Evening star., 1898-05-07
HELD IN COMMITTEE
Mothers Debating the Constitution
Of the Congress.
An ADDRESS BY MISS MARY E. BURT
Other Papers Read Before the
AssembIage This Morning.
L NJ N q
NOTES AND COMMENT

several meetings and conferences over at
the Ebbitt House endeavoring to straighten
out the numerous complications into which
the congress became involved over the
question Of adopting a constitution. The
absentees however, had the misfortune to
miss hearing read a scholarly and thought
full address by Mrs. Mary E. Burt of New
York city on Literature for Children"
Mrs. Burt enjoys the deserved reputation
of being the pioneer in the admirable cru
sade in behalf of placing in the hands OF
the young the pure and classic in ltera-
ture in place of the ''1apcoodles' which
Kingsley thoroughly characterized in
his Water Babies"
Mrs. Burt inveighed in graphic terms
against the intellectual prostitution of the
you;g BY the custom Of providing them
with primer-like literature which merely
gave them the mechanical power t1 read by
rote instead Of improving their mental quail
tiles. She s.rongly advised teaching chill
cren TO read by giving them the classics of
literature and thus making foundation for
q proper education to be erected upon, at
once stable and permanent. She recon-
mended Z relegation to their proper Spheres
by parents and guardians, of th3 profess
slonal authors who write books for the
young to order for publishers, and to have
little eyes and little tongues taught to read
from such authors as kipling, Kingsley,
Alice in Wonderland Dickens, Scott and
the literary classics.
influence in Preventing Crime.
Mrs. Deborah c. Leeds Of Pennsylvania
made some remarks on Mothers Influence
in Preventing Crime" She paid almost
entire attention during her discourse to
plea for the adoption of a system by which
convicts in prison should be given manual
labor, in order that they may be enabled
to meet lifes responsibilities when their
freedom is restored. She alluded to the ef-
fort made at the congress last night to
send message to the Queen Regent of
Spain expressing sympathy, and declared
her approval of it. This was greeted with
mingled with handclaps and Kisses.
w men Mrs Leeds had concluded Mrs.
Charlotte Smith asked her if she believed
that convict labor should be allowed to
compete with honest labor outside.
Mrs. Leeds replied in the affirmative
whereupon Mrs. Smith made an impas-
stoned appeal to the mothers to cast aside
the superficial in religion and adopt the
practical She painted a vivid picture of
the fallen wCmanhood of the &c untry, and
declared that the Christian churches were
satisfied to egard the evil with all th.
shrues of superficial horror, but did a5so-
iuteiy nothing in a practical way toward
its reformation. Mrs. Smith spoke with
deep feeling, and Was generously ap-
nlauded.
Mrs. Birney gently took issue with Mrs
Smith on her declaration regarding the
churches, reminding her that if it were not
for the churches the evil she spoke of would
be infinitely worse and more widespread
Mrs. Smith said she did not wish to dis
turb the congress. but her feelings had been
aroused by Mrs. Leeds remarks.
The audience sang the hymn, How Firm
a Foundation and Prof. W. B. Dubois
the well-known colored educator of Attain
ia. Ga. gave an interesting address on
The History of the Negro Home" Prof
Dubois has made sociological problems his
study. and he gave instructive resume
of his reSea rcheS the Ha
his attention to the development of the
American negro, tracing it from the origin
In the African home to the present time.
AT the conclusion of Prof Du Bois' re-
marks a number of resolutions were Of
fered by various delegates referring to
subjects relating to the diversified objects
of the congress.
Constitution in Committee.
The afternoon session will be devoted to
hearing the report of the executive COM
mittee and the committee on constitution,
who have been diligently laboring at the
Ebbitt House all day upon the work in
hand. The officers decided upon up to 1
o'clock We're Mrs. T. W. Birney for presi-
dent and Mrs. Mumford Mrs Stevenson
Mrs. A. A Birney and Mrs. Lewis for vice
presidents.
Later Proceedings Yesterday.
The afternoon session of the congress was
devoid of discussions which streaked the
serenity of the mothers at the morning
meeting. and night followed in similar calm
work. Among those who made addresses
in the afternoon were Mrs. Fannie S.
Barnes. who treated Home Government"
DR. Potter, who briefly advocated the
higher education of women and the aims of
the congress; Mrs. f. ID. Martin, on the
preservation of the Sabbath; Miss Maud a.
Miller of Asbury Park. on The Physical
Aspect of Child Life" and Miss Mary
Louisa Butler. who told how easy 1t was
for every mother to be a kindergartener
and employ the daily articles in use around
her as the objects for lessons.
Miss Johanna p. Moore of Nashville told
an inta1 esting story of the fireside homes
in the south that are doing SO much TO-
ward the education and elevation of The
colored people, stating that over one hum
cred colored child1e en under her were
row teaching their parents to read and
write.
Mrs Edward s. Osgood of Portland, Me-,
talked about The Poor, Neglected Chill
Gren of the Rich"
Mrs. Margaret Bottome made beautiful
address on THE Motherhood of Cod"
which was an exquisite tribute to mothers.
The evening session was devoted to a
paper. The Child CT the Tenements," by
Mrs Almon Hensley of New York. sup
plemented by an address, Life Studies in
Great City delivered by DR.. William II.
Tolman and illustrated with stereopticon
views of the tenement districts in New
York. Both contributions were interesting
and instructive in the extreme.
Little Mothers in Tenements.
One of the papers that appealed to the
hearts of those who heard it read by its
author, Mrs. ]. II. Johnston of New York
city, was entitled Little Mothers of the
Manhattan Tenements." Mrs Johnston is
lady of most engaging personality and
ardently interested in her labors among the
tenement classes. SO much so in fact. that
she has earned the title Little Mother"
which fits her superbly, she is little"
rosy of cheek and bright of eye and engag-
ing of manner. Her paper went deeply into
the aspect of this perverted child life and
created great interest. 1t was a revelation
to many OF the delegates present These
little mothers" are distinct species a
new factor in the labor problem which had
its beginning when the necessities of the
home compelled the maternal parent to be-
come wage Garner. her hands being
obliged to provide rent. food, fuel cloth
ing. Then the oldest daughter becomes the
caretaker. the little mother of the brood
Of younger children that usually swarm in
tenement homes. Mrs. Johnston's report
was graphic and realistic in depicting the
weary existence of these little girls. out of