The Charlotte Democrat., 1897-02-25
North Carolina Woman's
Brilliant Address,

Writing of the Mothers Congress
at Washington, the correspondent of
the Baltimore Sun says:
The address before the Congress
Of Mothers this morning which
seemed to excite most interest and 10
e'l"lt most applause was that of Mrs.
Saille A. Gotten, of Falkland, n. g.
Hrs. Gotten is the ''lady of the
manor" on a plantation of about
5000 acres of land along the Tar
river. Upon this plantation hun
dreds of negroes have their homes
and their employment. There is
large mansion in which Mr.. and
Mrs. Gotten continue the hospitality
and entertainments which belonged
to the ante-belium times. The great
change which has taken place is that
the negroes are free instead of slaves,
a change for which Mrs. Gotten says
sue IS very CudH X lul.
Mrs. Gotten chatted with the Sun
correspondent about conditions in
the South which affect the negro, as
well as the object of this great meet
ing of women. She took q part in
starting the movement and its sue
cess is most gratifying to her. She
id 10 The Sun CORRESPONDENT:
"Watch this movement. | believe it
has touched the electric button
hich has set IN motion an engine
which will accomplish great things
for women, morally, physically and
intellectually. There is a reaching
out to us Of other organizations, but
III dealing with them we must exer
else the greatest caution and pre-
serve our broad scope and avoid en-
tanglements
Speaking of the rearing of chill
dren in the South, Mrs. Gotten said:
'The people of the South are a very
religious and reverent people, aud |
think, perhaps, religion Is more of a
feature of tbs education of children
in the Southern homes than else
where. In the time of slavery the
abundance of servants gave the mis-
tress of the plantation ample time to
devote to the training of her chill
dren and she did it well, and the
cnstom still lasts. She also consid-
cred herself responsible to a large
extent for the slaves on the place. l
fear that since the negroes are free
this feeling of responsibility has
ceased to exist except as regards
house servants"
Speaking of the condition of the
u groes in North Carolina, she said
ti,ere is much to be desired. The
chances are not what they should be,
and immortality does not entail anyN
loss of social position among them.
There is strong sentiment among
the white people of my State in favor
of educating the negro. And grow
ing out of this there is problem.
The white people of the State pay
the school tax and divide with the
negro. The burden of taxation is
heavy upon these poor agricultural
people, and tfe fund raised is too
small to have good schools for both
races, and the result is that neither
are good. And so the white people
rre practically denying their chill
dren education in vain effort to
edncate the negro. If the white
race is to be the dominant race in
the South, it must be by superior
education. If they have not that,
the numerical superiority of the ne
gro in many places will prevail %
Mrs. Cotten's address was full! of
good sense and sparkling with wit.
II am not she said, Gin favor of fe-
male suffragc. There is great de-
mand for it by some and the time
may come VIXEN this may be added
to our other responsibilities But We
must never fail to realize that the
training of the voter is far more
important duty than voting This
view of the matter met with the ap
proval of the congress, as was mani
tested by great clapping of hands
There should be national schools to
teach women, she confined, the arts
of domesticity and peace just as
there are national schools to teach
men the arts of war. Women should
be taught those arts which are
necessary to the good housekeeper
and the good mother. You may spend
great sums on boards of health and
yet for lack of knowledge among
women diseases may generate and
spread from the homes.