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YqLjXXII NO *2
VIENNA, GA. THURSDAY, JUNE 2 1904
TERMS $1 A YEAR CASH
OF INTEREST. TO WOMEN.
THE BACK NUMBER
Letter No. 16 of a series pf 20.
Copy righted 1904 by Christine Herrick.
Sometimes the back number is a
man. Generally it is a woman. I
am not going to try to oxplain why
this is the ease. There may be a
variety ot reasons. The first one
that presents itself to me is that
women lead too liiuoh of a shut-in
life'juul do nof, have euough out
side interests to occupy them.
When a woman has little children
it is natural and proper that she
should boa great deal at homo.
Her duties keep her there. But
oddly enough, that is not usually
an effort to change her.
Even when the effort does come
from the daughter the mother, does
not always respond kindly to it.
For one of the symptoms of back
mimberitis is resentment of criti
cism.
And it must be owned that the ex
perience is not one of' uirnixua
gratification. We all of us like to
be well thought of. And for a
mother v no has thought pretty well
of herself for years,—even if she
has i.otownel it,-- to be called to
order by her young daughter for a
fault in 'pronunciation or mgrammer
or for the cut of her skirt or the
frock she wears' or- the uld fash
ioned way in which she does her
hair, is not the pleasantest experience
one could select if one wore searoh-
tho lime when she is aback number, ing for pleasat experiences.
Unless she is of a hopelessly vege-' Yot such medioino is good for the
table type she is interested in her
babies and in ether women’s babies.
She is keon to learn new things
about housekeeping and home con
veniences am) she wants to dress as
well as circumstances will permit
and to have her friends come in and
•see her and the uewest baby. She
probably takes at least one women’s
paper and reads it diligently and
perhaps sond9 an occasional contri
bution to the bouse keepers’ column.
As her children grow a little older
and begin going to school she reads
up ou new educational .methods and
happy that her boy and girl are to
have this and that advantage. j
When the ohildren grow older
and the girl goes away to school or |
Comes nome afterwards and when j
the boy goes to college or into 1
business, she is deeply interested in J
all that concerns them,---their dress, j
their pursuits and their friend.
In the first place the woman grow s
caroless about her dress. She is not j
untidy, but she does not take a
healthful interest in the fashions.
She looks what I heard one wiUnnn
call “don’t care-ish." That des
cribes her very well. She do sen’t
care about her dress, so long as it is
clean and whole." She doesn’t care j
about questions of public interest. ;
She doesn’t read the papers. She ■
knowsnothing of what is going ou
in the gr,eat world. She is inclined •
to be a little peevish or querulous, j
possibly. She feels that she is not 1
of much use. 1
Although most women do not
recognize the fact,, the time when j
they begin to be back numbers is
long before they get there. The j
disease is one of slow growth. It
shows itself first when the mother
ceases to throw herself into the
persuits of her children, and takes H
for granted that since they have
their friends she is not needed.
When she leaves the room in the
evening because Bessie or- Mary is
expecting callers, when she does n--
share in her daughter's interest m
their new frocks or new companions
■when she fails to join in ljer sou s
enthusiasm over base ball or fo.r j
ball and to listen with keen intere-t
to what “this fellow” said or “th: t
fellow” did, when she comesOto. the
point that she can no longer be a
gill with her girls or a boy with her
boys, she is well on . the way to a
confirmed caseof “back numberitis. ”
Her condition demands heroic
treatment and her children rarely j
dare apply it,---or perhaps it does
not occur to them. It is a clear
sighted-son or daughter who accepts
the mother as she is without making
sjuI. It is part of the heroic treat
ment that is to save one from be
coming a back number. As soon as
one reaches the poiir where criticism
is resented and ignored, growth and
improvement are practically at au
end.
The other day I saw one woman
who declines suoh physio. She is
perhaps sixty years old aud she has
in her the possibility of boing at
tractive woman. Her figure is
somewhat inclined to redundancy,
but this same iieshiness does away
with wrinkles and her face is us
smooth and rosy as that of a child.
Her hair, which is Still plentiful;
she wears in flowing owls, because
she wote them like that whou she
first mot her husband, some forty
odd years ago, This erives her a
rather singular appearance,’ iu this
day cf more conventional eoiliures,
aud hur dress does not piake her
look less odd.
For one thing, she indulges in
shirt waists, aucl this is an article of
attire that the middle aged, woman
should deny herself, if she is stout.
Her corset was decidedly not of ‘the
straight* front variety. She also
wore ashort skirt,—another garment
that is nevor becoming gto a largo
woman. In imitation of the young
girls twhoirt she had seen wear four
in-band tics, this woman had put on
a turn down collar and a made up
lour-in-band. Apparently she was
entirely contented with herself,—
but it would have beeu an exception
ally dutiful son or daughter who
would with pride have introduced
her to strangers. Yet had her dress
been criticised, no matter how kindly,
her feelings would havo been hurt
deeply. And for that reason her
family endures the mortification of
her eceentrio aspect, loving her too
dearly to wound her by a word of
disparagement, or even of advise.
The mother need not of necessity
be obliged to entertain in an elaborate
fashion, any more than she must
dress in gorgeous attire. But she
should make her children’s friends
woloomo to the family tablo, she
should know what are then interests
and ambitions, she should pay
euough attention to h6r own dross to
bo sure that she will appear well in
the eyes of hcriamily and of others.
She should share the pursuits of her
sous and daughters so far as she
can. The lectures and epuoorls and
clubs that interest them should
claim her interest. She should
join in their outdoor occupations,
She should fish with them, row
with thorn, walk with them.
..AH Ihis.isTiot merely : to Imji
companion to the jilmors and so to
do them good and help them on in
life. The association does that,
but it does more ^besides. It keeps
the mother young. -It brings her lii
touch witli.wbat is going on Tn the
world about her aud makes her feel
a part of tlie great scheme of things
insteadTf a self-centered atom off
by herself. Tboro is no danger of
her getting into a back eddy am)
staying there if she is with her
children. They are bound to go on
and sho goes with them. She can
afford to expend a groat deal of
compassionate thought on the
woman who has suffered horself to
become a back number.
The blackberry crop promises to
be geod and the country editors are
feeling jubilent over the prospect.
ELECTION FRAUDS '
The contest case between N A
Morris and Geo. F. Uober for" the
nomination of judge of the Bluo
Ridge circuit has been published in
book form and sent out for publio
reading. It is the case in which
Gober was nominated and Morris
contested the primary vote And tlio
grounds of fiatid, Tho stato
executive eommitteej i sustained
GSbor because of aomo papers not
boiiig properly prepared.
The books shows the dirtiost kind
of political trickery in some of tlm
districts of ^ Cobb county. This
does not turn • us- against electing
judges by the people, but it forces
tho ppimon upon us stronger that
we need the" Australian or somo
other ballot system. Lot the elec-
tion of judges remain whore it is",
but give us better cicoliou laws.
The corruption practiced at tho polls
is sometime a -t-amplc of the charac
ter of tlio’ men voted for, ami’ gen
erally betokens ihfl character of tho
mon who perpetrate the frauds.
Since so much fraud is shown in
the judicial circles, there must be a
source of corruption from whioh it
flows, and the open ballot has laid
bare some of tho pts. W hen judges
are appointed, the evil is just jas
intense but not so wide spread.
Nine out ol ten business men fail*
Nine out of ten farmers succeed.
Young man, slay on the farm.
■■•a
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Where It Is
Cash Pric
or Can Find
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