Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18
WORK FOR MOTHERS
Auxiliary Reports at Today's Session
of the Congress,
VARIOUS DELEGATES HEARD FROM
Resolution Opposing the Seating
of Mr.. Roberts Of Utah Adopted.
ADO L T WV ISECT 10 Y.
A B Ut WV ISECT n

The third and last days session of the
third annual congress of mothers was be-
gun this morning with meeting which
was held as has been the case with the
previous meetings. with one exception, at
the First Baptist Church, corner of 10th
and o streets northwest. When the meet
ing called to order there was a fair at
tendance of delegates, but what was lack
ing in numbers was fully made up in
the interest and enthusiasm displayed. Ac-
cording to the program arranged the time
was mainly devoted to what was termed
business. and it comprised brief state
mentS of the work carried on by some of
the organizations affiliated with the con-
gress, and showed something of the wide
spread influence of the congress.
Mrs Frederick Schoff, the first vice pres
ident occupied the chair as presiding Off
GER and seated on the platform was Mrs.
A. l.. Barber of this city, who is deeply in
terested in the work of the congress, and is
connected officially with it.
The first report was made by Mrs. BOr
land of the state federation of Illinois and
a member of the Child'S Study Society.
She gave an account of what is being done
by the Study Society.
In Indiana.
Mrs. Nichols of Indiana gave some de-
scription of what is being done by the First
Mothers Club of Evansville, Ind. She
stated in the course of her remarks that
while all the members of the club were not
mothers, still some who are not mothers
know more about raising children than the
mothers themselves. This assertion ere
ated quite a good deal of amusement.
An interesting account of the work of the
COlored NOmdn'S League of this city was
given by Mrs Helen Cook. She stated the
league was organized some six years ago
and the membership ranged from 100 to 200.
She spoke about the training school fer kim
dcrSdrten teachers and said that SIX free
kiEdergartens had been established. Since,
however, the kindergartens had become
part of the public school system it was no
longer necessary tC maintain the same
number of schools She spoke Of the efforts
made to maintain a day nursery where the
children of mothers who are obliged to go
out to work can be left and receive proper
care. She said that the work undertaken by
the league hampered by the fact that
it did not have the support of the wealthy,
but sustained by those who had but
slender means.
Mrs. Murray. upon the conclusion Of Mrs
Cooks report. stated that she wished the
congress to know that Mrs. Cook was not
only the president of the league. but was
the mother of organizations among colored
women in this country.
Reports were also made by Mrs William
King of Atlanta, Ga. and Mrs Hersey of
Hartford, Conn.
Teaching Deaf Children.
Mrs. Garrett of Philadelphia, representing
a school near that city. was the next speak
err, and gave an account of the school for
teaching speech and language 10 deaf chill
dren under school age at the natural age.
she stated, is the case with other chill
dren. She said that she had one of the
boys with her who had been taught lam
guage by sight. She invited the delegates
as they met this little one to talk to hun,
REM mbering. however. to have their faces
in the light, that he could see the move
ments of the lips.
The president of the congress, Mrs. Theo-
dore W. Birney. who was on the platform.
spoke Of the pleasant impression she had
OF the home which she recently visited.
report from the Child Study Society Of
Iowa was made by Mrs. Hills She spoke
of an investigation conducted in regard to
the children attending school, the purpose
being to furnish the teachers information
for the individual study of pupils. She
stated that an examination of the eye
sight of school children showed that de-
fective vision increased with the advance
in the grades.
Treatment of the eyes and also care in
regard 10 the seating of children with ref
erence to the light had resulted in an i'm
provement in many cases.
Attention was called to the presence in
the audience of the child whose picture APP
peared on the program, and who, ii was
said, really the inspiration of the con-
gress. This reference was made to the lit
tie girl of the president of the congress,
Mrs Birney, and one of the delegates stat
ed that thanks were due to the grand
mother, Mrs. Mcclellan, whose care of the
child had made it possible for Mrs Birney
to give so much time to the work of the
congress. vote of thanks to Mrs. Nc
Clelan was adopted and the little girl and
younger sister We're brought to the plat
form by their grandmother
The proceedings went on and the little
ones remained as spectators, finally, how
,1,.,f,.
est one climbed upon her lap. The scene
was looked upon as appropriate in a con-
gress of mothers.
Kindness to Animals.
a plea was made by Mrs. A L. Barber
for the training of children to show kind
ness to dumb animals. She spoke of the
Bands of Mercy, an organization composed
of children, and said that there was a
recognized connection between cruelty and
crime.
As a representative of the Humane So
ciety of this city, Mrs. II. b. F. Macfar-
land made an effective address in opposi-
ton to the practice of vivisectiOn.
Forms of Cruelty.
Mrs Macfarland said, in part: 1T some
times appears that humane education is
quite as much needed among grown-up
people as among children, though perhaps
not along the same lines. One would
scarcely think it necessary to impress upon
mothers that it is cruel to pull off the
wings of fly to torment the cat, and
yet there forms of cruelty to which
these minor offenses are as nothing which
mothers the world over are condoning in
one way another, either by neXcusa Bile
ignorance of them silence in regard to
them.
in this day of wide information and
altruistic effort it is no longer respectable
to hide behind that selfish proverb Where
ignorance is bliss, tbs folly to be wise
We have no right TO the bliss of ignorance
of the great wrongs of the world through
which our fellow creatures, man or beast
are suffering. This is especially true of
that vital subject. cruel viVisection.
How many women have said to me, Oh
| cannot read about those dreadful things
could never sleep if I didr Well, some
of us have spent wakeful hours over these
horrors. but they have been well-spent
hours, in which the determination to do our
share in sweeping off the face OF the earth
this practice, unjust to Gods defense
less creatures and demoralizing to man
has rooted itself into our inmost beings
The men who performing the almost
iEdescribabe cruelties of vivisection TODAY
We're once the little children of mothers
such you.