Mothers and ChildrenW. Collins, 1918 - 166 pages These 14 brief, contrasting vignettes, which each stand alone and deal with one mother and her child, provide glimpses of a huge range of mother-child relationships. Most extol the passion, depth and fulfilment of maternal love, which is likened in some tales to divine love, even protecting a child from beyond the grave (EILEEN). Some mothers invest all ambition in their offspring (ARTHUR). Some stories describe tragedies – MARGUERITE turns out ‘a dumbie’, longed-for PHI-PHI is an ‘idiot’, clever GERALD has a serious accident at Eton, BOBBY dies aged 4, devastating his mother, idolised CHARLIE becomes delinquent and ruins the family (though retaining his mother’s adoration). DOUGLAS’s adoptive mother cannot love him as his own mother still does. Some children return this devotion - GERALD comforts his anguished mother after his accident, MAUD gives up married love to care for her blind mother. NORMAN’s mother, fleeing a drunken, murderous husband, is redeemed and comforted by her son. Other mothers, like DERRICK’s, hate their children, with reciprocal dislike. GLADYS, spoiled by her mother, grows up selfish and arrogant. JANEY’s mother despises husband and child, and Janey dreams of her absent father. |
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Page 23
... bear to reprove him herself ; would not tolerate that others should do so . From the first , Arthur's world lay in his mother's eyes ; and there he read himself centre of the universe . The child is a lovable one , despite his faults ...
... bear to reprove him herself ; would not tolerate that others should do so . From the first , Arthur's world lay in his mother's eyes ; and there he read himself centre of the universe . The child is a lovable one , despite his faults ...
Page 24
... bear it , I can't bear it , " he will cry out ; and she , kneeling beside him , trying to soothe him , will pray in the very madness of her sympathy that he may die rather than be in pain . She is a miser over the child ; grudges his ...
... bear it , I can't bear it , " he will cry out ; and she , kneeling beside him , trying to soothe him , will pray in the very madness of her sympathy that he may die rather than be in pain . She is a miser over the child ; grudges his ...
Page 34
... bear , said it softly when baby nestled in her arms , said it triumphantly when she heard that Nora was childless . Then Bobby , frail little Bobby , sickened : fret- ful words instead of loving ones , drooping head and feeble step ...
... bear , said it softly when baby nestled in her arms , said it triumphantly when she heard that Nora was childless . Then Bobby , frail little Bobby , sickened : fret- ful words instead of loving ones , drooping head and feeble step ...
Page 35
... bear it , treasuring him in her memory , trying to think of him as lost , trying to make Bobby fill all his place . Bobby , little sonny , God's message of comfort and peace . And now , Bobby lay dying . The window was open to the sweet ...
... bear it , treasuring him in her memory , trying to think of him as lost , trying to make Bobby fill all his place . Bobby , little sonny , God's message of comfort and peace . And now , Bobby lay dying . The window was open to the sweet ...
Page 45
... bear prosperity , " said those same friends who had complained that she was being spoiled , who envied her happiness , " but how will she bear adversity ? " Poor Maud , even a mother with her body as shield cannot save us from our ...
... bear prosperity , " said those same friends who had complained that she was being spoiled , who envied her happiness , " but how will she bear adversity ? " Poor Maud , even a mother with her body as shield cannot save us from our ...
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Common terms and phrases
ambitions arms Arthur asked Aunt Bessie baby beautiful Bobby brain caresses Carson Charlie child Chisel Danby's Derrick Devereux Douglas dream Eileen Eric Eton everything face father Frank Danby Frazer friends genius Gerald girl glad Gladys grew growing hair hands happy head heard heart ache Heaven husband Janey Jessie Joanna John Evans kiss knee knew light lips little angel little one's lived look Marguérite Margy marriage married maternity Maud Maud's measles months mother-love mother's eyes MOTHERS AND CHILDREN Mummy Mumsey ness nestled never night nurse nursery old Celia old maid pain pale passion perhaps Phi-phi Phyllis Vane's pity Poor little Poor mother Reuben Carson's seemed shadow world Slowcumb smiled Stanford University story sympathy talk tears tell Temple thought tin soldier told touched tremulous trouble turn Ursula voice watch wife woman words Wyvern young young doctor
Popular passages
Page 21 - I HAD a little daughter, And she was given to me To lead me gently backward To ,the Heavenly Father's knee, That I, by the force of nature, Might in some dim wise divine The depth of his infinite patience To this wayward soul of mine.