The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-10
HMoNG TTHIl
Glue WoMEN

In most of the club calendars which
have been brought to our notice con-
| siderable time has been allotted to the
study of the child, the physical develop
! ment, moral training and education. AT
i nearly every convention held by the
| various state declarations the subject of
child study has had an important
place on the programme. In some in
| stances whole sessions have had no
| other theme and specialists have been
secured to lecture upon this important
and ever interesting phase of domestic
science.
Since the dawn of civilization the ed
ucation and training of the child have
deyolved upon the mother. NO matter
how numerous and burdensome have
| been her household cares, time has been
found to teach the little ones the rela-
| tons between right and wrong, and to
| give them an insight into the mysteries
of the alphabet, reading, writing and
I spelling. Great pride was had in the
| child who could count II without stum-
bling. The advent of the kindergarten
| changed somewhat this old order of
things and the mother one day awak-
ened and found her duties changed, but
| alas! not fewer. The development Of
| the kindergarten has impressed upon
| mothers the necessity of the scientific
and orderly training of the mind of the
| child, and, as a well-balanced mind is
| largely dependent upon healthy ply
steal development, these two factors in
| the perfect education of child now oc-
! cupy the attention of the thoughtful
| mother. Such mothers have long real
| lied that constant effort must be made
| for the cultivation of their own minds
| If the children are to be safely and
properly started on the road to true
| manhood and womanhood. Mothers
! clubs and mothers congresses have
| naturally found their way into the club
| life of women. 1t is safe to say that
majority of the club membership is due
to desire on the part of the mother
to keep abreast of the times in order
| that she may be better companion
and guide for her child. How about
the father? When he goes to his club,
is it with any thought of the better
ment Of his home or the advancement
morally and physically of his children?
Rather, is is not a fact that the ave-
rage father considers his duty done
when he has comfortably housed his
family, clothed and fed them and sent
them to school? Deplorable, indeed,
would be the home if the mother as
sumed no duties save the cleaning of
the house, cooking of food, mending of
clothes and sending to school! ..
But we believe the regeneration OF
the father is near a t hand, judging from
the numerous articles by some of the
best known writer's of the day now find
ing their way into print; and we be-
lieve also that it is one of the slow
and sure reforms brought about, indi-
rectly, by the woman's club movement.
The influence of Intelligent and edu-
Gated women is boundless, if the educa-
ton is of the heart as well as the head.
In a copy of the Kindergarten Re-
view, printed at Springfield, Mass,
which has been sent us, is an article
by Hamilton w. Mabie, entitled THE
Father in the Family" His remarks
are pertinent and well worth reading.
1T is quite impossible to overvalue
the place and work of the mother in
forming the character and unfolding
the mind of the child; but there is seri-
Gus danger that the place and oppor-
tunity Of the father may be overlooked
It is wise to give precedence to the
education of the mother, but that edu
cation will be fatally defective in its
relation to thenchild if it does not carry
with it the correlative education of the
father. AS soon as the mothers class
has been accepted as part of the life
of every intelligent community, and its
necessity recognized by women of all
social conditions, fathers classes ought
to be organized side by side with classes
for mothers; for the father, being sub
ject to greater temptations to throw off
his responsibility, needs specific and
systematic training. The time may not
be ripe for the introduction of this par
ticular educational method; it Is ripe
for such discussion in public and pri-
vate as shall open eyes that are blind
and awaken consciences that have fall
len asleep.
LAS a rule, the American father is gem
erous to fault with his children; what
ever turn his individual ambition may
n1rn l,a tE,, fryHY.a how yfar,1y
opportunity for growth, pleasure and
success. He spends his strength and
surrenders his time gladly that he may
maintain an ample home and command
the resources of wealth, school, travel
and congenial surroundings. To secure
these favorable conditions he gives up
his own chances of growth, change and
refreshment; he often achieves distinct
success in the narrow field of his occu-
patton at the cost of success in the
larger field of life. He becomes a tire
less wage-earner: he insensibly trans
fers to the wife, through preoccupation
and fatigue, the shaping and holding
of the life of his children, the making
of the atmosphere of the home, which
is more important in it's searching and
formative influence than any other ele-
ment in the family life; he opens doors
through which his children pass into
larger fields of knowledge but he does
not Sulde tnem. In spirit or deVo-
ton and self-sacrifice many heads of
American families are abdicating their
places of supreme authority and violat-
ing trust of which they have no right
to divest themselves. They are substi-
tuting a lower for higher service and
in their passionate desire that their
children shall have the best things they
are denying their children the noblest
gift they have to bestow. The father
must be something to his children as
we'll as do something for them. His
success in housing them in luxury and
his failure to give them moral vigor,