The age-herald., 1900-03-25

motherhood as to surprise even the phil lanthrople women who led the movement. Of all club organizations, I regard this as the most important. It comes before the kindergarten, for 1t begins at the begin ming.
 'sThe next annual meeting of the Moth- CTS Congress will be held at Des Moines, la, May 2l to 9. Will you kindly call att tention to this nohe work in your depart ment of The Age-Herald, and so give an impetus to ths formation of a Mothers club, not only dn your city, but in the state. If possible, Alabama should have representation al the next meeting. Be- lieYe me sincerely yours,
 PRISCILLA c. GOODWIN.
 Robinson Springs, Ala''
 Through the efforts of Mrs. Goodwin the organization of the first mothers club in Alabama was recently accomplished in Montgomery and while a number of Bir- elnSham women have long been interested m 0he national organization a club has hot yet been organized in the city, Last winter however a movement was be- gun that had for its ultlmatum the organ lzauon of mothers clubs. Miss Mary Ca nalan, Mrs. J. H. Phillips and Miss Willie Allen were the promoters. and a number or mothers meetings were held at the Pow ell school. While the movement met with great encourageme a permanent organ lzatlon was not effected. With the interest already in evidence on the part of Birmine.- nam mothers, any further effort looking to permanent organization would meet with enthusiasm and cooperation.
 Mrs. Goodwin, who Is one of the brainsest and most progressive women in the staee mas successfully started movement in AL abema that will necessarily grow until every city will have it's Mothers club, the importance of which is well expressed in the following extract from circular relat- Ing to organizations:
 a Mnth o1f NVaTt Tor the sake of having a club. Organize a literary society and study Browning, or philosophical circle and read Hegel. But 1T you know some mothers who need help in their motherhood; if you are a mother who needs help. or can give help; ifyou are a spinster aunt or a grandmother who Knows how to lead the little ones by the peasant bonds of love and justice, and you see some place where your experience will help; then you may form a mothers union. Perhaps a few of you have lost your hearts TO the Kindergarten, and wish the rest of the community to do likewise. A mothers union will educate the public. and estau- fish the kindergarten in the hearts of the school directors; for what the mothers as a body wish. that may they have If you de- sire to accomplish reform in your public schools or in the attitude of the patrons towards those schools, form a union and discuss the subject through personal ex- perence. What the mothers desire the fathers desire, and the schools will have. Mayhap you wish to establish an effective system for the disposal of garbage, or the cleaning of the streets and alleys, for the carrying on of any department of muni- cipal housekeeping; you need a mothers union.
 Mother" Is still name to conjure with, growing in potency as the roll of the cen- turles lengthens, and increasing in scope till as the twentieth tally writes itself. "the mother in the home" merges into the broad CT term "the mother for the home" We have al last realized. and are teaching the world to understand. that a woman dis charges her duty in the home better when she also concerns herself with all the out side influences which combine to thwart or to aid in the creation and maintenance of the Ideal household. Man can not live for himself alone, nor can the mother live for the family alone. She must take into her heart and thought all homes, all children and all motherhood. It is because of this new perception of the largeness of the mothers work that mothers clubs have been created. Through combined experi- ence and combined influence, they should produce better conditions for home and so- cial life and fuller interpretation of this life in village town, and city; while our national congress of mothers hopes to com bine and crystalize all these smaller infiu- ences into an aggregate that shall in time. affect our life as a nation There Is such an inspiration in numbers, that even the small anxieties and trials grow lighter, and take on a new aspect. when we find that they are not peculiar to us, but common to all And mothers of age and experience have such a fund of information that proves always helpful to the young and ineXperi- enced who have an anxiety because they do not know.