Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-15

/ fellows:
| Next to the purity and lofty idealism of
| the home" he said, America reeds a deep
er interest in the child as a child in its
problems which, like those of adults. change
! as our social and economic life changes To
| our Industrial age the words of Earl Beau
champ, in opening an international con-
gress in England few years ago. should
appeal and state very old truth: The
children of country. said the earl. are
| the capital of country, and 1t is in the
use and value of their capital that we may
| discern a nations wisdom
Measured by this standard Porto Rico,
| of which l am privileged to speak. is a
wealthy country, and wise one. The island
where American civilization of the north is
now welded, for better or for worse, to that
of Latin America, contains one of the dens-
est agricultural populations of the world
and has a higher percentage of children
than has any other part Of the United
States Six years ago, the date of T. ; last
census. there were nearly a million people
in Porto Rico. and half of them were under
1871 years of age, while the so-called me-
dian line for the United States is 21.9 years.
Children Under Ten Years of Age.
In an average one hundred Porto Ricans
there are between six and seven more chill
dren under ten years of age than there are
in an average one hundred AMERICANS. The
children of school age as we measure
school age. that is from five to seventeen
inclusive, numbered, in 1899, 1922, $685. a
goodly number to be provided for from the
meager financial resources of the treasury
OF the insular government. Yet probably
in few countries of the world will one find
more evidences of parental affection and
greater ambition on the part of all classes
to do their best for their children. The
child is virtually adored, and any parent
who does not sacrifice his own comfort and
interest for the benefit of his children is
decidedly below par in the estimation of the
community. l know of nothing that inspires
confidence in the future of Porto Rico so
much the social estimate of value and
hope that is placed on the average child
THE central government of Porto Rico
co-operateS with the counties munich
palities in the adoption and maintenance
of the American free public schools in all
parts of the island There now over
LOCO of them well distributed over the
island, each building flying the American
flag, and fairly well equipped with modern
books and appliances, and, best of all,
manned by an earnest corps of young, am
bilious native teachers eager to improve
every opportunity for professional training.
There Is on the average one American
teacher, trained and experienced in school
methods in the states in every group of
eight native teachers, and great is his or
her opportunity to exert a mighty influence
by tact and good fellowship In the mold
ing of this great educational movement in
the tropics. / am glad to say that with
few exceptions these American educational
missionaries are making good as we say
hearty encouragement.
Two Forms of Aid.
Contributing more in dollars, nearly
twenty-eight per cent of their entire reve-
nues from taxation, insular and local, than
most communities in the states to the sup
port of their schools, and vastly more APP
preciative of what their schools are doing
for them, the people of Porto Rico deserve
your interest, sympathy and help. l know
they have the interest and sympathy of
the great majority Of the people of the
United States, and do not let us forget that
they need our help. There are two ways
that this great organization of the mothers
congress can help. One is to create a ma
t1onal public sentiment for direct financial
aid from our national treasury to increase
the number of schools and all other edu-
cational facilities
1.-The second form of help which you can
give Is illustrated by what you have done
and are doing here at home in this great
organization of the motherhood of the land
now holding it's ninth annual convention.
Let us expand the scope of the noble en-
deaFors of the mothers. congress to include
the parents and chfldrefssof Porto Rico.
They will receive US as the people received
the armed troops of the United States in
1898. with joy and hospitality, and we can
thus help fulfill for them their highest
hopes that dawned the day the American
flag was first raised as the symbol of their
new sovereignty.
Last Nights Session.
The session last night was opened with
prayer by Rev. Frank SewalI. The music
of the evening, a song entitled Our Flags
Motto" was received with prolonged ap
plause. The singer was Miss Francis Croft,
and the words of the song were written
by Miss Emma J. II. Hughes, chairman
of the congress kindergarten committees.
1t is dedicated to the children of America.
. In introducing Senator Dubois Mrs. Schoff
said:
TO all women and all men this is one
of the greatest subjects before the nation
today,s she said, in speaking of Mormon
ism. You owe much to the man who
speaks to us. When a man stands in his
place and fights for our homes a nation
owes him as much as it does the man who
goes to battle to save them. The organiZa-
tion of which he will speak threatens fam
lily life; just how seriously is shown when
the republican party is afraid to touch 1t.
To have such a man as Senator Smoot
in the Senate is a menace to every home
in America. The Senate must listen to the
womanhood of the United States and eX-
pei him.
Senator Dubois Speech.
Senator Dubois talked on. Mormonism
His speech was chiefly an historical review
of that body in the United States, and
severe arraignment of the doctrines and
practices of the Mormon organization. He
declared with emphasis that there should
be no liberation of the present teachings
and practices of the Mormon hierarchy, and
in suggesting a remedy said:
1T is the duty of the United States SEN
ate so to act on the case of Senator Apos-
tie Reed Smoot as to serve notice on the
polygamous head of this church and his
apostles that they must live within the
law; that the nation is supreme; t.iat the
institutions of this country must prevail
throughout the land; and, second, there
should be an amendment to our cons IL
ton wide enough in its scope TO place
plural marriage and political control by the
church entirely out of the realm of posi-
bility." Senator Dubois declared that Nor
monlsm is a decided, if not the greatest,
single menace which confronts US as a
people. Polygamy, he said, was practiced
by Joseph Smith as early as 1S41 "as a com
mand from God and it has been practiced
from that day to this in defiance of all
law. Then the senator continued:
The, president of the Mormon Church
and more than one-haIf Of the apostles are
openly living in polygamy today. and the
testimony taken before the committee