Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1905-03-22

Washington, Special.-An address by
president Roosevelt vas the feature OF
the evening session OF the National
Congress OF Mothers, now holding its
tri-ennial convention at the Metropoli-
tan NJ. +. church. There was an i'm
mense attendance. The President IVES
formally introduced to the audience by
MRS. Frede'i 'ick Schoff, of Philadelphia.
the president of the congress. He read
his speech, but occasionally interiected
some eXtemporaneous remarks to en-
phasize point. The President spoke as
follows:
In our modern industrial civilization
there are many and grave dangers to
counterbalance the SplendorS and the
~.!unphs. 1T 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
niue 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
Incomes either too weak or too narrow.
the supers!ructure, no matter how at
tractFe, is in imminent danger of fall
ing.
But far more important than the
question OF the occupation of our citi-
ZenS is tho question of how their family
life is conducted. No matter what that
Occupation may be. as long as there is a
real nome and as long as those who
make up that home do their duty to one
another, to their neighbors and to the
state, II is of minor consequence
whether the mans trade is piled in the
country or the CITY, whether 1t calls for
the work of the hands or for the work
OF the head.
But the nation is IN a bad way il
there Is no real home. if the family
Is not of the right kind; If the man ia
not a good husband and father. if he
Is brutal or cowardly or selfish. If the
woman mas lost her sense of duty, il
she is sunk in vapid self-indulgence or
has let her nature be twisted so that
she prefers sterile pseudo-intelectu-
ality to that great and beautiful devel-
opment or character which comes only
to those whose lives know the fullness
or duty done, of effort made and self
sacrifice undergone.
HOME LIFE ALL-IMPORTANT.
I'm the last analysis the welfare of
the state depends absolutely upon
whether or not the average family. the
average man and woman and their chill
dren, represent the kind OF citizen
ship fit for the foundation OF a great
nation; ard if we fail to- appreciate
this VIC fail to appreciate the root NOR
ality upon which all healthy ciyiliza-
tion is based
NO piied-up wealth. no splendor of
material growth, no brillance of artis-
tic development. will permanently avail
any people unless it's home life Ia
healthy. unless the average man DOS
SesSes honesty, courage, com mon sense
and decency. unless he works hard and
is willing at need to fight hard; and
unless the average woman is n 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 nu-
merous enough so that the race will
increase and not decrease
DIVISION OF LABOR BY SEX.
~Thre are certain old truths which
Will be true as long as the world en-
dures, and which no amount of prog
ress can alter. One OF these is tn,
truth that the primary duty OF tn,
husband is to be the home maker th,
bread winner for his wife and children
and that the primary duty of the wo
man is to be the helpmeet the house
wife and mother. The woman snoul,
have ample educational advantages
but save in exceptional cases the MAJ
must he. and she need not be. and gen
orally ought not to be trained for life
long career as the family bread win
ner; and, therefore. after a certai-
point the training OF the two mus
normally be different because the dutie
of the two are normally different Thi
does not mean inequality of function
but il does mean that normally ther
must he dissimilarity of function. o.
the whole, | think the duty OF the wo
man the more important. the NOR
difficult. and the more honorable of tn
two: on the whole | respect the woman
who does her duty even more than
respect the man who does his.
WOMAN'S WORK THE NOBLER.
mo ordinary work done by ma
is either rs hard or responsible as til
work of a woman who is bringing up
family of small children for upon he
time and strength demands are mad
not only every hour OF the day bu
often every hour OF the night. Sh
may have to get up night after nigh
to take care of Il sick child, and We
must by day continue to do all ne
household duties as we'll: and if tn
family means are scant she must usual
ly enjoy even her rare holidays takin
her whole brood OF children with hel