Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1890-03-01


In the World of February 8, Helen Gardner
takes up the cudgel in defense, and the logic in
her article is more than enough to send her advers
airy into temporary retirement. Among other able
things she says
1t is no doubt true that habits Of civilization do
tend to make the dangers of motherhood greater.
So do they tend to render men less sturdy-ess
perfect animals. A Kafir or an Indian buck would
not find it necessary to stay at home from his
office because Of a broken arm or gunshot wound
in the leg. He would tramp sturdily through the
forest and sleep in the jungle with an arrow en-
bedded in his flesh; he would sit stodly down on
a log and cut it out himself with scaping knife.
Yet nobody would think 1t d desirable thing for
member of the Union League club to stop on his way
up Fifth avenue and attend to his own surgery on
the sidewalk. They would expect him to faint
and be "taken tenderly into the nearest drug
store" and doctor would be sent for He would
be put under the influence of an anaesthetc dur
ing the operation and carefully nursed for weeks
afterwards by his devoted wife and intelligent ply
sician. Then if he pulled through it would be be-
cause of his magnificent physique his pluck and
the excellent treatment he received -
This world is in no danger of suffering from
lack Of children. The cry has always been lover
population" and even in our new country the cry
has begun. Not more children but better kind
Of children is what is needed. Who will be likely
to furnish these? The ideal squaw "wife" or the
educated woman who knows that her obligation to
her child begins before it is born, and does not
end even with her DEATH for she must leave it the
heritage of good name, an earnest life, noble
example, even after she is gone.
II by "being untitled for the sphere of wife and
mother the doctor really intends to say that this
sphere is truly that of mere animal-a healthy
anlmal-lf he means that in order to be an ideal
wife to civilized man, woman should remain saw
age; If to be aperfect mother to an intellectually
advancing race, she need not even comprehend
the advance, then truly are these arguments
against her higher education and intellectual de-
velopment, logical. But even then they are not
fair. Why! Simply because she has not been
consulted as to her choice in the matter. The ar
gument is still based on the tremendous assump-
tlon that mans happiness, mans DESIRES mans
wishes, mans rights, are the sum total of all de-
sire, all right, all freedom, all happiness and all
justice. ,t,01'
If man does not choose to become the father
Vi Von VI O"eVe cnlloren NOBODY on earth feels
called upon to criticise him as not properly filling
his sphere-as out of his sphere in case he prefers
to spend more of his time on mental development
and progress than upon irresponsible physical in
diligence and paternity. If he makes up his mind
that he cannot or does not wish to become respon-
slole tor the mental and physical endowment and
Wel-belng OF more than one or two children, or Of
none nobody says that his "college training un-
ntted him tor the holy position Of husband and
iataer' which is his sphere" Perhaps the college
training may have had good deal to do with it in
tne sense that with his developed mind and wider
Information his sense of right and Of personal oh.
1gaton to the unborn has tended in that direction
we 40 not often notice vast degree of self-dis
clpTne OF this nature in the uneducated, whether
IL DC man or woman but is this reason for depre-
catlhg intellectual training for our bovs2 Wbv