New-York tribune., 1903-03-12
WOMAN and DUTY.
Specialists to Help Mothers Bring
Up Children ADVOCATED.

NT5od did not send Us into the world merely to
1--we and raise families. said Mrs Charlotte Perkins
Gilman IN q lecture before the Civ1tas Club OF
brooklyn yesterday. Men have always recognized
larger duty than the duty to the family and the
names most honored in history have been the
names Of those who have best served the largest
number Of people This has been IN all times
but Ee have an advantage to-day n religion the
Christian pilgrim stands for human love and
service not the love and service Of ones own blood
relations but including them
IT has been generally taken for granted" con-
tnued Mrs Gilman. that these larger duties be-
longed only. and that the business Of
women to work through their children or
rather through their sons, never doing anything
thenselves- II this arrangement had produced q
satisfactory condition OF society, perhaps II might
not be worth while to cTincise It But the world
is weighted down with disease poverty and crime,
and il Is impossible to take care of our own and
let others go. We never know when our best be-
loved may oe stricken by disease or ruined hnan-
cially, IN consequence Of conditions IN the outside
world in which we have not thought It worth while
interest ourselves Society IL . living unit The
welfare Of each part is dependent on the welfare
81 the whole and can never do our duty to
the part until We have discharged our duty to the
whole Our duty to America, to Eew-York- to
Brooklyn, Il greater than duty to our families
snd women have written excuse from
heaven TO relieve us Of our share OF the burden
And we could. furthermore, serve our families
better We did II by modern methods. We could
lower our living expenses by two-thirds and lift
such burden from the shoulders Of mankind that
cannot see hoE we can have the right not TO do It
woman cannot do her duty to her family by
trying 70 do ii all alone. She may pour out her
life Ike water and yet only succeed In producing
the average of humanity that We see around
us"
Referring TO criticisms her previous lectures
Mrs. Gilman said she had intention OF suggest
ing that the home should be given up She only
wished say that Il should not be the limit or
sny human creatures life, and that women were
Is much crippled as men would be by the con-
hnement of their interest TO this sphere The nome
was The cradle Of the race, and no one should De
confined forever to the cradle She was not seek
ing either to separate the mother from tie child.
but only trying to show the mother how she might
more for her child by having specialists TO help
her during its infancy. she now has trained as
efstance during its hter years.
Perhaps. II mothers could command such assist
ence as this" added Mrs Gilman. motherhood
would not dreaded and avoided as 1t Is now, and
our beloved President would not be 20 sfralo OF
the suicide Of the American race
For the confirmation Of her theory that mothers
ave not Ststed with some mysterious power which
enables them 70 care properly for little children
Mrs Gilman has been keeping diary OF the acci-
6ents happentng to children within the sacred
rrs,f,cts az the home" In one recent case. Wnlcn
vas related yesterday. the child was NOT only at
r,o-,. b,t IN it's mothers arms. where. II N any
place child supposed to be sos1lTteig S ssfs to the
tv-o-vear-oId child il choked to death ,.,. >,
The I notasT 1oc1tr.T may but ass she had no sense
Before beginning her lecture ME- ,th Sn1n anneaTed
-ecs,ix I one of the most conservative Of New
York papers and which e1presSso o. e5itor4ai was
9ia S,to fhe future and foretold houses with
out kitchens Iaundries or serVanS, OF y Worren ~ to-
things which the souls OF men aho "ole ~
day.