plant a n harvest est of tares tare Tint But once ODro the tho aerni gerni erm of or life liCo in is planted that moment she line has iu invited an au ini it tt was your Jour eyes Thich did lid till all this But listen no to DJ Not you ou alone but all the barren wire Who Vho like you JOu flaunt their virtue in the face Of or fallen women I 1 Ido do chance chanco to know The Tho crimes you think are arc hidden from all men Save Savo one who ho took your gold and sold sole his skill kill And jeopardized his hs name for fur your our base en ends s I know how you h have c sunk stink your soul in jn sense sone any wanton wa-uton an and refused to bear hear The harvest of your II jie pleasure sure planted seed Heed 1 I know how v you rou have hlL crushed tho the tender bud hull Which held a soul how you ou have o blighted it And made the tho holy miracle of birth birthA A wicked travesty of G GOds GOd's ds d's design Ye Yes many lUany buds bud which mj might bt be blossoms now I And And beautify your selfish arid and life jfe Have you YOU destroyed because you OU chose choso to J keep The Tho aimless 8 freedom and tho the purposeless Self seeking liberty of childless wives I J wn wa wa an untaught girl By r nature led lcd By love 10 anti and pass passion p ion blinded I became An Au unwed mother You an aim honored wife tho the crown of oC motherhood clef defy The laws laus of nature awl and fling hao baby souls Back Rack in ill the face fare ot of ot God Clod And Amid yet ct you dare Call m inn 1011 a sinner and yourself a saint aint And 1111 all aU the world Mini ON on yon jou JIL and its doors Swing wide ide ut nt your approach I Marul outside Surely Surch there thorn must be hi higher ht r courts than thaI earth Where herc you ou aim and I 1 will ds day meet anti aud be Weighed b by a larger Justice mortal soul to come into being anti and take taka on ott mortal immortal form aria orm and w 1 if if- she ho pre prevents vents its reaching maturity she tho does docs a H. criminal act Girl Who Has Erred Is Isto Isto Isto to Be Pitied by All Humanity girl airl irl who through h lack of right training antI and right or why who through loving Jo unwisely el becomes a mother without marriage e tics ties is to be hc I pitied She has brought morrow orro on I herself and on her ber child for lil lit life But BUll she sho i is far less of a than Ulan the I mature mattire women who ho in iii tho the shelter of ofa I a n homo home and aud with th the full sanction of church and aud society to be bo a n mother deliberately de de- ile- ile destroys her unborn child chili in ill order to escape the trouble anti and expense ex cx pease pense c of maternity The girls cirl's sin is s tho sin of weak human nature the tha sins a against nature natura and a against Gods God's divine ine laws lawe- Motherhood to be the hol holy and happy thin thing It St is meant to be the be-the tho greatest privilege given to woman woman- needs tho time blessing of la law an and amid love c But o Jaws laws however they protect Ji n wife from rom the tho con condemnation a r of or society rau can never nO make abortion thin an loss less than a crime Women criminals of this order arc to be lie found in ill every o church and anil in in i high h social circles and time they arc are ac c- c an their conduct is o overlooked because they arc married l Society Condoning the Act Doesn't Lessen the Crime But that does docs not flot Its It's the crit crime 1 Their acts acta are arc deliberate and amid premeditated hated and done through selfishness and a desire to escape tho the it ity Ih of motherhood The Tho erring girls girl's irl s 's fall Call is unpremeditated H and tho time result of lack of proper training at home proper proper maternal hing l for or no girl uirl irl who is i the tIme close companion au and intimate friend of a n wise loving Jo sympathetic mother ever cr oes wron wrong Head Bead your Now New Testament and nud see seo how bow of all nil sinners mentioned Christ gave e a the deepest compassion to tho tim fallen woman Anti And then look about you and try to find one of or his true disciples 5 fl S |