The morning news., 1897-02-19
MULTIPLICITY OF MOTHERS.
NEARLY 1000 IN ATTENDANCE ON
THE CONGRESS.


Rearrangement of All the Plans
Made Necessary by the Unexpected
0utpouring-A Number of Instruc-
tive Addresses DeIivered-Mrs. Bal
HngtOn Booth Leads the Devotion
al Exercises.
Washington, Feb. 1S.-The National
Congress of Mothers. now holding its first
session in this city, has outgrown the eX-
pectatlons of its most sanguine promoters,
both in the number of delegates in at
tendance, the Importance of it's discus
sions and the interest manifested in its
proceedings.
Some of the lady promoters of the con-
Gress, who recently estimated a probable
attendance of 200 or 800 ladies, were over
whelmed by the presence of 1900 or more
at the first session, with constant ac-
cessions. This necessitated a sudden and
complete remodelling of the plans for
housing the convention and conducting the
exercises.
Besides the regular sessions of the con-
gress to-day several meetings were held
this morning before the regular session,
at which different members of the CON
gress presided. In the banquet hall of
the Arlington hotel Mrs. Henry ]. Fin
lay, chairman of the press committee,
presided over conference DR.. Ada l..
Thomas made short address, entitled,
Accidents; What to Do Before the Doc
tor Comes
AT the conclusion of DIR. Thomas ad-
dress, Mrs. Horn Penn, Mrs. Heyesber-
ger and Miss Alice Fletcher of the Au-
thropological Society gave short and in
teresting talks on Fear; How to Over
come 1t in Children"
At the First Baptist church, Miss New
ton of Chicago presided over a conference
at the same hour as that held at the Ar
lington hotel. Miss Jeanette Richards
read paper on the Necessity of Schools
tor Trained Nurses, which was followed
by an address, "Punishments," by Mrs.
Putnam.
Notwithstanding the early hour at which
the conferences were held @ O'Clock a. m.)
both the banquet hall of the Arlington
hotel and the First Baptist church were
crowded 10 their utmost capacity. Long
before the time set for the opening of the
morning session. 1880 O'Clock, there was
not an available seat in the church, and
when Mrs Birney called the regular meet
ing to order, Mrs. Maud Ballington Booth
of New York city, made the devotional
address The audience joined in singing
Nearer My God to Thee" after which
| Mrs. Booth read a few verses from the
| Bible. During the course of her remarks,
she said: 1T IS great comfort and a
great strength TO feel that we have the
right to turn and claim the great strong
band of God"
1T seems that those persons who stand
| to-day in the position of mothers, should
| feel grateful for the light and teachings
| which God has brought TO our eyes"
In speaking of a mothers love, Mrs.
Booth compared ii to divine love, the
| strongest love ina ginable. A true woman,
continued Mrs. Booth, should have this
wonderful mothers love, whether or not
she was a mother. Speaking of her eXpe-
riences in the different prisons, she said
| that it made no difference how low a
! criminal had fallen, or what crime he had
committed, there were times during his
| Incarceration when he still showed zOme
traces of his mothers training. one of the
| greatest errors ever committed by any
| legislature, continued Mrs. Booth and one
| that is a very black spot on the name of
| New York state, was to deprive the con-
| victs of Sing Sing OF work.
Referring to the advancement of women,
| she said that should a woman engage in
! the different meetings being held at the
| present time. 1t was no excuse whatever
| for her to neglect her children. A woman
| who neglects her babe for the public Will
! find in the near future the great mistake
she has made, and that her work has
At the conclusion of Mrs Booths ad-
| dress, Mrs. Birney announced an over
| flow meeting downstairs, for the, benefit
| of the large number of visitors who were
| unable to gain admittance. Mrs. Louise
| T.. Hogan of Germantown, Pa, next ad-
| dressed the congress on "Dietetics."
In conclusion Mrs. Hogan said: Few
| seem conscious that there is such thing
| as physical morality. Mans habitual
| words and acts imply that they are at
| liberty to treat their bodies as they please.
| The fact is, all branches of the law of
| health are physical sins When this is
| generally seen then, and perhaps not till
| serves"
read a paper on reproduction and natural
| law She said it was the old theory that
| parents were involuntarily irresponsible
| agents of God in the propagation of the
| species Now, it was considered that care
| less parentage was little less than a crime.
| The child deserved the most serious and
| laborious study. Men and women are e.
| ten Influenced by trifes light as air in
entering upon marriage. A girl ought.
before allowing herself to love, TO con-
slider the health, mental constitution, po-
sition in life and means of support of the
man she may wed Also she must con-
slider herself.
man ought to be emancipated from the
| doctors. Mother love ought to be exercis-
| ed before maternity Is entered on; after
| thinking and right living people ought to
| compliment each other in the man and
woman who take upon themselves the du-
Mrs. Helen III. Gardener of Boston read
| a paper on THE Moral Responsibility of
Women in Heredity" She said: "Seif
| abnegation, subserviency to man, whether
! he be father, lover or husband, is the most
dangerous theory that can be taught to
| her, whose character shall mould the next
! generation. She has no right to transmit
| nature and a character that is subser-
| Went, subject, inefficient, undeveloped-in
| short a slavish character, which is either
| blindly obedient, or blindly rebelious, and
| is. therefore, in either case, set, as is a
/ time-lock. to prey, or to be preyed upon
| by society in the future.
''If woman is not brave enough to de-
| mand and obtain personal liberty, and en-
! tire control of her great and race-endow-
| ing function of maternity, she has no
| right to dare to stamp upon child and
| to curse. race with descendants of such
! a character-dwarfed, a time and mas
| ter-serving character. Subject mothers
never will produce a race of free, we'll
poised, Justice-practcing characters" ."