Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-03-02
TIE HOME CIRCLE.
-
Ey MRS. NJ. woLyERTcN
Mothers and daughters.
BY BESSIE VICTOR

The "New Century Club OF Phila
delphia has organized evening classe.
for the Improvement of those womer
and girls whose duties during the da,
are such as TO prevent them from pur.
sung set course of reading anf
study. -
This organization, although it has
rot labored with Flourish of trumpets
and sound OF drums" has been doing
steady and untiring work even since
the hour of its inception; and in conse-
quence of this. much good has been
accomplished.
! One OIL chief workers in the field
about year ago conceived the thought
of "a course of evening lessons in the
physiology and hygiene Of daily life,
given so plainly that anyone can under
stand. and yet the lessons we're based
/ upon the authority of eminent physi-
cans. TIE result of this course ofeve-
ming lessons was finally course Of lee
lures on nursing, the care of children
from their birth, and the steps necess-
arv in case of sudden illness or acct
dent. The entrance fee was five cents,
and the hall was filled with working
women of all grades of intelligence lis
tening with almost painful intensity to
instruction which no one had ever be-
fore considered it necessary to give
them. Manikins and other models for
Illustration were freely used; and as
the audience was passing out from a
lecture on the care of babes, 4 sad-eyed
woman was heard to say, If some
one had told me this years ago, l
would not now be going home to an
empty house" None but bereaved
mother can fully understand the full
measure OF sorrow for the neglect of
the performance of those duties which
mean either life or death % the children
committed to their care and the fact
that these duties are left unperformed
through ignorance is scarcely pallia-
tive for her sorrow
The question naturally arises, "why
are mothers not taught2 1t is sad
fact that IN the majority OF our country
schools, The study of physiology IS con-
sidered by the patrons OF the schools,
as useless waste of time. and by
many of them as very vulgar and
immodest study Women who will le.
late vulgar Stories, and boldly expose
their person in nursing a baby, vii
refuse to let their daughters study ply
sioiogy on the ground that it teaches
them about the bowels, intestines, liver.
spleen. pelivis, rectum, bladder. etc,
which though they may reluctantly
admit are parts OF their own bodies
and OF course Of their daughters also,
yet they do not want them to know
ANYTHING about 1t personally, until the
pangs of childbirth and maternity
teaches them, and they learn by sad
experience that hey have body. and
do not know how to take care OF ii, or
Of the other more delicate body of the
child which they have brought into
this world. Ignorance Is not always
f0n06snte, IS some mothers vainly and
foolishly imagine and the child who
has acquired her knowledge. oithe nat
ural phases and transformations in her
own body from servant, or from some
schoolmate, has lost something that no
after effort can replace. tits the moth
er's right, and it should be her deep de-
sire to save her daughter from such
communicating influence, by first inform
ing herself on these all-important sub
jects and then forestalling this commu
from others, byinstructing her
with her own lips Food, ex-
ercise, study, sleep, every point in her
daughters life, from infancy to mar
rage and maternity, should receive
strict attention from the mother, and
no false ideas of modesty. should pre-
ven. her from fulfilling this duty.