Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-14


couldn't get in at all went home The Pres
ident given ovation as he with
some difficulty, made his way through the
crowds, and a second one when he was pre-
scented to the congress by the national pres
ident.
This meeting marks an epoch in the
history of the children of the world be-
cause to it comes the President of the
United States said Mrs. Schoff. ut is
a great honor to have him with US, but he
honors himself, too, when he honors the
children and the homes of this country. l
may add that he is our nominee for the
presidency, for we placed him in nominal
ton at meeting held by the mothers in
Albany when he was governor of the state
of New York.
President Roosevelt responded to the APP
plause that greeted him with an expansive
smile and an air of at-homeness which
completely captured the audience and
When he began to speak it was remarked
by many who know him well that he SEEM
ed to feel more perfectly at ease than
usual, and it was the commonly expressed
opinion that the mother cause lay nearer
to the Presidents heart than any other,
because, as he expressed himself later,
Into the womans keeping is committed
the destiny of the generations to come after
US"
When the President was at last permitted
to speak he said:
In our modern industrial civilization there
are many and grave dangers to counter
balance the splendors and the triumphs. 1t
is not good thing to cities grow at
disproportionate speed relatively to the
country; for the small land owners, the
men who own their little homes, and there
fore to a very large extent the men who
till farms the men of the soil, have hitler
to made the foundation of lasting national
life in every state; and, if the foundation
becomes either too weak or too narrow, the
superstructure no matter how attractive,
is in imminent danger of falling.
But far more important than the question
OF the occupation of our citizens is the
question of how their family life is con-
Quoted. No matter what that occupation
may be, as long as there is a real home
and as long as those who make up that
home do their duty to one another, to their
neighbors and to the state, it is of minor
consequence whether the mans trade is,
piled in the country or the city, whether IT
calls for the work of the hands or for the
work of the head.
But the nation is in a bad way If there
is no real home, if the family is not of the
right kind; if the man is not good hus
band and father, if he is brutal or cowardly
selfish, if the woman has lost her sense
of duty if she is sunk in vapid self-induI-
gence or has let her nature be twisted SO
that she prefers sterile pseudo-inteliec-
tuality to that great and beautiful develop
ment of character which comes only to
those whose lives know the fullness of duty
done, of effort made and self-sacrifice I'M
dergone.
In the last analysis the welfare of the
state depends absolutely upon whether or
not the average family, the average man
and woman and their children, represent
the kind of citizenship fit for the founda-
ton of a great ma tion and if we fail to ap-
preciate this we fail to appreciate the root
morality upon which all healthy civilization
is based.
No pled-up wealth. no spIendor of ma
terial growth. no brilliance of a1tistic de-
yalonmept will nermapeDtJy
pie unless its home life is healthy, unless
the average man possesses honesty. cour-
age, common sense and decency, unless he
works hard and is willing at reed to fight
hard and unless the average woman is
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 they should be brought up,
healthy children, sound in body, mind and
character, and numerous enough SO that
the race shall increase and not decrease.
Truth Will Endure.
There are certain old truths which Will
be true as long as this world endures, and
which no amount of progress can alter.
One of these is the truth that the primary
duty of the husband is to be the home
maker, the bread winner for his wife and
children. and that the primary duty of the
woman is to be the helpmeet the housewife
and mother The woman should have am
PIE eQuCdIlOfal advantages, DuC save III
exceptional cases the man must be, and she
need not be, and generally ought not to he,
trained for lifelong career the family
bread-winner; and, therefore. after d ccr-
tain point the training of the two must
normally be different because the duties
of the two are normally different. This
does not mean inequality of function, but
Ii does mean that normally there MUST be
dssimilarity of function. On the whole, l
think the duty of the woman the more ir;-
portant, the more difficult, and the moro
honorable of the two; on the whole, / "a
spect the woman who does her duty even
more than / respect the man who does his.
No ordinary work done by man is either
as hard or responsible as the work of
woman who is bringing up a family OF
small children: for upon her time and
strength demands are made not only every
hour of the day, but often every hour of
the night. She may have to get UP night
after night to take care of a sick chilli,
and yet must by day continue to do ali
her household duties as well: and If the
family means are scant she must usually
enjoy even her rare holidays taking her
whole brood Of children with her. The
birth pangs make all men the debtors of
all women. Above al, our sympathy ami
regard are due to the struggling wives
among those whom Abraham Lincoln called
the plain people, and whom he SO loved
and trusted; for the lives Of these women