Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-11
Mothers Hear of Work for
Past Year
AT MEETING TODAY
SESSION HELD IN METROPOLITAN
M. e. CHURCH.
Address of the President, Mrs. SchoH
Corresponding Secretary Tells OF
What She Has Done.

trioticaliy decorated this morning Tor the
opening business of the National Congress
of Mothers. \ simple but pretty arrange
ment Of half rosetted flags covered the bal
cony ratings. Just below the stained glass
oval in the rear of the altar two large
flags were draped, and set against them, as
though holding up the folds, were tall
palms. \ great jar of La France roses
stood on the altar stand.
The ensemble was extremely pleasing, and
Mrs. Sarah D. La Fetra. chairman of the
committee on decorations, was highly COM
plimented on the results of the labors of
herself and the committee.
The Invocation was pronounced by Mrs
Sarah d. La Fetra, after which the ma
tional president. Mrs. Schoff. proceeded i'm
mediately to the business of the morning
which was the presentation of the reports
of the officers and from the state pHs 81
dents.
Mrs Schoff's address was a summing up
of the work of the last year, and she told
with fervor, which brought q round of
applause. of the work done to get Mr..
Smoot. the Utah senator and Mormon apos-
tie. out of the Senate.
Mrs Schof said. in part:
Presidents Address.
THE executive board of the national con-
gress of mothers has met three times each
year making nine times in all since l as
sumed the presidency of the congress. The
executive meetings have been held in Phil
adelphia and Washington. The board of
managers has met four times during the
past three years, at the time of the national
conferences. Conferences have been held
in Detroit, Mich, May 5, 1903; at Chicago.
Ill. May II. 1904. and the mothers congress
day was held in St. Louis at the hall of the
congresses May %, 1904. A trip to Cali
in Nav cd n 10 a.
ton of the California congress of mothers.
The time was ripe for the movement there,
for, the part of the directors and par
ents. the need for child-study. for the CO.
operation of home and school was recog
niZed. With this mutual appreciation of
the Importance of the work the California
congress of mothers has outstripped all
other states in the number of it's clubs. In
June, 1902, at the request of members of the
Utah congress of mothers. your president
visited Sale Lake City. The situation there
was Il difficult one. The GentileS and the
Mormons had united and worked together
in the Utah congress of mothers which was
formed after the manifesto by which Utah
received statehood. The Gentiles, believing
that the promises of the Mormons to give
up polygamy and to obey the laws of the
state We're given in good faith, had been
willing to associate and work with them.
In 1902 the Gentle members of the congress
realized that po1ygamy was still practced
and that old conditions were unchanged.
They trembled for their homes and for
their children, subjected to the subtle and
insdious influences which tend to degrade
womanhood and undermine the purity of
the home. At this time the Utah Home
Protective League was formed. which en-
bodied in its constitution a belief in monog-
amous marriage, and which now represents
the mothers congress in Utah. The Gentle
women in Utah gave your president many
opportunities to see what the conditions
were there and begged the help of the
mothers congress in protecting their homes
and their children from conditions which
had become serious
The national congress of mothers has
taken an active part In securing investiga-
ton of the right of a Mormon apostle to
seat in the United States Senate.
At the meeting in Detroit and the exc
cutlve meeting, the situation in Utah was
seriously discussed, and your president laid
The facts before senator's urging help IN
checking the growth of polygamy and
church domination in the school and in
the civil affairs The election of an APOSTLE
or The Mormon hierarchy was regarded as
very serious. and the mothers congress
cannot ignore conditions which degrade
Womanhood and wifehood, and which give
10 cfiidren false ideas of home and mar
riage.
The mothers congress has also taken
active interest in the effort to secure uni
form and adequate laws governing mar
rage and divorce. The interest of everv
state congress should be aroused to CO.
operate with ;he inter-church movement to
accomplish this end.
me next report presented was that of
the corresponding secretary, Mrs Edwin C
Gree of Philadelphia Mrs Schof in in
Producing Mrs Grice said that she was
PROBABLY the most necessary and certainl
one of the most efficient officers in the or
eahZation. as her report would show a
statement greeted with approving applause
MIS- Prlce. who is tall and slender
spe2Ns with clearness and corlciseness
that proved very attractive She said that.
After the last election IF off
congress held in Washington in the sprfnp
OF i'u2 there was acting correspondincr
seerethry until the end of December of that
same year. Thus the CONGRESS- y-rtuaI1,,
lost half year Of service from this oftre
Mrs. FRANK L. Wean of Chicago had
been elected corresponding secretary. your
present secretary was made vice president
On account of ill-health Mrs Wean u,as
unable To serve The personnel of tha or
ncers did not exchange places as I said
above. for eight months
rms statement is made by way of intro
auction 20 my report. that you may realize
mat tne account given covers but LITTLE
more than two years.
The best concrete evidence that can be
given OF the growth of the work of the
othce in the past two years is the sbnu,;n,
OF the card index. There have heen oIi i,tS
Isl new names. 'Nuou
IN November. 1903, the congress of
thers took the initiative in an Organized
effort TO unseat Mr. Smoot For tb;s 80,
pose ten thousand notices were sart o..
from our ONCE, calling the various organ
,Zdtlohs To meeting in Washington i,
December of the same year "
AFTER the formation of the Na.;o,.,
League or Women's Organizations ubich
resulted from the call sent out bv tba 60
sfess IN November. 1903. it devoIved ,tnor
your secretary to send out circulars for
that body also. 'oi
Notices Sent Out.
ihere were sent out for the copferon.
heid In May, 1903, in Detroit. and Nav 1ooI
IN Chicago, coco notices each. and H..
same number for this trienniaI convention
beside LOO postal cards, announcing rail,
road rates. etc.
independent Of the routine business ~
the Office. your secretary has edited the
report for 1904.
me office had taken charge oe tho
literature of the Congress in the past few
months. Milling orders for eighty-fye book
lists for mothers and children. and fortv-
eight for Parents Duty to Children in
Regard to Sex"
Mrs Robert r. Gotten of North Carolina
one OF the active vice presidents. smoke
briefly or the encouraging outlook for the
general work. Mrs. Gotten was then made
recording secretary of the congress.