The San Francisco call., 1897-04-30

sessions to discuss the achievements OF women
in art, authorship. business, science, histrionic
endeavor, law, medicine, ana variety OF
But, far as the published programmes
enable US to judge, not one tring Is to be done
TO show the progress of women as women
There will be no showing made OF an increased
capacity on their part TO make homes happier,
to make their husbands stronger for their
work in the world, TO encourage high endeav-
ors, TO m ain tain the best standards OF honor
and duty, to stimulate, encourage, uplift,
which from the beginning OF civilization has
oeen the supreme feminine function. Nothing,
IL appears, is TO be done at the congresses to
show that higher education and larger
IN tellectual Advancement have enabledwomen
10 10 pear healthier children or TO bring them up
ID manner more surely tending to make this
Deter world 10 live in-the noblest Of all
WORK that can De done by woman
\ 1--WE need no congress 10 show Us that
women are more thoroughly educated than
once they were, or that they can success uliy
DO Things once for hidden them. But have
WIDER culture and wider opportunities made
tnem better wives and mothers? congress
wnlch should show that wou.d make all men
eovocates OF still Larger endeavors for woman's
advancement congress. on the other hand
which assumes that the only tn ing to be ceie-
brated Is an increased capacity to win fame or
money, VIII teach a disastrousy false and
dan ngerous lesson to our growing girls
This fatal bluuder as 10 the value of woman's
OcNcippulout dS WomdQ-Qull6 ASIDE from Q6r
home Relationships retarded the real civlliza-
tton and caused 10 be transmitted (unrece..
sarily transmitted) the characteristics which
have gone far 10 M ke INSANITY di sease and
deformity OF mind ana body the heritage OF
well-nigh every family in the land
A great medical expert said to me not long
ago:
There is not more than one family In ten
who can show clean bill of health, mental
and physical-aye, and moral-lrom heredi-
tary Ialnts that are serious in threat and al
most certain OF QeyelODmeQt in form r
another.
Maternity its duties, needs and respon 81 bili-
ties, has been exploited in all ages and climes
in al phases and spheres, from one point OF
view only-the point OF view of the male
owner. II you think that this statement Is ex-
treme beg OF you TO read "The Evo ution of
Marriage" by Letourneau. Read it all. Read
it with care. 1t is the production of man OF
profound learning and research-a man who
sees the light OF the future Gawning, although
even he sometimes lspses from universal
Language OF humanity into hereditary forms
OF speech, hedsed in by sex bias.
1t has been the fashion in the recent past to
select the ablest girls in the family 10 send 10
college or 10 develop for career or profes-
sion. OF the others 1t was said, ''WelI, Juiia
and Maud do not seem 70 care TO learn much.
They Will, no doubt, marry and make good
mothers, out the other girls will have ca
reer." Think OF the insult 10 motherhood this
accepted theory is, and it is well nigh uni
versal. Think OF how slight grasp upon the
realities OF lite such theories show.
woman cannot make q 1od doctor. a
good lawyer, q good Journalist, good
preacher, good novelist, good art tist, or q
great musician unless she knows and can
weigh in rational manner the meanings OF
life unless behind her science, her art. her
Ia bOr or her philosophy there is q comprehen-
SION born OF a solid grasp upon the real mean
ings OF life, Its relations, its proportions.
knowledge is indeed power, and ignorance
Is ever and always the twin brother of vice.
Therefore, no matter what profession ialls to
the lot of or is chosen by q woman the first
the most I'm portant, the absolutely vital need
I TO- har &C. cN1,
sIve grasp on the facts of life, life is to-day
and as 1t mas been in the past. This alone will
enable her to lay q firm foundation Tor the
future.
think this statement will be accepted as
aim ost truism when II is applied to what are
generally called the professions. But, strange
always claimed that true aud firm and COM
prehensive sense OF the proportions i n life is
not at all necessary to fit the applicant tor q
diploma-the profession of motherhood.
And yet ii Is true-and il is easy of proof If
one has ever a slight knowledge of biology or
heredity that there is no occupation, no art,
| no profession on the earth in which ignorance
OF the true relations of things can and does
! work such lasting and such terrible disaster
| 10 the race as has been done and is constantly
| doing right there.
Ignorant and undeveloped motherhood has
| been and is q terrible curse to mankind. An
| incompetent artist is merely . pathetic fail
| ure. superficial woman lawyer simply goes
clientless. trivial woman doctor may get a
| chance 10 Kill one or TWO patients, but her
| career OF harm will be brief. A shallow or
lazy woman journalist will be crowded out
and back by the bright and industrious fell
| lows who are her competitors. But q superb
cial, shallow, incompetent or trivial mother
has left heritage TO the world which can and
does poison tae stream Of life as ii flows on
and on in an eternaIly widening circle of in
| competence, or pain. or disease, or insanity,
| or crime.
In every other profession which woman has
entered she has been better fitted for her
work before she took her degree than for the
| one which is held to be her especial province,
! Why? Simply because up TO the present time
ii has been maintained that a pretty ana
childish ignorance of the real and true values
and relations OF life, combined with a fine
pair of eyes and compliant manner entitled
any woman TO a diploma in her sphere" of
maternity, while If she undertook 10 f her
| self for any other career she has TO measure
her life mot with painted-toy mentality, but
| with Ae logically trained intellect which
must compete with her brothers, The esiab-
| lished workers of the world, or else she must
! her.
| 1t would be well for the sake of the race If
| she could be subject to sucn competition IN
maternity. And did it ever occur to you that
| her children are subject to il? and that The
/ vast spread OF incompetence in the world,
/ the universally OF incom petence to cone wi tn
| conditions, has perfectly legitimate basis?
| No woman is fiji 10 bring up the adminstra-
| tors of q republic who is not herself familiar
that republic is based. For it is a well-known
| fact-exceptions and seniuses being allowed
| for-that the trend, the bias, the color of the
! mentality of man is fixed upon him in mis-
earliest years, in the years when his mother
| Is his nearest and most influential tea her.
HIS sense OF fairness and of justice is warped
| or developed then. His posi- bilities are born
of her capacity, and his development depends
largely upon her training.
What profession in the world. then, needs so
wide an outlook. so perfect poise, so e ne an
individual development, such breadth and
scope, such depth of com prehension. such full
ness OF philosophy, as does the lightly consid-
cred profession OF motherhood Lightly con-
sldered mean in the sense that it has been
and is held by SO many that it does no espe-
cial harm to have the mothers of the race dis
tinctly lower iu development, in mentality in
individuality, in poise, in grasp, in educstion.
than any other Glass OF men or women.
And SO, rs have said before, when 1 was
| told not long ego at e public meeting that 1
was expected 10 speak on Woman in the Pro-
fessions" thought would make q departure
and talk most fully, in the few minutes / was
to have, of the need of her higher education
for and because of the one profession which
was not thought of at all in its vast necessi-
ties, not only in the development OF higher