The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-22

Ill e&M1AxAD31f - Leturr Ill
BELIEVE that there is a great menace to the'family, and con-
sequently to the state, indicated by certain tendencies of
opinion and life. Chief among these I considerable tendency
~ to magnify the responsibility Of WOMEN and IGNORE
the responsibility Of men. The birth of aachid implies two
parents From my point Of view it is entirely'impossible to exag
gerate the necessity for purity, devotion and responsibility which
should be required of mothers.
MY PLEA is THAT SOCIETY SHALL BE TRAINED TO DEMAND
NOT LESS OF PURITY, DEVOTION AND SENSE OF RESPONSIBLE
lTY IN FATHERS.
I believe that there are dangers of race degeneration, if not i'm
mediate danger of race extinction. There is no doubt that one Of these
dangers proceeds from the %selhshness, the love of ease and the per-
sonal vanity of women, who from these causes, are moved to escape
what they consider the BURDENS of maternity.
These conditions cannot be too seriously deprecated nor too
severely reprimanded by any one, but this evasion by married women
of the maternity, which is the crown of the ,wife, is but one cause of
the existing menace to family life.
MEN ARE NOT LESS SELFISH nor lessease loving nor less
DESTROYS of seeking material comfort and physical luxury at the ex-
pense of the sacrifice Of children than our women.
It is ridiculous to talk as if women were the sole party 20 the post
ponement Of marriage in a state of society which does not permit wom-
en- to propose marriage.
Men postpone marriage and move from or never secure simple in
dividual homes that they may be spared the responsibility of keeping
an individual furnace running and that they may escape other small
duties which fall to the lot Of the average Independent householder,
and they do this because they love ease, comfort and luxury more
than the chaste pleasures Of family life, ACCOMPANIED BY ITS
RESPONSIBILITIES
| personally know scores Of young women in all respectable sta
tons of life, from the industrious, we'll paid clerk, senographer and
reporter, through all classes Of teachers, through all classes Of the
daughters of men, from well to do to opulent, whose hearts yearn for
an opportunity to live an Independent family life, for a chance to
help to found a home and produce children.
Of these the working portion would gladly give up the independ-
ence Of a personal wage and salary and do, instead of the work which
now occupies them, the housework IN THEIR OWN HOMES
if young men of equal purity Of personal life and equally fine domestic
and moral feelings should give them a chance to help to build a pure
home and produce pure, untainted children.
The young women of the second class referred to, daughters of
homes of comfort and luxury. would leave their present round of
afternoon teas and evening receptions and 60 from their present lux
urious environment under their parents roofs with Joy for the chance
to carry out their own ideals and their own purposes in founding a
simple home with some young man Of their own class equally willing
to give up his bachelor luxures for the most digni6ed estate Of hus-
bandhood and paternity.
What I deprecate is talking about the production and nurture of
children AS IF WOMEN HAD SOLE RESPONSIBILITY con-
corning them. I realize that in the nature of the case the mother has
not only the stronger prenatal influence over the child, but also the
greater influence during its first years.
I consider it q blot upon civilization that the educational systems
of a country which, like ours, boasts Of its intelligence and culture,
takes no account Of the functions of wifehood and motherhood in the
education of its girls.
Notwithstanding this defect in the education Of girls, generally
speaking they arr MUCH BETTER PREPARED IN BODY
AND MIND for their duties as wives and mothers than young men
are for their duties as husbands and fathers.
=
Let us by all means multiply our mothers clubs and increase the
number and influence Of our mothers congresses, but let us at the
same time do something to turn the thoughts of men, young and old,
to those duties and those responsibilities toward children already here
and those yet unborn, WHICH CANNOT POSSIBLY BE
SHIRKED and thrown uponath shoulders of women.
LET FATHERS IN THEIR HOMES AND MEN TEACHERS IN
THEIR SCHOOLS AND RAssis AND PRIESTS AND cLEReYMEN IN
ATTENTION TO THE PHYSICAL HABITS AND CONSEQUENT PHYS.
lcAL CONDITION. AND TO THE MORAL IDEALS OF MEN.
If anyone doubts the fact that Rapid City will soon be the
real metropolis of the Black Hills country, they should visit
the city and the business houses in it. Clerks and managers
are hurIIying to and fro wearing a tired expression. Real