The Cairo bulletin., 1905-03-14
President Roosevelt Delivers
Notable Speech on Ameri-
can Home Life
The FAMILY LIFE
MUST Be KEPT PURE
THE DUTY OF WIFE AND HuS-
BAND AND TRAINING OF
CHILDREN CLEARLY OUT
LINED - RACE
SUICIDE.

Wash ngton, March 13.-An ad.
dress by I asident Roosevelt was the
feature of the evening session of the
National Congress Of Mothers now
holding It's triennial convention here
Anticipating the presidents appear
ance. there was an immense crowd
composed largely Of women, and
when President Roosevelt arrived he
was given a cordial reception. The
president was formally introduced tc
the audience by Mrs. Frederic Schoff
of Philadelphia, president of the con
gress.
He read his speech from a copy
which he held in his hand but now
and then departed from the text ant
interjected some extemporanoous re
marks when be wished TO emphasize
a point. Tde prssidel. spoke as fol
lows:
The Presidents Speech.
In our mojern industrial c,Yiliza
tion there are many and grave dan
gers to counterbalance the splendor.
and the triumphs. Ii is net a good
thing to see cities grow at dispropor-
rionate speed relatively to the eoun-
try, for the small land owners, the
men who own their little homes, and
therefore 10 a very large extent the
men who tn farms, the men Of the
soil have hitherto made the founda,
tion Of lasting national life in every
state; and, if the foundation becomes
either too weak or too narrow, the
superstructure, no matter how at
tractive, is in imminent danger Of
falling.
The Family Life.
But far more important than the
question of the occupation Of our cit
liens is the question Of how theil
family life is conducted No matter
what that occupation may be, as long
as there is real home and as long
as those who make up thar 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.
Need of the Home.
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
a good huband and father, If he is
brutal or cowardly or selfish, if the
woman has lost her sense of duty, If
she is sunk in vapid self-indulgence
or has let her nature be twisted so
that she prefers a sterile pseudoin-
tellectuality to that great and beau
tifuI development of character which
comes only to those whose lives know
the fullness of duty done. or effort
made and self-sacrifice undergone.
Right Sort of Citizenship.
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 foundation of
great nation; and if we fail to appre
ciate this we fail to appreciate the
root morality upon which ali healthy
civilization is based.
"No piled-up wealth. no splendor Of
material growth. no brilliance Of ar
tistic development, will permanently
avail any people unless its home life
is healthy, unless the average man
possesses honesty, courage, common
sense. and decency. unless he works
hard and is willing at need to fight
hard: and unless the average woman
is a good wife, a good mother, able
and willing to perform the first and
greatest duty of womanhoOd, able and
willing to bear, and to bring up as
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.
Duty of Man and Wife.
There are certain old truths which
will be true as long as this world en-
dures and which no amount Of pro
gress 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 chill
dren, and that the primary duty OF
the woman is to be the helpmeet the
housewife, and mother. The woman
should have ample educational ad-
vantages; but save in exceptional
cases the man must be, and she need
not be. and generally ought not to be,
trained for a lifelong career as the
family breadwinner: and. therefore,
after a certain point the training Of
the two must normally be diffarert
a.-....-.. -. a.-aa.- If he a--c. are nor.