The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-03-13
Monstrous Gathering at Capital
Addressed by President.
GIVES VIEW ON RACE SUICIDE
Highest Physical, Mental and Mora
Development Of Coming Race
Topic Of Congress.

Washington, March ll.-With a
brief address by President Roosevelt,
in which he elaborated his well -known
views on "race suicide and the du-
ties of motherhood, the first inter-
| national conference for the welfare of
the child was opened yesterday under
the auspices of the National Mothers
congress. The inaugural session was
held in the White House. Delegates
from all over the world were in at
tendance.
This is the first international con-
gress of mothers to be held in Amer
lea and President Roosevelt has done
everything in his power to make it a
success. All of the machinery of the
secretary of state has been placed at
the disposal of the congress, with the
result that forty eight countries to
| which the United States has diplo-
matte representation are actively in
terested. Mrs. Frederick Schoff, of
Philadelphia, is president of the con-
gress and will preside at the sessions,
which will continue until next Tues
day. Many famous names appear on
the list of official delegates appointed
by the governors of all the states, in
Guiding Mrs. Grover Cleveland, who
! is a New Jersey representative.
The convention marks notable pre-
cedent, inasmuch as this is the first
time that any body of women has held
session in the White House.
The United States is officially repre-,
sented by Elmer Ellsworth Brown, APP
pointed by President Roosevelt, and
nearly every state is represented by
a delegate appointed by its governor.
Charles P. Neill, United States com
missioner of labor, will talk before the
congress on 'Child Labor" General
Francois J0ubert -Piernaer of Angelo.
Africa, will speak on "Children's Lives
in Africa" Katherine Bement Davis,
Phi. d., superintendent of the New
York state reformatory for women. on
Delinquency in Girls" Judge William
H. De Lacy of the Juvenile court,
Nagrancy and Delinquency" and Judge
Henry L. McCune, of the Circuit Court,
| Kansas City, on "The Prevention of
Criminal Tendencies" "The Prevention
of Blindness" will be discussed by
| +. p. Lewis, Nj. D.. of Buffalo, presi-
dent of the New York state commits
| sion to investigate conditions of the
blind, and other prominent specialists
on this subject will discuss "New OPP.
portunities for the Blind"
"The welfare of the child" is the
main topic to be considered by the
congress. Some of the specific SUBJ
jects are the moral training of the
child in the home, in the day school
and in the Sunday school; manual
training; physical exercises; co-educa-
| ton; the care of the deaf, the blind
and the mentally deficient and depend
ent, and the treatment of erring chill
dren. Legislative measures needed for
| the protection of children are to be
discussed, and the broad view the
mothers take of this part of the sub
ject is evident from the sub topics
under this head. Marriage and di-
vorce," ''pure food laws" tenement
laws" and regulation of child labor"
are some of them.
The National Congress of Mothers
of the United States has been study
ing the needs of childhood for the past
ten years and through its local cir
cles and annual conferences has en-
deavored to unity the best thought of
the nation on the widest measures
to be adopted to secure the highest
physical, mental and moral develop
ment of the coming race. With this
purpose in view the International
Congress has been called. z$ss T.