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EDITORIAL RAGE The Atlanta Georgian THE HOM E RARER THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY At 20 East Alabama St.. Atlanta. Ga. Entered as second-class matter at postoffice at Atlanta, under act of Marc h Subscription Price--Delivered by carrier, 10 cent* a week. By mall, $5.00 a year. Payable In Advance. If These Were Your Children | If You Wrre a Woman Working All Day, and if Your Chil dren Were Left Alone in This Fashion, Would YOU Be Peaceful and Submissive? Copyright, 1918. You feeble-minded men that oppose woman suffrage, and you ‘‘dear clinging vine” women that oppose the suffrage because you like to play the part of a petted lap dog, look at the two pictures on this page. If you do not know WHY it is that women the world over are demanding the vote AND ARE OOINO TO GET IT, look at these pictures. The big picture shows you the life of a working woman in the English coal mines, as it actually was, only a few years ago. The galleries in the mines are so low that a woman could not stand up in them. The habit was to fasten a steel collar around the woman’s neck, fasten a chain to the collar, running under her breast and between her legs, fasten the chain to the coal car on steel tracks AND MAKE THE WOMAN DRAG THE GOAL CAR ON HER HANDS AND KNEES to the mouth of the mine. There is no imagination or exaggeration about this. It is the plainest kind of history. Thousands upon thousands of English women were chained like this to coal cars in mine shafts and pulled like mules on braids and knees year after year, until the palms of their hands and the knee caps became like leather. Thai was done because men wanted to get out the coal as cheaply as possible and A WOMAN was the cheapest thing that could be hitched to the little coal car in the mine with low gal leries. You hear fools say that women cannot vote, because they are not able “to go to war.” Is not this woman on her knees ‘‘going to war?” Do you want anything more like war, or more like HELL, which is war, than the life she leads? And do not say that woman is all right now because she is no longer hitched up as in this picture. English laws have prevented this at least. But they have not freed woman from slavery, either in England or in America. Woman is still hitched up, in all countries. She is hitched to machines of all kinds, and she tugs at her industrial traces all day long. It is just as bad being hitched to a sewing machine run by electricity at high speed or hitched to a box-making machine driven at nerve destroying speed as to be hitched on hands and knees to a small coal car in a mine. The little picture in this column shows you the children of the working woman of England—the children of the woman tugging on her hands and knees These children spend the day alone, the older caring for the younger, a few living to maturity and more than half dying in childhood. Of such children there are millions in this world—plenty of them here in "rich America.” Tens of thousands of mothers must leave their children to earn the money that will barely keep the children alive. And others, more unhappy, must take the young children to work in the mills with them. Do you wonder that women rebel and demand a share in the lawmaking which controls their destiny? Do you wonder that the women of England, realizing that women must do wbat men have done, are driven against their will ;.nd against their nature to violence and hatred? Pity the smug, self-satisfied, clinging vine, well-fed woman in silks and laces who opposes woman suffrage “beoause it is not womanly.” She is, compared to the ardent suffragist, what some curly- haired, sleek, worthless lap dog is compared to a noble hunting dog. The salvation of women must oome through the ballot, and they must defend themselves as men have done, by controlling those that make the laws. Give women the vote and men in office wiil interest them selves in the welfare of women and children* This Is How Women Worked in English Coal Mines v ;• 1 ' • ijPtew* 'wmS&Sm .•< ix&y+yir. 1 ■ / ft i'-US ws% They do not pull coal cars on their hands and knees NOW, but they are not so much better off. Don’t you think it natural that Englishwomen, and all other women should d emand the right to vote and FIGHT FOR IT if necessary? — (See Edi torial.) They Should Worry By TAD Ella Wheeler Wilcox Writes on Rights of a Mother- in-La w ■La' , HerStanding Depends Entirely w W” on Her Conduct--She Has No Right to Interfere Be- tween Husband and Wife. Written For The A tlanta Georgian By Ella Wheeler Wilcox Copyright, 1913, by Star Company. A QUESTION ha a bean pro pounded to the editor of The Atlanta Georgian which he requested me to answer. The question, or series of ques tions, periains to the old, old sub ject which has troubled the mind of man since the beginning of cre- tion. with the exception of Adam and Eve. 1. Has a mother-in-law any rights that a aon-in-law In honor should respect? 2. If a mother-tn-law and son- in-law have had a bitter quarrel over domestic affairs, has the son- in-law a moral right to command his wife to cease all social or lov ing intercourse with her mother? 3. If the wife decides, through a mistaken sense of duty to her husband, to forever remain on terms of sundered companion ship with her mother, is she de porting herself in a proper or filial manner toward her mother? 4. If the wife has a brother who becomes a chum of her hus band under the state of affairs above mentioned, is that son showing a proper love or pro tecting spirit toward his mother, who Is old and alone? These questions are entirely too abstract to permit of a definite answer. It all depends on the na ture of the quarrel or misunder standing. If the mother has been interfering with the domestic af fairs of the household, and offer ing unsolicited opinions; if she has been officiously intrusive in matters which pertained solely to the husband and wife, and w’hieh they couid settle between them selves: If she has been pouring kerosene upon flames, instead of oil on troubled waters, then, in deed. the husband is right In sug gesting that his wife choose be tween a home with himself or with her mother. A mother-in-law has been known to incite her daughter to Jealousy of a most faithful and kind husband. If he remained in the office a half hour later than usual; if he chanced to walk a block on the street with an ac quaintance of the opposite sex. the mother insinuated infidelity and neglect, until the comfort of the household was destroyed by her presence. Bewailed Being Forsaken. When the daughter, who proved to be a woman of common sense, and as Just as sensible, informed her mother that she would sup port her away from her own home, but not in it, the mother lifted her voice in a loud wail of being "forsaken" by her own offspring, and the majority of the public sympathized with her. Vet the daughter is right. So is the husband right who takes a similar stand when he finds that harmony and peace and love ex ist in his home when his mother or hia wife's mother is out of it, and that they are driven from the windows in affright when she en ters at the door. When a woman marries a man, when a man marries a woman, their personal, financial, domestic and sentimental affairs should be decided between them with no in tervention of a third party until they ask assistance. Many a mother fails to realize that it is her place to stand sec ond in authority, as an adviser to a son, or daughter, after either has taken the marriage vows. If the daughter has selected a husband who has ideas, habits or customs of which the mother does not approve, it is her place to keep silent, sigee the daughter has made her choice, and not un dertake the work of reconstruct ing their lives according to her ideals. A word of loving counsel or admonition is all very well, but a continual interference and espionage is quite another thing. When the brother of the wife takes the part of the son-in-law against his mother, the evidence is somewhat strong in favor of the husband; it suggests the in terfering and selfish mother-in- law, who can not permit her mar ried children to direct their own lives. A mother who is “old and alone” is not necessarily lovable or In the right. A son or a daugh ter should look after the physical well being of such a mother and should be respectful in speech and depul tment toward her, but to co incide with all her whims and to adopt all her prejudices and to uphold her in all her ideas is morally wrong. The duty to HU MANITY and to one's sense of jtlSTIcg is a greater and higher duty than that to a parent, a child or a friend. It ie a pathetic po sition for a son or a daughter to stand between a parent and a wife or husband. All children are reared to think mother-love the most selfish and wonderful devotion on earth, even In the face of facts which so often prove it otherwise; and when they see a mother unhappy they are inclined to make every possi ble excuse for her, because they feel that to take issue against her will put them In a bad light be fore the whole established order of society, and that they win beat their heads against traditions wherever they turn. It ie a most pathetic situation for a man—this position between a wife and a Jealous mother. My heart always aches for the man in the case even more than for the woman who is misused. Sometimes the wife IS in the wrong. Sometimes a man marries a woman who is so narrow and so selfish and so jealous that she begrudges the husband’s mother her son's affection. Changed by Husband. Sometimes a loved and cher ished daughter marries a man so selfish, so tyrannical that he wants to utterly obliterate child hood and girlhood from her mem ory and leave only HIMSELF THE TYRANT for the wife to think about. But I must confess that I have seen but one such wife or hus band where I have seen ten selfish and disagreeable mothers-in-law. And with what pleasure and admiration I recall the few beau tiful and noble mothers-in-law I have known! I can count them on the fingers of one hand with out Including the thumb. There are Just four whom I can recall. They really loved their sons, ar.d loved whatever and whoever gave these sons happi ness. There is a dear old lady living with her son-in-law to-day who always chides the > daughter if she disagrees with her husband j on any trivial point. “You have such a good husband,” she will say, “how can you disagree with him?" Another mother-in-law said to me one day, “If ever there was an angel upon earth it is my son's wife." The wife wa». In truth, a very ordinary, amiable young woman, but the mother- in-law had idealized her Into something angelic. Would that there were more like her in the land. Madame Mother-in-law, so far as your RIGHTS are concerned, you have no more right to inter fere with the domestic relations of your son or daughter than has any stranger In your town. All Entitled to Love. You are entitled to live. If yon are lovable; to respect, if you make yourself worthy of it, and to respectful TREATMENT at ail events on humanitarian grounds. You are entitled to good care and protection from your children, but this does not mean that they shall always make you a member of their households, if they find it more expedient to care for you else where. It does not mean that you have the privilege of criticis ing the domestic arrangements of their lives and homes. , If your son or daughter asks your advice, sympathy and coun sel, give it as wisely as you can, but keep away from such a posi tion if possible. Pour oil on trou bled waters and soothe and al lay wounded feelings when pos sible. Act as mediator and ad juster of difficulties, rather than the widening wedge. And if this attitude does not make you a welcome member of your child's home, find another home as soon as you can, and do not pose as a martyr. Your own child will always love you, if you are lovable. We are not loved for relationship, but for the qualities within us. If you are not obliged to be a member of the household of your married child do not be If you are try' to be an agreeable one.