Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-16

ture because you know that it is daily
enacted in millions of homes throughout
the world-not your home, not mine
but in the homes of others less fortunate
in their environment and opportunities imam
we, the unframed. irresponsible mothers;
Was | angry with her? No, how dared
be- when 1 knew so well the limitations
of her life. A great pity filed my heart;
and asking her to step aside demonstrated
with her as tenderly as l could. In lew
moments all signs Of rage had disappeared,
and she was sobbing and saying. On
madam, if somebody had only talked TO
me like this before 1 might have been
better mother. Such opportunities come
to us all. and no mistaken idea OF inter,
fering with other peoples children should
ever deter US, in howell or palace from
speaking the word which may stay any
hand lifted in wrath against the most help-
less of all beings on earth, our niue ones.
There is no need to elaborate upon such
an incident; you know all the otner HIS
which surround the children of this poor
mother and others of her kind. SO much
for the objective suffering of unfortunate
childhood, that which ne VINO runs may
read.
.There is another phase of childish SUI
fering which is SO subtle that only they
who truly i've not only with their chill
for knowledge in the direction of child
study can ever hope to fathom its myster-
les, and that is the subjective HE OF the
child. all that it's mind holds of so-called
anxieties We shall not be SYMPATHETIC
mothers if we cling to the old idea that
there are such things as childish grlers.
Grief is grief, whether 1t be over broken
TOW or broken life; the results l grant
you are widely different, but the mother
who smiles lightly over broken toys may
live to weep over broken lives.
s.Some of the saddest letters / have ever
read were written by people whose char
acters had been warped through mlsun-
derstood childhood. And now ask you: II
YOU were going to build valuable mouse
to whom would you go, an archltect Win
little knowledge and limited experience or
to one who had made the most OF large OPP
portunities? Has it occurred to you to COM
pare the vocation Of child training TO that
of architecture? 1t is all building, save
that one Is a structure for temporal use
alone, while character building is for eter-
nifty And, as wise architect gathers
ideas from the architecture of many lands,
SO should they who have the care of chill
dren seek for enlightenment as to their
spiritual physical, moral and mental needs.
/ place the spiritual first, for believe that
the youngest child may drink in spirituality
from the spiritually minded about it. And
now where would you seek for this en-
lightenment which is to help make the child
into the ideal man or woman? Would you
depend upon your own personal experience
for guidance? Not if you were a thought
full man or woman; you would cherish your
experiences and discoveries. but you would
exI pertinent as little as possible, you would
seek basis for your work of the highest
obtainable authority. you would carefully
read and ponder over the books of Susan e.
Blow and Elizabeth Harrison and others
might mention. I grant you the authors of
these books are not all physical mothers,
but their knowledge of child nature is great
and accurate, and they have given me more
light upon my own problems of motherhood
than all the physical mothers have ever
known. Again, would you depend upon
your own limited knowledge to guide the
bark of life through that mysterious sea
of adolescence, SO vast in its possibilities
for good or evil?
You know the mothers congress and its
work 1t Is a living epitome OF sympathetic
motherhood
.sWe have q present need OF our hospitals,
asylums, airnshouses, prisons and refOrma-
tories. They are mercifuI, humane. But