The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-03-24
DUTY OF WOMEN.
The President Gives Advice to
the Congress of Mothers.
CURSE OF DIVORCE.

The importance of the Family. The
Rearing and Training of Children.
Woman's Influence In the Life
OF the Nation. Every Wo-
man Should Read 1t.
President Roosevelt delivered an ad-
dress before the Congress of Mothers
In Washington last week, which every
woman should read. We give the en-
tire speech below:
In our modern Industrial utilization
there are many and grave dangers to
conterbalance the splendors and the
triumphs It is not good thing to see
cities grow at disproportionate speed
relatively to the country; for the small
land owners, the men who own their
little homes, aud therefore TO very
large extent the men who till farms,
the man Of the soil, having hitherto
made the foundation OF lasting ma tion
al life in every State; and, If tile
foundation becomes either too weak
or TOO narrow, the superstructure, no
matter how attractive, is In eminent
danger Of falling.
But far more Important than the
question Of the occupation of tur cit
izens is the question Of huw 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 humc do their
DUTY to one another, to their neigh.
bors and to the State, it is OF minor
const Quence whether the mans trace
Is plieu In the country or in The city,
whe, her 1t calls for the work of the
hands or for he work OF the head.
VALUE OF THE FAMILY HOME.
But the nation Is IN bad way II
there Is no real home, if the family Is
not OF the right kind; If the man is
not good husband and father, If he
Is brutaliy or cUwaruly or selfish, IL the
woman has lost her sense OF duty, II
she Is sunk in vapid self indulgence or
has let her nature he twisted So that
she prefers sterile pScudo-inte ellec
luality to that great and beautiful de.
velopment Of charecte which comes
only To those Whuse lives know tn,
fu!lnesa OF uuty done, OF effolt made
and aelf-sacrltice undergone.
In the last analJ Sis the welfare OF
the State depends absolutely upon
VI hot hor e., !,
average man and woman and Their
children, represent the kind of citiz N.
ship tit for the foundation Of a great
nation; and II we fail to appreciate
this we fail to apprt ciate tile rCo,
morality upon which all health civil.
lization Is based
No piled up wealth, no splendor ol
material growth, no brilliaLce of art
istic development, will permanently
avail any people unless its home life Ii
healthy, unle! S the average man pos
sessses honesty, courage, common
sense, and decency, unless he work,
hard and Is willing at need to fight
hare; and unless the average woman
Is a good wife, a good mother, able
and willing to perform the first and
greatest duty or womanhCod, able and
willing 10 bear, and to bring up as they
should be brought up, healthy child
rem, sound In body, mind, and char.
acter, and numerous enough so that
the nation shall increase and not de.
crease.
NAN THE BREADwINNER.
There are certain old truths that
will be true as long as this world en-.
dures, and which no amount OF pro-
gress can alter. One of these is the
truth that the primary duty of the
husband is to be home maker, the
bread winner for his wife and child.
dren. and that the primary duty OF
the woman is to be the helpmeet, the
house wife and mother. The woman
should have ample educational advan.
tages; but save in exceptional cases
the man must be and she need not be,
and generally ought not to 90, train
ed as the lifelong care er as the family
breadwjnner; and, therefore, after q
certain point the training If the two
must normally be different because
the duties Of the two are normally diff
ferent. This daes not mean inequality
Of function, but 1t does mean that nor
mally there must be diSsimilarity Of
function. On the whole, l think the
duty OF The woman the more impor
tant, the more difficult and the more
honorable OF the two; on the whole
respect the woman who does her duty
more than respect the man who does
his
No ordinary work done by man is
either as hard or as responsible as the
work OF a woman who is Bringing up
fam ly OF small cilldrtn; FIR upuu
her Tune and strength d, mar d, are
mace not only every hour Of the day
but every hour Of lhv night. She may
have t" get up night after night To
take care o. a sick child, al d yet must
by Gay C ntinue To DO ali her hou @.
hold uuteS ar well: ana If the family
means ale scaDt s. Q must usually en
Joy even her rare holidays taking h,
whole brooo OF children with her The
birth pangs make all IN The deb or.
OF all won en-. Above all cur sym path
and regard are due TO the ST juggling
wives among those whom Abraham
Lincoln called the plain people, ard
wi ON lie so loved and tru,ted; for the
lives OF these women are often lead
on the !, NJ ly heights Of q.i,t, self
sacr! ficinR herOIsm.
DUTY OF MOTHERHOOD.
T,,e a.