The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-24
CHILDREN" is
THEIR THEME
Interesting Addresses at Moth
ers' Congress Last Night.
MRS. SCHOFF GIVES A TALK
MRS. SHEPARD AND PROFESSOR
STEWART OTHER SPEAKERS.

4
Utah Congress Of Mothers convened
last night at the Assembly hall,
with a few hundred women and about a
dozen men in attendance.
Children" as might have been ex-
pected, was the topic. The boy who reads
bill-boards, the boy who won't go TO
school, the boy who looks at the papers
and the model boy were all subjects Of
discussion. and it was told by the speak
ers Just what has been done and is yet
10 be done for them.
Addresses We're made by Mrs. Shepard,
president of the congress- Mrs. Frederick
Schoff, president of the National Moth
ers Congress, and Professor Stewart or
The university. The speeches were inter
spersed with musical selections, and the
opening Of the congress was in every way
d delightful, as well as an suspicious,
event.
After a piano selection by Miss Celia
Sharp and the opening prayer by the
Rev DIT. Albritton. Mrs. Shepard, the
president of the organization, made the
opening address Mrs. Shepard spoke or
the present time as the WOmens century
and of the good accomplished along Vari-
Gus lines by the different WOmen's clubs
and kindred organizations.
Mrs. Shepard's Address.
"The child study circles forming all
over the country mark the highest point
reached I'm any of the club movements, =,
said the speaker. THE Organiza ton Of
kindergartens, manual training schools
vacation schools and all formative edu-
catiOnal institutions is the most import
ant work undertaken IN the present sys-
TEN of education. The environment Of
the child is of the greatest Importance
IN its growth.
'Bill-boards play an important part in
the education or our children. Watch the
small boy as he passes the various signs
posted up along mis- way; he has learned
70 read the pictures placed before him
there before he enters the school room.
The chewing gum advertisements which
are displayed on the boards around our
own town are most pernicious In their
effect. Many of the advertisements for
the drama are Of such a nature as to per
vert the minds of our children.
The newspapers, too, are placing be-
fore our young people many ana revolt
ing details in the criminal cases which
are before the public. All of these mat
tiers can be rectified by the mothers If
they work for the best good of all chill
dTen. Environment means more tnan
heredity or inherited tendency
In closing her address, Mrs. Shepard
spoke of the good accomplished by the
parents clubs which have been formed
in city schools. She then introduced the
president of the National Mothers Con
gress, Mrs. Frederick SchOff Of Philadei-
phia. Mrs. Schoff said:
Work of Mothers Congress.
1.-THE National Mothers Congress is
doing more and has done more than any
other one thing TO uplift and ennoble the
whole Of the child world. Its influence
reaches 20 every home, every school, ev-
cry refOrmatOry and every prison. You
who do not see the evils OF the large
cities know nothing Of the terrible lives
of the children there. Fathers ana moth
ers who take proper care of their own
children are too prone to sit back and
think that is all.
ut is not any safeguard for your child
unless it safeguards an the associates OF
your child The men in the eastern states
who make the laws which govern child
criminals as well as adult criminals are
learned men who are absolutely lgnorap1t
OF child nature. Therefore, all reputable
colleges should have a department OF
child study in every course.
The Mothers Congress mas studied ali
laws affecting the child, and as a conse-
ouence. has obtained a better law in about
half of the ten states where the congress
is ORGANIZED. Michigan leads in the move
ment, having been the first to improve It's
laws for the prosecution Of child Grim
inals.
Reformatories Worse Than Prisons.
IN large cities where the laws are made
for the governing of adults no chance is
given for a DOT TO De a boy WITHOUT
breaking some of the various laws toI
the protection of citizens. For the most
trivial Offeuses small boys are sometimes
detained in the same cells with the most
awful associates. and allowed TO witness
the trials OF hardened criminals Ihe
reformatOry schools are IN some instances
even worse than the prisons themselves
and from all of these the child comes
forth not only branded but perverted ~
nature and having a knowledge Of crime
that is appalling
''Students of child nature" continued
Mrs. Schoff. have shown that there rs
some crying need in the life of the child
who commits a crime. and following TINS
thought the mothers OF Philadelphia nave
organized for the purpose OF lessenins
crime among their children. Realizing
that to treat children as criminals Is tc
make criminals of them, they have en-
deavOred to surround the small offender
with the atmosphere Of love and trust
and the results are shown IN gratlIylns
statistics.
Houses Of detention for children ac'
c1sed of crime have been established, and
i'm these homes are men and women deyot
ing themselves to the service OF the emil
dren placed there Three years ago IN tnt
prisons of Illinois there were LOO cplF
dreu Under the present system IN lil'
mast three years only twenty-tour emil
dren have reached the prisons. the greater
number having been returned TO the de-
tentiOn houses. A large sum or money
( has been saved to the state by this means
as we'll
Rights Of Children.
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