The herald., 1895-07-07
MI ABOUT THE CHILDREN
Mrs. Charlotte Perkins StetsOn's
Discourse
ON THE SUBMERGED THIRD
Last Evening In the Friday Morning
Club Rooms
Women Should Be Taught Child Raising
as lien Are Taught their Trades
and Professions

1t was an audience of thoughtful. in
telligent people that Assem- bled il the
Friday Morning club rooms last evening
to hear Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Stetson
speak on the Submerged Third; the
Children.
Mrs. Stetson attacked her subject very
directly and without preamble. with the
claim that children form the largest part
of the world. There are more OF the m
than there are of the grown people; and
they are here all the time. We are apt
to thi nix of them simply as our children.
Or our children's children, and then as
some remote posterity after that like
few beads on a very long string. Where
as. IN truth they are permanent class.
the largest and most important class OF
the. population. Now, as to their import
ance al part of the human race. We
have heard it said that the first five years
of life is when We can do as we like with
them and have been told that the mind
Of youth is wax to receive and marble to
retain: we have had the value of a good
bringing up more or less impressed upon
us but we do not begin to appreciate the
importance of it, the sacred, awful, tre-
men ious importance. And the most
important time. the only time of life is
before the birth of the child; what hap
PcuS dltClp w WIG phiCbe uoSoh Y ciShpJ
except in so far as she helps her child to
the production of better children in turn,
In every way, mentally. morally, spirit
uaIly and physically. The zeal business
OF living is to improve the race, and the
race is improved by being well born.
Mrs. Stetson here illustrated on the
black board the racial tree or course. and
describ bed at length with clearest oetail
the natural tendency and growth OF the
human brain. and the instincts of the
babe from the time it knows it has IN
stincts, of the way most girls spend the
time between the important ages OF Is
and 25: and suggested what they ought
to do instead to fr them for the highest,
holiest. most sacred and responsible ro-
sition entrusted to woman, the develop
ment and care OF the child.
Now for this large st and most import
ant class of citizens, what provision do
we make? What representation have they
In our laws9 What protection to life and
limb and personal dignity? What houses
have they, and what furniture? What
place among us as class? They are ad.
uitions to the family: they come to find
that except for our school houses and an
occasional nursery there is no place on
earth made for children, and they spend
q miserable existence trying to assimilate
themselves and their needs to grown peo-
pies surroundings, to the mutual discom-
fort, misery and unhappiness of both.
The parents have very little peace OF
mind; the children hardly any. AS to
their status as citizens, did you ever re-
alize that this largest and most import
ant class are continually subject to the
control, punishment, insult and abuse OF
other human beings. without appeal.
The law has interfered between parent
and child to the limit of interfering as to
life and death. The father can no longer
kill his child without remonstrance from
the state, and there is a society for the
prevention of 'uelty to children, whose
extra judicial business it is to bring COM
plaint,in case of extreme cruelty; but short
of cruelty sufficient to arouse lethargic
neigh bors, a child may be treated to
every degree of personal insult and physi-
cal restraint and pain. with no court
under heaven to hear its cries. If ones
parents are wise and skillful and well-to-
do; if they by some strange chance
know how to bring up children, well is it
for the child but if Motif by i'll fortune
ones mother is foolish woman, the
little life may be crushed and stunted,
warped and ruined beyond recovery. dur
ing the years of "happy childhood"
l do not refer to extremes of active
cruelty. continued the speaker after a
pause, but is there one among you who
cannot recall days of blank rebellion to
some injustice at the relentless bonds that
held your children? Judging by the
healGh of our children, one would i'm
Sgine that childhood was a pathological
condition, and judging by our methods
OF discipline and education that it was a
condition of pehal servtude. When
man is going to practice business, he
studies it; if it is an important one as
druggist. physician or pilot. any profess
sion which deals with what we are
pleased to call matters of life and death,
he must pass an examination ana show
certificate OF proficiency; but wo entrust
the lives and characters Of the whole hu-
man race, during its most important
years to the absolute control of the most
ignorant class on the face of the earth-to
young girls from Is to 90 or so, and wiat
do they know and how are they taught to
prepare themselves for their response.
bilities? This substructure of points was
enlarged upon ,by Mrs. Stetson logically,
clearly, and convincingly until she proved
each one conclusively, anu she closed
with an earnest appeal for conscientious
study of the noble profession of child
raising by those who are to be mothers,
or are to come in active contact in any
way with little children.
As a speaker Mrs Stetson is charming.
ly unaffected and natural. She brings
out her points and her serious Thoughts
with quiet force, keeps the unfagging at.
tention OF her audience and last night
frequent bursts of applause showed that
her remarks had touched q responsive
chord in the hearts of her hearers.
This morning Mrs. Stetson will speak
How to Help 1t as her subject.