Show oo THE WORKING GIRL GIR AND HER MOTHER BY DOROTHY DIX 8 oc ac X ERE is 15 a true story ston that turns a a. HERE H searchlight upon one of or the un unconsciouslY unconsciously unconsciously un- un consciously cruel and unjust st situations situ Itu- Itu of ot life A womans woman's husband died leaving her herI I a n. boy and girl baby and no means of Dt support By the tho most heroic efforts the mother managed to rear these chil chil- Iren dren As soon as the girl was able she ho went ent to work to help her mother The mother expected even demanded it of ot her but she spoiled and indulged d the tho boy ao tiO that he grew gre greup up to be idle shiftless shirtless and worthless The mother Is not able to work any anymore anymore anymore more now and th the girl supports the family the husky brother Included She I Is a delicate little creature prematurely premature premature- ly aged by long years of gruelling of office ot- ot flee fice work but she sha sticks to her post like a a. martyr Silent and submissive sho she hands her pay envelope over to her mother over every overy week without even so 50 much as a peep at the contents She denies herself hersel everything possible even necessary dental work while the mother supplies the son with money for tor and baseball and beer that thai the girl has earned It seems Impossible that such a condition condition con con- as this could exist or that any mother could COUIl ever be tie so prejudiced In favor of cf a bad son that she he would bo be illing to sacrifice a good daughter to him yet t t such cases every ery day I know one similar to that cited clied above e In which when a frail trail girl rebelled at having to support a big big- drunken loafer of ot a brother the tho mother turned upon her fiercely and anti reproached her for being being bemy be- be ing my so hearted hard-hearted and stingy as not notto notto notto to be willing to feed her poor brother The best and most dutiful daughter on c erth cirth rth has to take a back seat in a n mothers mother's affections when tho the prodigal son comes along alons Cant Can't Help Themselves Biologists tell us that there thore Is a perfectly perfectly per per- good reason why mothers lovo loo tb their lr sons better than they do their daughters and wh why a mother h has s a tenderneSs tenderness tenderness ten ten- and sympathy r for tor even a worthless worthless worthless worth worth- less son that sho she doesn't feel teel for tor an nn angel angel an an- gel daughter Its It's the tho way n mothers mother are built and the they cant can't help themselves poor loor things s. s Anyway we do tIo not have havo to be biologists biologists biolo blob to perceive percel that this is the way the time world Is run It is nh always us the cakes and al ale for tor my 01 sons ons while the crusts ire arc good enough for nl my daughters so soI o I fr if r n the mother is concerned This partiality of mothers s- s sor for or their I sons is common to all ranks of ot society I but nowhere else is it so SI plainly exhibIted an as in the unjust attitude which poor mothers exhibit toward tow their children chit chil dren tJien who work worle In almost ever every case In which a a. girl girlIs Is n a winner bread her mother requires her to turn over to her her entire earnIngs earn earn- In ings s. s and nd the mother then n gives e b back to the tho girl what t she sho considers proper for tor her to have hac Tho The rest of ot the tIme girls girl's earnings go toward the family support But does a a. mother treat he her hee son this way a Not once in a thousand times If It he is Ie a good conscientious lad ho hopay pays pay Ills bits mother a reasonable board boar and the balance of or his money for his hla own enjoyment enjoyment- And mother goes about among her ber acquaintances boasting of ot what a perfectly lovely son on she uhe has got Jot Because He lie Her a little mone because e money But nut she lie never dreams of ot confiscating his pay envelope as she ehe does her daughters daugh- daugh rs te Many households aro are entirely sup eup- ported b bv by time labor of the daughters of ot the tIme The sons are arc lazy and dis 11 but in such cases caseB you never hear at of a L mother who Is fair enough and H just enough to 0 shut the door In th the 1 idle faces face antI and toll them that that them theta to permit live Iho ghe he will not upon tIc the labor ot of sisters Ilster On the tho con con- the thO mother thinks that It Is more mora than right that the girls should hould proVide for tor brothers observe also the e difference i ln In the which a other mother m es 1 UPon demands rss sons and amid s he hen Toni Tom lu her r ruin from a da davs s work borne horno mother comes oms all rad ready for I ha ills his dinner him a and anda d da a comfortable choir for tor and anu aster atter ho bo has baa eaten he Is perfectly free tree to sit and smoke and antI read or put on his hat hatan an and go out to find some amusements Mother wouldn't think of ot asking that poor de dear tired bo boy to do a great Ireat lot Jot lotof lotof of ut chores chores that she had saved cd up for tOl him But wll when n Mary Mar comes home exhausted ex cx- hausted with her days day's work mother expects he her to get gel bus busy and help with the dinner and after dinner to do Ute time dishes and assist with the family sowIng sowIng sowing sow- sow Ing and antI lend a hand In a u. dozen talks tai I that have ve been laid aside for her If It i Mary were to sit d down wn and leave I mother nother to do tho the dishes alone as Tom lom does or if It Mary Marr were to put on her liar hat and go out to enjoy herself hersel mother mothel moth- moth el et would consider herself the most ill ill- used woman In the world and Mary Uary the most ungrateful daughter It Is Always Tom Yet Mary ar is far more tired from her herda da days day's work than Tom Is from his hla Sho needs rest and change and diversion lon a n. hundred times more than he does Only mother n vcr considers Mar Mary and sho always does Tom Also a mother will take everything she he has her food tood her clothes her lodging from her daughter without a word of at thanks or appreciation but she ahe will prostrate herself with gratitude before a son If It no ne gives her a pair pall of ot gloves a at Chr Christmas t This ll Is s be because use ho ho considers i H i It iu Jour Aur r a pin girl Irl to sacrifice herself herselt for tOr her family but I that a mans man's family should not be a burden on him hiS Why this J Js IS I do dp not attempt to ex ex- ex plain It Is merely n a fact tact and I call attention to It In the tho hope that the mothers mother of or working girls may perceive hi how hW unjust t the e are to their daughters daugh tots and treat them with a little more consideration Tho Thu girl Irl who earns money has just justn n D 58 much right to tc It as tho the boy has to his pay envelope and if It sho she pays py her herway herway herway way at home horne she Is entitled Just as much to be the star boarder as her Iter brother More than that the tho working girls girl's strength being less should bo ho more conserved Vl than a a. boy hays boys 8 and her mother should not expect her hor to do the work ork of ot a man outside d of ot her home and the work of ot a n woman In it It Maru Ian a girl breaks down because of ot tho the added work orl her mother lar lays las upon her hel shoulders |