The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-25
THE WoMAN's COUNCIL.
Mrs. Head Advocates the Election of
Women on School Boards.

The Woman's Council held their meet
ing Saturday afternoon, with DIR. Jane L.
Hersom, the president, in the chair.
There was fair attendance. The fea-
ture of the afternoons proceedings was
paper by Mrs. i. Isabella Heald, on
woman on the School Board" with dis
cussion by Miss Inez Blanchard, Miss
Elizabeth Varnum and others. In the
course of her remarks, Mrs. Heald said:
"a distinguished writer calls the COM
ing age the Age of Enlightenment. The
far seeing catch glimpses Of it. We
have just had grand illustration in
and fortune, possessing beauty and ac-
complishments, surrounded by all the
inducements to life of ease, she has.
felt the impelling force of law, and is
nobly responding to it. She has already
caught glimpses of the Respondent glow,
heralding the dawn Of the new age. She
cannot resist, else would she be dumb,
and as they who having '.eyes see not,
and ears hear not" AS the principle of
life lying dormant, in the seed awaits the
stimuli of outward conditions, to develop
and spread out, in all the grandeur of
towering stalk, with leaf, bud and bios.
som, so has woman waited, until the
magic touch of the prince should burst
the bonds which bound her; and she
bloom into real life, and in equal re-
sponsibility with man wage the battles
for the incoming age. Are not the signs
significant Is not woman filling the
place ready for her? Is it not a logical
conclusion that women who can be trust
ed with the children and home, can be
trusted to have a voice in the next step
they take
The schoolroom.
will they not take it as a sacred trust? It
is not strange that they are not there in
full force, when we consider the preju-
dlces and customs to be overcome. Her
place should be wherever the vital inter-
ests OF her children are at stake, either
OF body or mind, from the cradle to the
college. The body and mind are so
closely related that a system of work or
overwork, in ill-ventilated, ill-lighted
school rooms is as pernicious to the one,
as to the other. Nature endowed wom-
an with deeper intuitions, and purer
love flor children than she did man.
Woman's whole life is in such close COM
munion with them, that she is from that
very fact, suited for the position None
know better than she, their needs and
powers. Would she be guilty of leaving
her heart treasures in filthy. disgusting,
deadly air? No, thousand times no.
This would all be remedied with woman
on the school board. Should not she
whom nature and circumstance of condi-
ton have SO beautifully fitted, go hand
in hand with her chiIdran into +I,a
broad fields of learning and usefulness
and above all, to cherish and develop the
noblest in them? Who so quick to de-
tect dangers that beset them of physi-
cal, moral or Intellectual nature. Brain
and muscle have done much, but
Ethical and Manual Education
will do more. Let us ask ourselves one
question. What is the school for? 1t is
an old question, but it means more to us
than it did to those of even only quar-
ter of century ago. The school system
now barely provides for much more than
a discipline of the memory, sort of cal
Isthenios of one function of the brain
power; system of storing and crowding
away facts that may OF may not help the
pupil to begin an active life of useful
ness in the world, and of no possible use
to those going out upon their own re-
sources. All are not destined to the easy
places, and life of graceful luxury. The
majority have way to make for them
selves, and should be fitted for it in the
public schools. There is an urgent me-
cessity that manual labor be taught in
connection with the text books.