New-York tribune., 1902-03-13
THE IDEAL MOTHER.
HER PLACE IN THE WORLD AS DEFINED
BY CHARLOTTE F. GILMAN.

Human society has always been in a conspiracy
10 preserve traditions and prevent progress" Mrs.
Charlotte P. Gilman said yesterday in her talk
Woman in the Social Fabric" before the Civitas
Club of Brooklyn. BIRDS evolved from rep
tiles: but suppose that all the staid and
servative reptiles who had traditions and pictures
and statues Of earlier reptiles. which they
garded with and veneration, had frowned upon
and driven out from respectable reptilian society
every daring young reptile that showed tendency
TO become a bird. the evolution might have been
much retarded. Yet that is what the human
is always doing, and we progress in spite Of our
selves
One of the main reasons why progress so
slowly is that We have a mental heredity that con
tains many mistaken ideas one Of the falsest Of
which is the belief that woman has no duty 70
the world
Mrs. Gilman apparently thought that the body of
progressive women before her might seem like
contradiction of that statement so fastened 10
add: Clubs have done much for women. and in
them there are many who have the broader view
that society needs but the world at large IS stll
Of the opinion that the world Is best served b.
having men do the work of the world, while women
stay at home You cannot develop any animal by
taking half OF it for training Practical stock
raisers have that the record OF the mother IS
as important as that of the father and the human
race be hampered in it's growth until both
sexes are trained their highest possibilities
Motherhood is the highest duty of woman, and
wise motherhood needs the fullest development of
being"
often
Gus way Of putting things when she said: The
accepted belief is that half the should stay
home while the other half goes out into the great
market place that is called the world and grabs
things to take to the first half We fail TO regard
the fact that every individual is bound to con-
tribute TO the public good
It's wOMAN's FAULT"
The lack of public conscience, as shown in the
disgraceful condition of politics country, is
due TO the fact that the mothers of men have been
trained 10 take interest in the States affairs.
This personal and limited view is Of necessity
transmitted their sons. and then wonder that
persons who respectable husbands and fathers
should almost unanimously prove TO be corrupt
in public life. We likely Greece and
Rome TO crumble into dust, and the most hopeful
feature of our national life is the fact that our
ideals are changing at tremendous rate. ana
beginning TO feel that they are part OF
the social fabric, with a share in the worlds
In the discussion that followed Mrs Gilman's ad
dress the inevitable domestic problem was intro
time for larger work when household duties are so
Mrs Gilman answered that there must be
change in methods Of living Eating she said
garded the family altar, and women waste time.
money and @ Reaa IN l 20 TFsa]T b ] ]Gsay without ft even
keeping it healthy Cooking should be specialized
laundry work and the making OF clothing are 10
Another member asked If the apartment hotel is
the most scientific way Of living and and II was
conceded that II is definite ana practcai step IN
A said that housekeeping would be less
/ troublesome II people did undertake to keep
private museums. Mrs. Gilman expressed her be
lief that much of the eXtravagant and needless
ornamentation of homes will disappear as women
get into a larger life The private museum is an
attempt at the expression OF herself that is now
denied her. A man gets his society IN ms business
gets home, whereas woman must seek TO crafty
her social instincts in an artificial way and en-
A question that aroused a good deal OF interest
was Should mothers allow themselves to be sep
arated from their children In Mrs Gilmans
oninfon mothers are rarely fitted TO be teachers,
and she believes that specialists should be engaged
10 train the infant from its first to its fifth
they are later. Nothing should and nothing can
separate the child from Its mother, she declared,
but II is regarded a separation when the
child goes to the kindergarten TO the preparatory
| school and the college. .,
"Children are at the mercy OF amateur mo cthers."
tho sneaker continued, 'and only beginning
TO realize that motherhood is a serious profession
that requires deep and careful study. Nine-tenths
OF society now laugh AT the one-tenth that is
making a study Of il. The child has right TO eX-
perienced training. and II is usually merely sub
iect for experiment.. -.
with the president Mrs Louise Van Anden Frank,
/ ,r the chair. After the paper and discussion re-
! freshments were served