Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-11
FIRST SESSION OF
MOTHERS CONGRESS

CONTINUED from Second Page)
and honor has entered into the life eter-
nal should inspire in all of Us the hottest,
highest spirit of love. of desire to serve
as best we may, and Whfle we Walk IN
the paths of earth to do all that we can
to be true mothers to the children Goa
has given us. and mothers also TO every
child who needs our care
children OF every nation are His. MAY
His spirit he with US. guiding us In all
we do May the spirit of our beloved
founder be with us too and in honor to
her let love be the dominant note of the
first international congress in America on
the welfare of the child.
In February, 1908. your president
again met the committee and superin-
tendents of schools to complete the plans
for the first session of this department to
be held in Cleveland. June. 1905 AS so
much of the important work of the con-
cress is associated with schools. the rec
ognition of the National Education AS
sociation should be valuable in promoting
this branch of the congress work
I'm the spring of 1907 your president
recommended the appointment of a ma
tional committee on Parent Teacher AS
socfations, whose duty it would be to
further the establishment OF such asso-
Citations. Mrs Edwin c. Grlce was made
chairman of this committee and the re-
port will show the wisdom of having such
a committee.
Mrs. Birney's Wish.
Our beloved Mrs. Birney always wished
that the congress should have headquar-
tiers in Washington. 1t Is the place
where its triennial conventions are held
and where it's records should be kept In
tact as is not possible when they are
sent from one state to another as differ
ent women hold the office of correspond
ing secretary. The time has come when
the congress should have an office in
WASHINGTON and a paid secretary who
would give her entire time to the work
and who would be thoroughly capable OF
managing the routine work that comes
into the secretary's office-f1lllng orders
for literature and answering inquiries rel
alive to the congress. 1t will take fine
type of woman to hold that place, but the
work is too large to be managed longer
as it has been in the past The CORE
spending secretary should not be expected
TO assume such a burden
Report on Press Work.
Miss Jane Stewart, chairman of the de-
partment of press work, reported upon
1.-THE Importance of securing the great
aid afforded by the tremendous leverage
of the press. which has been recognized
from the beginning by the tactful and
wise founder of the National Congress OF
Mothers. 1t will be recalled by many
here that a thoroughly organized bureau
of information was established at the
first headquarters of the congress In the
Loan and Trust building, Washington.
But it may not be generally known that
a feature of the work of that bureau was
the department of the press. headed by
Mrs Mary Mills West of Washington.
D. c.. whose efficient labors served to en-
list the enthusiastic aid accorded by the
press from the start.
I'm the very nature of things" it is
explained. 1.-The National Congress of
Mothers. being essentially quiet and per-
SuaSiVe influence comparatively little of
what daily newspapers would regard of
news value tranSpireS in 1t. Yet the work
is vital and concerns such important prob
lens affecting home and national life that
il deserves and should receive the widest
possible exploitation through the press.
To train the mothers to do this has been
the chief object of the national press de-
partment.
For another reason the mothers clubs
should study and utilize the newspaper.
The daily paper is of wonderful help to
the unframed. confined mothers who ca
gerlly scan the daily press for words of
practical help and inspiration. I venture
to declare that mothers conventions
should be often held if for no other rea-
son than that they constitute the kind of
reading known as news story and
bring the higher ideals of parenthood
clearly before the general public. Con-
ventions and public meetings are radiant
opportunities to use the press and radiate
into every nook and corner the sunny in
f1uence Of the localized thought OF con-
secrated consolidated mother-love. This
is the chief justification of mothers con-
gresses-that the movement then becomes
news and will divert at least 1.-THE of
space from the daily review of the evils,
misery and crime of the great world"
In conclusion Miss Stuart spoke of the
stimulus of press work, and expressed the
hope that there will be greater accom-
plishments in the future along that line.
Other Reports Submitted.
The report of the national treasurer,
Mrs. Louis R. ellison. showed an ex-
penditure of nearly $1,000 during the
year. with a remainder in the treasury of
1895 1t is stated that an effort will
be made to make a considerable addition
to the funds of the organization during
the coming year
The report of the corresponding secre-
tary, Mrs. Edwin c. Grice, set forth the
manner and result OF the performance OF
the duties Of that officer, covering CORE
slondence, the preparation for annual
conferences, the handling of the literature
department of the congress. the field
work including the superintendent of the
Mothers and ChiIdren's building at the
jamestown tri-centennial exposition. and
the formation Of the Philadelphia League
of Home and School Associations. auxili-
airy to the mothers congress, the first
body of it's kind in existence.
Field Work Statistics.
In the matter of field work the report
covered the period since the last triennial
convention. in 1895. and showed that work
In the interests of the congress had been
done on the Pacific slope, Texas, Arkan-
sas, Delaware. Maryland. Virginia. Con-
necticut Massachusetts. New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. 1t rected the secretary's
experience in conducting the work of the
Mothers and ChiIdren's building at the
jamestown exposition, where she was in
charge for three months.
Whatever may have been the short
comings of the exposition the report
states: whatever may have been its fall
ures, / think, when the whole sum of it's
intent is accounted, one thing will stand
out clearly, and that is that, In a large
measure it stood for ideals During the
exposition over twelve hundred children
were cared for.
The kindergarten. library. rest room