The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-19
EXPECTED.

MANY TIMES LARGER THAN WAS
EXPECTED.
Washing ,on. Feb. Is. The National
Congress of Mothers, now holding its
iirst session in this city. has outgrowr
the expectations of its most sanguine pro
motors both in number of delegates in
attendance, the importance of its discus
sionS and the interest manifested Some
OF the lady promoters OF the Congress
who recently estimated II probable attend :
ance OF two or three hundred ladies were
overwhelmed by the presence of 1880 or
more nj the first session, with constant
acccSsionS. This neceSStated IL sudden
and complete remodclng of the plans for
housing the convention and conducting
the exercises
BESIDES the regular sessions of the Con
giess to day several meetings were held
this morning before the regular session,
ut which different members of the con :
gress presided. In the banquet hall of
the Arlington Hotel. Mrs. Henry j. Fin
ley. chairman of the press committee.
presided over ii conference DR.. Ada l..
Thomas made Il short address entitled
Accidents: What to DO Before the Doe
tor Comes At the conclusion of DR..
Thomas, address, Mrs. Hurnpenn, Mrs.
fleyclSbergcr and Miss Alice Fletcher. of
the Anthrorologcal Society. gave short
and interesting talks on Fear; How to
Overcome 1t in Children
at the First. Baptist Church. Miss
Newton, of Chicago, presided over Il con
ference ut the same hour as that held ut
the Arlington. Miss Jeanette Richards
read paper on the Necessity of Schools
for TIA ned Nurses which was followed
by an address, Establishments, by Mrs.
Putnam
Notwithstanding the early hour which
the conference was held, IL. M, both the
banquet hall of the Arlington Hotel and
the First Ba 1tist Church were crowded
to their utmost capacity. Long before
the time set for the opening of the morn
ing-session, l0:30, Their. was not an avail
able seat in the church, and when Mrs
Birney called the regular meeting to order
Mrs. Maudc Neutrality-suspicious. of New
York city. made the devotional address.
The audience Joined in sinyin" Nearer,
My God, 10 Thee" after which Mrs
Booth read IL few verses from the Bible
During the course of her remarks She
said:
1T is IL Great comfort and great
strength to feel that we have the right to
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 mothers love, Mrs.
Booth compared it to Divine love, the
strongest love imaginable y true wo-
man, continued Mrs. Booth, should have
this wonderful mothers love, whether or
not she WAS II mother. Speaking of her
experiences in the different prisons she
said that it made no difference how low IA
criminal had fallen or what crime he had
committed. there were times during his
incarceration when he still showed some
traces of his mothers training. One of
the greatest errors ever committed! by any
legislature, and one that is Il very black
spot on the name of New York State.
was to deprive the convicts OF Sing Sing
of work. Referring to the advancement
of women, she said, that should n woman
engage in the different meetings being
held ut the present time il WAS no excuse
whatever for her to neglect her children.
y woman who ncglccts her babe for
the public will find in the near future the
great mistake she has made and that her
work has been 10 no purpose.
at the conclusion of Mrs. Booths adj
Dress Mrs Brncy announced IN over
low meeting down stnirs for the benefit
of the large numhcr of visitors who were
unable To gain admittance.
Mrs. Louise T.. Hogan, of Germantown,
Pa. next addressed the convention ON
"Dietetics. In conclusion Mrs. Hogan
said:
Few seem conscious that there is such
IL thing DIS physical morality. Mems hn-
bltual words and acts seem to indicate
that they are mt liberty To treat their
bodies as they please. The fact is, all
breaches of the law of health are ply
sins. When this is generally seen. then,
and perhaps not till then, will the hysi-
cal training of the young receive all the
attention it deserves
Mrs, Alice Lee Moquc, of Washington,
read paper on Reproduction and Nat.
ural Law"
She said il was the old theory that pa
rents were involuntarilv responsible
agents of God in the propagation OF the
species. Now it was considered that care
less parentage was little less than crime.
The child deserved the most serious and