The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-14
MOTHERS LISTEN
TO Roosevelt
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CONTINUED from First Page.)
do much more than this, who can lead
and ought to lead great careers of out
side usefulness in addition to-not as sub
stitutes for-their home work; but l am
not speaking of exceptions; / am speak
Ing of the primary duties, l am speaking
of the average citizens, the average men
ard women who make up the nation.
"Inasmuch as I am speaking to an as
semblage of mothers / shall have nothing
whatever to say In praise of an easy life.
Yours Is the work which is never ended.
no mother has an easy time, and most
mothers have very hard times; and yet
what true mother would barter her ex-
perience of joy and sorrow in exchange
for a life Of cold selfishnes- which insists
upon perpetual amusement and the avoid
ence of care and which often finds Its fit
dwelling place in some fiat designed to
furnish the least possible expenditure to
effort the maximum of comfort and of
luxury. but In which there is literally no
place for children?
Effort is the Law.
'"The mother who is good wife, a good
mother is entitled to our respect as is
no one else; but she Is entitled to 1t only
because and so long as, she is worthy
of it, Effort and selr-iacrifce are the
law of worthy life for the man as for the
woman; though neither the effort nor the
self-sacrifce may be the same for the one
as for the other. l do not In the least be-
leve in the patient Griselda type of wo-
man. in the woman who submits to gross
and long continued Ill treatment any
more than believe in a man who tamely
submits to wrongful aggression. No
wrong-doing is so abhorrent as wrong
doing towards the wife and the children
who should arouse every tender feeling in
his nature. Selfishness towards them
lack of consideration for them. above ALL
brutality in any form towards them
should arouse the heart.est scorn and in
dirnation in every upright soul.
1T believe in the womans l.eeping her
self-respect just as believe In the mans
doing so. l believe in her rights Just as
much as I believe in the mans, and in
deed little more: and l regard mar
rlage as a partnership. ir which each
partner is in honor bound to thinl, of the
rights of the other as well as of his or
her own But think that the duties are
even more important than the rights: and
In the long run l think that the reward
is ampler and greater for duty well done
than for the insistence upon Individual
rights, necessary though this. too, must
often be- Your duty is hard. your re-
sponsibility great: but greatest of all is
your reward / do not pity you in the
least. On the contrary, I feel respect
and admiration for you.
Destiny of Future Generations.
Into the womans keeping is COM
mitted the destiny of the generations to
come after u.s. In bringing up your chill
dren you mothers must remember that
while it is essential to be loving and ten
dor II is no less essential to be wise
and firm. Foolishness and affection must
not be treated as interchangeable terms:
and besides training your sons and
daughters in the softer and milder virtues
Won must seek to give them those stern
and harder qualities which in after life