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Letter to Editor
June 4, 1918
The Seattle Star
Seattle, King County, Washington
What is this article about?
A young unwed mother recounts giving up her illegitimate daughter for adoption due to poverty, only to be denied visits and a final glimpse when the child was ill, criticizing the adoptive mother's cruelty and justifying resentment from birth mothers like herself.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
A Girl-Mother Who Has Found Sorrow
Dear Miss Grey: I would like to say a few words about adopting babies. Four years ago I adopted my baby girl out, not because I didn't want her, but because I could not make a living for her and myself. I was only a baby myself. I know she was not legitimate, but I loved her just as much. The people who took her promised me that I could go and see her when I wanted to, so I thought that very kind of them. I went a few times, but she cried so hard for me and it hurt me so badly, that we decided I should stay away until she had forgotten me, so I did, altho it hurt me more than words can express.
There came a time when I heard my baby was expected to die. I rushed to the city where they lived and asked to have a last look at her, but the would be mother told me "no," that she was theirs, not mine and shut the door in my face. If she should have stuck a knife thru my heart it would not have hurt any more. This woman was a real mother, too, but her little one died. I don't see how she could be so cruel as to treat me like that. My baby didn't die, but they never write to me or allow me to see her. So why shouldn't mothers like myself have a bad feeling for such women?
A LONELY MOTHER.
Dear Miss Grey: I would like to say a few words about adopting babies. Four years ago I adopted my baby girl out, not because I didn't want her, but because I could not make a living for her and myself. I was only a baby myself. I know she was not legitimate, but I loved her just as much. The people who took her promised me that I could go and see her when I wanted to, so I thought that very kind of them. I went a few times, but she cried so hard for me and it hurt me so badly, that we decided I should stay away until she had forgotten me, so I did, altho it hurt me more than words can express.
There came a time when I heard my baby was expected to die. I rushed to the city where they lived and asked to have a last look at her, but the would be mother told me "no," that she was theirs, not mine and shut the door in my face. If she should have stuck a knife thru my heart it would not have hurt any more. This woman was a real mother, too, but her little one died. I don't see how she could be so cruel as to treat me like that. My baby didn't die, but they never write to me or allow me to see her. So why shouldn't mothers like myself have a bad feeling for such women?
A LONELY MOTHER.
What sub-type of article is it?
Emotional
Reflective
Social Critique
What themes does it cover?
Social Issues
Morality
What keywords are associated?
Adoption Sorrow
Illegitimate Child
Birth Mother Heartbreak
Adoptive Cruelty
Motherhood Pain
What entities or persons were involved?
A Lonely Mother
Miss Grey
Letter to Editor Details
Author
A Lonely Mother
Recipient
Miss Grey
Main Argument
a young mother who adopted out her illegitimate child due to poverty expresses deep sorrow and resentment towards the adoptive mother who cruelly denied her access to the child, especially when the child was near death, arguing that such actions justify ill feelings from birth mothers.
Notable Details
Promised Visits But Stopped Due To Child's Distress
Denied Final Visit When Child Was Expected To Die
Adoptive Mother's Child Later Died
Writer Was Young And Unable To Support Herself And Child