The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-04-21
rorHER,s RESPONSIBILITY.
An Interesting and Instructive Paper
Read Before the G. w. B. NJ.

Read Before the u W. b. N.
"a psper read before the O. W.. B. M.
BY Mfs. Caroline H. Parker, and pub. |
ished ut the request Of that society,"
The subject assigned to me tonight Is
one in which I have long been inter.
ested, both as mother and as teacher,
and yet 1 feel my inability to do it jus.
lice. Girls seldom consider this subject
unless they are teachers before they
marry. Then the effects of a mothers
care or mothers neglect are too appar.
emit, in the material sent them to educ ate,
for them to ignore the subject altogether.
But with all our boasted higher educa.
crtion, there is nothing that tends to.
wards the education of girls for mother.
hood. They are taught the Languages
that they may become fluent in speec h,
or may WELD the pen of writer. They
are taught Science that they may be
able to understand, and explain, and
perhaps enjoy the great phenomena
Of the Universe. In Physiology they
are taught chiefly Anatomy, division
Of the subject which will never mater
tally benefit them, unless they expect
to study medicine or surgery. The
most important Of all physiological
knowledge, Hygiene. 81 the rules OF
health, is lightly cassed over, and, in
fact, some of the most important points
are never mentioned.
They are taught dancing that they
may become graceful music, that they
may be able to entertain their friends,
or perhaps make their living as . music
teacher; art, that they may make few
pictures or decorate q set of china |;
mathematics, to strengthen their minds;
all of which is good, provided these at.
tainments assimilate into the one ele.
ment of common.sense. But what
special teaching is there toward filing
that most important OF all positions, the
one of Motherhood
Parents and teachers know that the
inevitable law of existence that has
held good since that beautiful day in
the finished Eden when God saw that
''it was not good for man to be alone,"
will still exist until earth shall be NO
more; yet they never prepare the girls
for the care Of children. That is left to
maternal instinct.
II is true the bird Is guided by instinc
alone, they say, in rearing her young.
She builds home best suited for her
family's needs, and then accepts the
carss of motherhood cheerfully. She
needs no cooking school to teach her
which food ID best for her babies, any
more than they need dancing school
to make their airy flight more gracefu l.
She welcomes them gladly, is happy only
- she ministers to them, and when they
leave the nest she has no fears that they
will "turn out badly"
In our education of girls We seem To
think that they will know as much ~
mother.bird. But no sooner has help
less being como into the home, and
come perhaps an unwelcome guest, on
account of false teaching or lack oi
true teaching, than straightwsy oil the
friends and neighbors begin to give hei
advice q to its management. Those
who know least about 1t usually have
most to say, and il the mothers intellect
il not equal to the birds instinct, she
will try to follow everybody's advice
Fortunate will II be If the result il moi
IN early death for the child, with
touching memorial in which providence
b held 1 accountable, or . life dwarfsd
and ruined by i'll health, II not By dn
and crime.
Tho following newspaper item attrac
ted my attention - fitting text for my
thoughts: "a wealthy farmer and stocl
raiser was showing friend his hockl
and herds. The friend was especially
pleased with the fine focks Of sheer
and asked Why they were the finest O
that particular breed that he had evel
seem. The reply was, 4 take care of my
lambs.'"
Was this caretaking left to the chance
whim of the momentf Or did he pre-
pare himself for the work by . careful
study of their needs? Suppose he hat
undertaken to care for them withou
any knowledge of their requirements
and found lamb in the fold who's
unnatural mother had refused to nur
ture it, as sometimes happens evel
among the lower animals. He woul'
have gone to drug store and bough
some Mellin's food, some milk sugar
some condensed milk from Switzerland
some Koomas from Russia, and vsriou
other much advertised articles of food
done up in small packages and sold a
large price. Totally ignorant of tn
chemism OF these various preparations