My experience during wifehood has been that so long as husband and
children could have necessities the mother could manage somehow.
It is my silver-wedding day to-morrow, and you will see something
of what it has meant to me. I was married young; my husband is five
years older. I had my first three children before I was twenty-four,
nursing them all. Then I had three miscarriages in the next eight
years. I had two more children later, in one and a half years. Since
then, eleven years ago, I have had a misplaced womb, and have had two
more miscarriages since, one being of twins five months, and one three
months.
I believe it was having children too fast that weakened my inside and
brought on miscarriages.
When I heard Mrs. H. say at our Conference she always had £5 provided
for confinement, I felt that she had indeed been a lucky woman. I have
never yet been in that position, and it is because a woman has not
enough money to pay for things being done for her until she is strong
enough to do them for herself, that causes so much suffering.
My husband’s wages was 30s. a week when he made a full week, but
unfortunately his trade was very uncertain. In ten years we had moved
four different times--twice to A, back again to B, and then to C which
accounts a great deal for us being short, as we had to pay our own
expenses each time, and of course you will understand what it means
to a mother when she is left behind. The husband must be found his
board-money and pocket-money, even if she goes short of necessaries.
_Wages 30s.; five children, five miscarriages._
[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF EXTRACT FROM LETTER 36.]