Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-29
Motherhood as a Social Asset

among the undernourished and back
ward school children; then as delln-
quents, and finally on the books or
charity organizations among the de-
pendents to be cared for by society.
You cannot make an efficient cltlzen
out of blighted baby"
Not only the little white hearse, but
the juvenile court, the pauper, the
black walls of the prison.
This is what society makes of the
contributions of thousands of women
every year. And yet we are told that
nowhere in the world is womanhood
revered so much as in the United
States.
What can be done to save the babies
and the broken mother hearts t filst
insure every mother against ap1ect
poverty during the infancy of her chllc
dren. Second, wipe out the Sums or
our great cities. Already in France
they are pensioning mothers. women
grew tired of bearing babies for ruin
less and brutal slaughter. GOT tlreu
of following little white pearses pear
ing thier own contributions TO society;
Got tired of filling prison cells ana
insane asylums. They quit bearing
children, and French society grew
alarmed. ,,-. 90
For the first time in the history OF
the world the value Of motherhood as
q social asset was recognized Anu Anu
the law makers said we will pension
the mothers; they are better than the
soldiers, because they give life, where-
as soldiers destroy it So IN France
they are pensioning mothers.
In Germany they have wiped out the
slums of Berlin. The social-democrats'
beino verv numerous in Germany,
forced the city government of Berlin
to build all it's new houses on model
lines, so that plenty of light ana ar
and perfect sanitation could be lnSureu
the residents. -,
In America a woman and her chill
dren are the property of a man. Inc
man is supposed to take care Oh ms
property. If he, does, we'll ana Soou.
If he doesn't, then let the properly
suffer the consequences. Inc cheap
est thing in the world is human lie,
and the man whose human possess
sions are large is pitied. or desplseu'
while he whose material possessions
are large and whose human possess
sions are small is looked upon as the
real social benefactor.
This state of affairs ext because
women have not realized their nu-
manness; because they have oeen leu
for ages to believe themselves part
angel and part witch, with their heads
IN the air ana lllOll 49, -
neither angels nor witches are in need
of feet, so they have hardly ever
thou hit of their feet, and how could
they know that they were buried In
the mire of servitude?
But thirty million American moth
ers are stretching their hands after
the little white hearse and crying out
against the useless sacrifice. And
science is knocking at the doors of
the government with its preventives.
and Socialism is knocking at the
brains of the people with its possibili-
ties, it's wisdom, it's humanene S;
and thirty million mothers-and more
hearing these twin voices are going
to demand that the present ignorant
brutal conditions be done away
with, and the wiser and better way
be instituted in our social life.
The day is coming when the trail
of the little white hearse will be less
distinct; when the Jail and the insane
asylum will be abolished. When the
government will take as much inter
est in promoting the welfare of moth
ers and children as it now does in
preserving the forests and saving the
lives of hogs.
That day will come when the wo-
men of the land demand it.