The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-17
CONGRESS OF MOTHERS
TOPICS DISCUSSED AT THE OPENING
DAYS SESSIONS.
The Presidents Aforementioned
Council of WOmen-Mrs. GafTney
ON Education in Citizenship.

WASHINGTON, Feb. ia sleet and rain
storm, making sidewalks sheets Of ice, did
not prevent the delegates to the National
Congress of Mothers from meeting to-day
After an opening prayer, Mrs. Theodore w.
Birney, president OF the congress, delivered
an address of welcome. She spoke of the
home influence, saying that there lay the
only solution OF problems that confront the
world. Directors to women's societies. she
said, were themselves the best Illustration
of the need of such organizations. Women
should not seek to make a Career in the
world, for their highest duty lay at the
fireside, and those with comfortable means
should not compete with women working
for a living. The prospects for the educa-
ton of children she considered bright. In
closing the president recalled the good serv-
ices of Mrs Phoebe Hearst
Mrs. Henry L. Green responded, saying
that the congress had met here TO consider
the oldest of arts or sciences, the science of
motherhood. 1t was necessary that women
should learn many things in order to man
age household and properly rear children.
1t was due to lack of knowledge on the
part Of officers and men that many soldiers
died during the war with Spain. Congress.
she thought, should be petitioned to estab-
lish national health bureau.
Mr.. Horace Fletcher spoke Of the educa-
tion of children from an economic stand
point, stating that 1t was cheaper to teach
them to live properly than. to take care Of
them when they became criminals.
Dr. g. Stanley Hall delivered an address
IN which he pointed to the fact that chill
Childhood should be kept alive in the human
race as long as possible. All history he
says, teaches that precocity leads to the fall
| ~ fn1 ~I.-
the human race when in the adolescent
stage, as it was then people were to be in
tuenced for good or evil.
Dr. l.. Emmett Hale, of New York, read
the first paper Of the afternoon session. in
which he discussed the physical culture Of
children. The times have greatly changed
brought UP their families of children, said
he, and these new conditions have brought
new problems which the present generation
must solve for itself. Twenty thousand
deaths occur every year In New York in
children under fifteen years of age, and
| three-fourths of these are Of infants under
two years. This the doctor said clearly in
dicated that it is in the conditions Of in
fancy which require most careful study and
the closest attention.
Rev. Hastings II. Hart, of Chicago, read
a paper on Environments VS.. Heredity."
In this paper he said the spirit of Chris
tan civilization demands that the weak and
helpless shall receive extraordinary care
and nurture. AS a result the law of the
survival of the fittest is interfered with
preventing the elimination or the weaker
element in society and tending to check the
evolution of the race into higher forms. The
humanitarian having this responsibility is
bound to adopt such preventive measures
as shall scounteract this adverse tendency.
The simplest method he thought was to pre-
vent the members Of these classes from be-
coming parnets.
At to-night's session Dr. Josiah Strong,
of New York, president Of the League for
Social Service, read a paper on The Su-
| terialism, he thought, was the supreme peril
of modern civilization, and as we here in
| the United States have outstripped the re-
mainder of the world in our material growth
materialism is pre-eminently the peril of
American civilization The safety of our
civilization demands the fuller develop
ment of our intellectual and moral life, and
this generic reform includes all others.
DR.. W. H. Tolman, Of New York, con-
cluded the days work by giving an illus
trated lecture on "Industry Idealzed."