The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-05-30
THE IDAHO SCIMITAR.


birth pangs make all the debtors of all women
The man is a poor creature who does not realize
the infinite difficulty of the womans task, who does
not realize what done by her who bears and rears
the children; she who cannot even be sure until the
children are we'll grown that any night Will come
when she can have it entirely to herself to sleep IN
| abhor and condemn the who tails to recognize
all his obligations to the woman who does her duty
But the woman who shirks her duty wife and
mother is just as heartily to be condemned We
despise her as despise and condemn the soldier
who finches in battle. good woman, who does
full duty is sacred in eyes, exactly the brave
and patriotic soldier is to be honored above all other
men, But the woman who, whether from cowardce,
from selhshness, from having false and vacuous
IDEAL shirks her duty wife and mother earns the
right to contempt, just as does the man who
from any motive, fears to do his duty battle when
the country calls him. Because admire the
good woman, the unselfsh woman, the far-slghted
woman, we have scant patience with her unworthy
sister who fears to do her duty exactly as for the
very that respect man who does his
duty honestly and fairly in politics. who works hard
at his business who IN time OF national need does
his duty as a soldier we his brother who ideS
when he should work. who is bad husband bad
father, who does his duty i'll in the family or towards
the state who fears to do the work of soldier if the
time comes when soldiers work is needed All
honor to the man woman who does duty, who
renders service; and we only honor him or her
if the weight of our condemnation is felt by those
who finch their duty.
You see, my guests you have let yourselves in for
sermon have now almost come to the end. Be-
fore l do, however, [ want to ask your assistance
for two or three matters that are not Immediately
connected with the life in the family ITSELF but that
of vital consequence to the children. In the
first place, in the schools, see that school work is
made as practicable as possible. For the boys [
want to training provided that shall train them
toward, and not away FROM their life work. that will
train them toward the farm the shop, not away
from it. With the girl that it is not made mat
ter of mrth that the girl who goes to college
out unprepared to do any of the ordinary duties of
womanhood. See, in other words, that with the
higher education which she should have-for she
should have right to just as much education, to
Just as high an educat1on as any man-see that with
that goes the education that will fit her to do her
fundamental work in the world. AS regards our pub
lie schools especially want to putin special word
in behalf of the right kind of Fairgrounds. No
school is good school if it has not a good play
ground Help the children to play; and remember
that you often help them most by leaving them
entirely alone. I misread them if they themselves
do not not often know how to play better than
old folks teach them. Remember that in the city
especially it is outrage to erect a school without
erecting playground to go with that school 1t is
the gravest kind of wrong, not only to the children
but to the whole community, to turn out the boys
and girls, especially in the congesed part of the city,
with no place to play in but the streets. There
be more important reform than to provide ade-
quate playground; and beginning should be made
here in the District of Columbia.
You cannot have good citizens, good and
women OF the next generation, if the boys and girls
are worked in factories to the stunning of their moral
mental and physical growth. Wherever the national
government can reach, it should do away with the
evils of child labor, and l trust this will be done;
but much must be done by the actions of the several
state legislatures and do each of you in your several
states, all that you to the enactment and
then the enforcement of laws that shall put stop
to the employment of children of tender age in doing
what only grown people should do.
The field of your activities is so very wide that
it would be useless for to attempt to enumerate
the various subjects of which you will and ought to
treat You have come together to discuss the prob
lens that vitality than any other affect the real
welfare the well-being in the present and the we'll
being in the future of this nation and of all nations
| wish you wisdom and good judgment. You must