The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-03-17
THE PRESIDENT
Makes a Characteristic
Address 10 Congress
Of Mothers.
THE DUTY OF WOMAN

/
gress and their friends. The Metro
politan M. e. church, the place OF
worship of the late President McKin-
ley was crowded to the doors and
hundreds filled the sidewalks adjoin-
ing. The presidents appearance at 8
o'clock was the signal for the great
assemblage to rise and sing Amer
ica." Mrs. Frederick Scoff, of Phil
adelphia, who had just concluded an
address on "The Children of the Ma
tioh" felicitiously introduced the dis.
tingaished visitor as "our nominee for
the presidency" recalling the fact that
while he was governor of New York
his sterling character and advocacy Of
home life won from the mothers del
egates his first nomination as presi-
dent. "The father of six bows to the
mother of seven" responded the pres
ident acknowledging the introduction
and the great hall rang with applause.
The president spoke for an hour and
his remarks were repeatedly applaud
ed. He said among other things:
In our modern industrial civilization
there are many and grave dangers to
counterbalance the splendors and the
triumphs. 1t is not a good thing to see
cities grow at disproportionate speed
relatively to this country: for the
small land owners. the men who own
their little homes, and therefore to a
very large extent the men who till
farms, the men of the soil, have hith-
erto made the foundation of lasting
national life in every state; and. If
the foundation becomes either too
weak or two narrow, the superstruct-
ure, no manner how attractive, is in
imminent danger of falling.
THE FAMILY LIFE.
But far more important than the
question of the occupation of our cit
izens is the question of how their fam
| lily life is conducted. No matter what
that occupation may be, as long as
there is real home and as long as
those who make up that home do
their duty to one another, to their
neighbors and to the state, it is of
minor consequence whether the mans
trade is piled in the country or the
city, whether it calls for the work of
hands or for the work Of the head.
But the nation is in a bad way If
there is no real home, if the family
is not of the right kind. If the man is
not a good husband and father, if he
is
BRUTAL OR C0WARDLY
or selfish, If the woman has lost her
sense of duty, if she is sunk in vapid
self-indulgence or has let her nature
be twisted so that she prefers a sterile |
pseudo-intellectuality to that great and
beautiful development of character
which comes only to those whose lives
know the fullness of duty done, of
effort made and self-sacrifice UNDER
gone
No piled-up wealth, no splendor of
material growth, no brilliance of
artistic development, will permanent
ly avail any people unless its home
life is healthy, unless the average man
possesses
HONESTY, COURAGE
common sense, and decency, unless
he works hard and is willing at need
to fight hard and unless the average
woman is good wife, good mother,
able and willing to perform the first
and greatest duty of womanhood, able |
and willing to bear. and to bring up
as they should be brought up, healthy |
children, sound in body, mind and |
character, and numerous enough SO
that the race shall increase and not |
decrease.
These are certain old truths which |
will be true as long as
THIS WORLD ENDURES,
and which no amount of progress can |
alter. One of these is the truth that |
the primary duty of the husband is to
for his wife and children, and that the
primary duty Of the woman is to be
the helpmeet, the housewife, and
mother. The woman should have
ample educational advantages, but
save in exceptional cases the man
must be, and she need not be, and gem
orally ought not to be, trained for a
lifelong career as the
FAMILY BREADWINNER;
ana, therefore, after certain point |
the training of the two must nor
mally be different because the duties
Of the two are normally different. |
This does not mean inequality of |
function, but 1t does mean that nor
mally there must be dissimiliarity of |
function. On the whole, think the |
duty of the woman the more import
ant, the more difficult, and the more
honorable of the two; on the whole
respect the woman who does her duty |
even more than respect the man who
does his.
WORK NEVER DONE.
No ordinary work done by man Is
either as hard or as responsible as the
work of woman who Is bringing up |