Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-16
Author Of "Unleavened Bread
Points Out Good In Character
of Selma White
THE PRESIDENTS ARRANGEMENT
While Agreeing With Roosevelt in
What He Says Regarding Mother
hood and Maternal Instinct, Judge
Robert Grant is Aroused by Remarks
Made Before Congress of Mothers.

Boston, Mass, March 16.-Ihe Sc
Ilecting by President Roosevelt in his
address before the congress of mothers
of Selma White, the heroine OF ROD
ert Grants novel, "lJnleavened Bread,
as a horrible example which the moth
ers of the nation should seriously pom
der and strive to avoid, has aroused
the author, Judge Grant, of the probate
court of Massachusetts into defense
of his heroine.
II agree absolutely with the presi-
dent" said he yesterday. Sin what he
says respecting motherhood and ma
ternal instinct. No doubt exists that a
Iicertain class Of women look. upon
maternity as something to be avoided
and as a condition involving irksome
duties, detrimental to the development
of the personality. There are women
who set their mentality In a little
shrine and who daily burn incense be-
fore 1t. They have mission In lie,
and a purpose both high and solemn.
which is the emancipation of both
soul and bodies from centuries. of
tyranny exercised over them by man.
Sees SexIess Partnership.
"They have altered the entire modus
vivendi of marriage until it has be-
come with them an entirely seXless
partnership monument to the
triumph of mind over matter. Chill
dren to them mean a heavy handicap
in the pursuit of higher intellectual
things. They might consider beget-
ting them il it could be accomplished
in the same manner as some species of
plants which perpetuate themselves
spontaneously, but since no such
method as yet has been discovered
they prefer to remain childless.
Another class of women, that which
belongs to the extremely fashionable
set, shirk the duties of motherhood
because of necessity they would inter-
fere with their social engagements.
I have taken one of these women as
the text of q short story which
have called The Orchid and which
will be published shortly. The moral
i have drawn from 1t reflects exactly
the views / entertain in the matter
Superior mentality on the part of
some women has, no doubt, created
the conviction in them that bearing
children is something purely animal
something unworthy, the operation
lowering them to the level of domestic
animals. Some of them have conceiv-
ed their mission in life to be higher
Problem of Life Difficult.
Others, however, suffer childlessness
as a penalty. The problem of life. es-
pecially in large cities, has become so
difficult of solution that often two,
finding difficulty in clothing and feed
ing themselves, deliberately refuse to
submit q third to the hardships they
suffer. Children are expensive things
to them, a luxury which they cannot
afford
Late marriages are also responsible
for the gres,t proportion of childless
marriages. The young man of today
realizes the. economic conditions are
such that what his father could afford
to do at II he can only venture to do
at 81.
The views of the president on these
matters are logical and fair. There is,
however, something in the character
of Selma White in 'Unieavened Bread,
which atones for whatever there is in
it which he considers unwomanly.
While she is not my conception of what
an ideal American woman should be
there is a great deal of her character
sess i'm order to prove her supremacy
Much in Character to Praise.
Selma has defects in her qualities.
There are higher things than needle
work, pots, and pans. 1t was in striv-
ing for these higher things that Selma
erred, if she erred at all. OF course,
the character is exaggerated, but there
is much in it that is co1nmendable. If
a woman loves her husband it follows
she will stand by him thru everything.
But some women have qualities of
mind so developed they cannot love
a husband who has degenerated into
brute, prolfigate on fool.
Shall these women be censured if
they assert themselves and In an effort
to maintain their self-respect refuse
to be dragged down with the men to
which blind fate yoked them? Ought
they not be admired for remaining true
to the good that is in them in striving
to keep clean their ideals?
Tn the means to the attainment of
her ends Selma White may have been
clumsy at times, may have Numbered
as the half baked type of woman to
which she belongs is apt to do on the
side of overassertion and exaggerated
transcendalism. But the ideals she
CROPPED after are worthy ones. The
American, woman has improved ply
sically, but her greater development
has been along intellectual lines. We
should not wonder that in some con-
spicuous instances she overshot the
mark in her haste to achieve perfec-
ton
Pensions Granted Iowans.