The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-11

material prosperity, no triunphs of science and industry will avail to save the race from ruin and death. The mother is the one supreme asset Of na- tionai life; she Is more important oy far than the successful statesman or business man, artist or scientist.
 q abhor and condemn the man who is brutal. thoughtless, careless, selfish with women. and especially with the women of his own household. The birth bangs make all men the debtors of all women. I abhor and condemn the man who fails to recognize all his obIigations to the woman who does her duty. But the woman who shirks her duty as wife and mother, Is just as heartily to be condemned. We de- spise her as we despise and condemn the soldier who fiinches in battle.
 The Unselhsh Woman.
 Because we so admire the good wo- man, the unselfsh woman, the Tar sighted woman, we have scant patience with her unworthy sister, who fears to do her duty; exactly as. for the very same reason that we respect a man who does his duty honestly and fairly
 All honor to the man or woman who does duty. who renders services and we can only honor him or her IT the weight of our condemnation Is felt by those who finch from their duty:
 T want to ask your assistance Tor two or three matters that are not nm medfateIy connected with the life in inc family itself, but that are of vital consequence to the children. In the first place, in the schools see that the school work Is made practical as pos sibIe. For the boys I want 10 see training provided that shall train them toward and not away from their lire work; that will trace toward farm or the shop. not away from it. With the girl, see that it is not made matter of mirth that the girl who goes to col Iege comes out unprepared to do any of the ordinary duties of womanhood.
 "As regards in our public schools es- pecially. I want to put in special word in behalf of the right kind of playgrounds. No school is good school if it has not a good playground. Help the children to play and remem- Y Der that you can often help them most by leaving them entirely alone.
 You cannot have good citizens. good women and men of the next generation if the boys and girls are worked in factories to the stuuting of their moral. mental and physical growth. Wherever the national government can reach, 1t should do away with the evils of child labor, and 1t is just that this should 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 can to secure the enactment and then the en- forcement of laws that shall put a stop to the employment of children of ten der age in doing only what grown peo- pie should do.
 Love is Basis.
 DO not forget that love is what the family Is based on; but don't do chill dren. don't do grown people. the dread full injustice-through a love that is merely one form of weakness-of fail- ing to make the child, or I might add, the man, behave itself or himself. A marriage should be a partnersh ID where each of the two parties has his or her rights, where each should be more careful to do his or her duty than to exact duty from the other partner; but where each must. in justice to the other partner no less than to himself or herself, exact the performance of duty by that other partner. (Ap- plause.) Let each of you do his or her duty but do not lose your self-respect by submitting to wrong"
 The first session of the Congress was held tonight at the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church at John Marshall Place and c Street. Elmer E. Brown, United States Commissioner of Education. who was appointed by President Roosevelt as the official rem resentation of the United States. spoka on Children in the United States. !"
 Messages were read by the delegates appointed by the Governors of the va rfous States. The Congress will re- main In session for one week.