Show Kathleen Norris Says Dont Don't Try to Fight the La LawI Law v I Hell Ben Syndicate Features J k 1 r 1 e L I 7 hors have asked Ralph to leave her where she is happy in her home and school By KATHLEEN NORRIS MORRIS AM Al going to fight the lawand law lawand lawand I I and get the best of it too writes Mary Lee Miller from Buffalo I have been a peace loving woman all my life but ut I have my rights and I propose propose propose pro pro- pose to maintain them Five years ago my closest woman friend died her letter goes on On her deathbed she confided to me her new-born new daughter Maureen Her husband husband husband hus hus- band Ralph thanked me fervently fervently fervently fer fer- vently for taking the child and he and his son moved to another N city The baby has grown to be one of the most responsive intelligent in in- intelligent and beautiful of children chila chil chil- a dren ren and my heart is wrapped about her My own o youth youth Youth-I I am amI I now 31 was 31 was sacrificed to invalid parents I will not marry so I Iam Iam r am am alone except for Maureen Now Ralph has married again i and married a young ly unfitted to handle a child chUd of five She phe is pretty frivolous and doesn't r J J want ant Maureen But Ralph who has I prospered bought a home and andi i placed 2 laced his son in a fine school is de- de to have the child with them them They have one servant a 5 Filipino who has been with Ralph for V years ears except for what he does the X I lJ view new wife will have to do everything in n the way of housework and care of my Iny adored baby evenings will win have to o be sacrificed to staying at homer home r with Maureen and the new wife of I 1 course wont won't like it and may take l it out in dislike for the child Father Father rie Demands a Daughter r. r 1 Maureen is not spoiled But she is a sensitive loving little thing and transplanting her will go hard with her She may become unmanageable unmanageable unmanageable un un- un- un manageable and troublesome The thought drives me frantic I have asked Ralph outright to leave her where she is happy in her homed home d and school with pets games friends to help her develop into a lovely womanhood but he pleads that he heb b 11 wants his daughter now I have carried carried carried car car- ried her through baby sicknesses b lc her father has contributed neither effort money time nor interest all kif these se years F I My old own lawyer lawyer lawyer-an an man says that I have no legal claim l But But there is another attorney here herer iwho r f ho feels that there are stronger s arguments f arguments than mere legal ones and andeo i eo- eo that I have a chance of winning What do you think is the probability yin in a case of this kind D S1 I I have wired Mary Lee by no to be foolish enough to attempt attempt attempt at- at tempt tempt any such litigation The father has not only the strongest but the sole claim Mary Maryee An ee has nothing except the mem- mem of five happy years of adopted f motherhood If she is wise she will surrender Maureen with as much advice and encouragement as she shee e scan can an instill into a child of five fiver and remain remain friendly with Ralph and his new ew wife so that she will be able to J step tep in and md help when the stepmother step step- other mother finds the problem too much for lor her as she well may Laws are made for the greatest of the greatest number in the majority of cases They can take takeno i id ad d no no account of personalities and of I special situations Unless Ralph can r rAbe cI Abe e proved an unfit guardian for nothing can take h her er away rom him Maureen has cost Ralph t O tP fAL r 7 am alone except for Maureen I A PARENTS PARENT'S RIGHT Natural parents have the first and best right to their children This right is fixed in the laws of oj every state Occasionally these laws may result in some injustice as in the case considered in this issue A young mother dying soon after her baby was ivas born asked her friend to care for it The baby Maureen grew into a charming and attractive child Now her father who has haJ paid no attention to Maureen een for five years and has not contributed to her support wants his daughter He is married again and is fairly prosperous The mothers mother's friend Mary Lee who has cared lovingly for Maureen Mau reen during the trying years o of f babyhood doesn't want to give up the child She plans to fight for Maureen in court although she lIe has no adoption papers or any legal claim nothing She cost one woman herlUe her life lUe and another five years of love care expense time effort But the law hands her over to Ralph as a matter of course Case of Unfaithful Wife There was another case in which the law was even stranger A young wife desperate at the coldness and dullness of an older husband went away with a younger lover set up an ideally blissful little Bohemian menage had a year or two of radiant radiant radiant radi radi- ant happiness and then went to her husband to plead for a divorce because because because be be- cause a child was expected The husband not only refused the di divorce divorce di- di divorce vorce but claimed the child as his as it would be born while she was still legally his wife And his claim was sustained Again in a certain western state it it was formerly the law that if a husband discovered proof of a wife's immoral action even though it had been committed years before her marriage to him he could claim an annulment of his marriage and full custody of his children Fortunately such a law would only rarely be invoked invoked invoked in in- and it was re recently repealed The absurdity of claiming that first there was no marriage and second the father had upon the children the claim that only legitimacy gives was too patent and the law was swept away But before it was swept away it was brought to public attention by a husband father of four who was maintaining a very affectionate relationship relationship relationship re re- re- re with a certain widow in his neighborhood He had discovered discovered discovered ered early indiscretions on the part of his wife and cited this iniquitous law it was maintained and the four small children were turned overto over overto overto to the widow who promptly married married married mar mar- ried their father The mother went away and shortly afterward tO took k her own life This is a n true case Laws arent aren't always just and laws can be changed But the law that gives the surviving parent first claim claimon on a child is as old as Solomon and never will be revoked And one of the sharpest lessons life teaches us from the time we are arc babies walking on the grass in the park is that it never pays to fight the law |