The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-14

huVf NnNu increase anu MOI decrease.
| WASHINGTON, March 10. 80 President
/ Roosevelt tonight delivered characteristic
| speech to the Mothers Congress and
large audience that packed the Metro
/ politan Methodist Episcopal Church. The
/ President was In happy mood. and he
made 1t plain to his auditors that he felt
at home IN such an atmosphere. Mr.. Roose-
/ welt was presented by Mrs. SohaH, tho
| president Of the congress-
7 1t was the Mothers Congress that first
/ nominated Mr.. Roosevelt for the Presi-
| dency, said Mrs SchaT 1t was when
1 We held our meeting in Albany while he
I was Governor. We saw bis lovely children
there and decided then that he would have
to be the President OF the United States
/ The President began his address by
bowling TO Mrs Schah and saying laugh
ingly THE father of six greets the mother
! Of seven" The President then said he
bad them all sizes and age' If any one
will cnll the age I will produce the child
he said
At one stage in his address he smilingly
referred 10 his race suicide doctrine He
touched on the recent declaration OF
clergyman that a family should consist Of
no more than two children in order that
parents might have time for the good things
Of life. Turning to the handful of clergy
mon on the stage be said
Il regret 10 say that that suggestion
came from preacher of the Gospel
The President was royalty received by
tho large audience. MY Country. 'Tis
OF Thee was sung as he entered and again
when he departed from the church The
Presidents speech follows:
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS
In our modern industrial civilization
there are many and grave dangers TO coun-
terbalance the splendors and the triunphs
II is not a good thing to SEQ cities grow
at dispropotionate speed relatively to
the country, for tha small land owners.
the men who own their littlo homes, and
therefore to a very large extent the men
who till farms, the men Of the soil. have
hitherto made the foundation of lasting
national life in every State, and if the
foundation becomes either too weak or too
narrow the superstructure, no matter
how attractive. is in imminent danger of
falling.
But far more important than the question
81 the occupation If cur citiz ms is the uues-
tion e how their family life is conducted
No matter what that occupation may be,
IA long az there is real home and as long
as those who make up that home do their
duty TO one another, to their neghbors
and TO the State it Is Of minor consequence
( whether the mans trade ia piled in the
country or tho city, whether IL calls for the
work Of the hands or for the work Of the
head.
But the nation il in bad way il there
is no real home, IL the family il not Of the
right kind. If the man is not good husband
and father, IL he j. brutal or eowardly or
selfish, If the woman has los. her sense OF
duty, II she is sunk in vapid sclf-indulgence
or has let her nature be visited 80 that she
prefers a sterile pseudo-inteectuaity to
that great and beautiful development OF
character which comes only to those whose
lives know the fulness of duty done. of ef-
fort made and self-sacrfce undergone.
In the last analysis the welfare Of the
State depends absolutely upon whether or
not the average family. tho average man
and woman and their children, represent
the kind Of citizenship fit for the founda-
ton of great nation and If we fail to
appreciate this we fail to appreciate the
root morality upon which all healthy civli-
zation is based.
"No piled up wealth, no splendor OF
material growth, no brilliance Of artistic
development. will permanently avail any
people unless its home life is n althy, un-
less the average maq possesses honesty,
courage, common sense and decency. UNI
less he works hard and IS willing at need
to fight hard and unless the average woman
is good wife good mother able and
wiling to perform the first and greatest
duty Of womanhood able and willing To
bear and to bring up az 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
There are certain old truths which will
be true az long az this world endures and
which no amount Of progress can alter
one of these is the truth that the pri-
mary duty Of the husband is to be the home
maker. the breadwinner for his wife and
children, and that the primary duty OF the
woman Is TO be the helpmeet, the house
wife and mother. The woman should
have ample educational advantages, but
save in exceptional cases the man must
be, and she need not DO and generally
ought not to be. trained for lifelong career
as the family breadwinner, and therefore.
after a certain point the training OF the
two must normally DO different because
the duties of tho two are normally diff
ferent This does not mean inequality OF
function, but il does mean that normally
there must be dissimila-ity Of function.
On the whole, l think the duty OF the woman
the more important, the more difficult
and the more honorable Of the two. on the
whole | respect the woman who does her
duty even more than l respect the man
who does his.
NO ordinary work done by a man is
either as hard or as responsible as the work
of woman who il bringing up family Of
small children for upon her time and
demands are made not only every
hour Of the day but often every hour Of the
night She may have to get up night after
night to take care OF sick child. and yet
must by day continue 10 do all her house
hold duties as well and II tho family means
are scant she must usually ENJOY even her
rare holidays taking her whole brood Of
children with her. The birth pangs make
All men the debtors Of all women. Above
III. our sympathy and regard are due 10 the
struggling wives among those whom