The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-30
||l|MENS MEETING
WELL ATTENDED.
....s Of Y. w. C. A. Workers Bring
out Large Audience to
Hear Prominent
Speakers.
RETIREMENT OF CITY
L.,k.r. Point out Means BY Which
Women Can Work for Moral
and Social
Benefit.

:. large and enthusiastic audience
i women gathered at the First Chris
lon church last night at the meet
,ng held under the auspices OF the Y.
n q. A. Miss Edna O'Harra, gen.
eral secretary. presided. A chorus
.hoir of young women under the d.
rection Of Mrs. s. M. Lloyd led the
music with spirit which added much
q the success OF the meeting. Mr..
paul Gilbert came over from the Fred
4 smith meeting and gave tenor
solo aWho Could it Be But Jesus"
The general thought Of the service
was what can the church women do
for the larger Keokuk.
The first talk of the evening was
given by Mrs. Harry ]. Reeves who
smoke on what the mothers can do.
She said In part: u scarcely know
what mothers can do more than other
women to make the greater Keokuk
better Keokuk unless 1t be by try
ing to make our children upright
christian men and women and there
BY lift the standard OF citizenship in
the next generation. Jacob Riis, that
very practical socialologist says that
in the home is developed that quail
Ity OF character that makes citizen
ship upon which to build the repub-
lie that shall be the hope OF tomor-
row as well as the shelter OF today
The two things which affect child 8
character are birth and environment.
II child were born from line OF
untainted ancestors and raised amid
ideal surroundings he would grow to
be an ideal man. The theory falls
down in the face Of the facts. no line
of ancestors are perfect and no sur.
roundings are IDEAL So the problem
which every mother faces Is to train
away the faults OF the child and
strengthen his virtues and to try to
keep the environment of the child as
pure and safe as she is able. The en-
vironment of the child is what we
are to think about tonight, in the
home, in the school and in the city
The women can do a great deal to
ward moulding this environment.
The home must provide something
more for the child than food and
clothes and shelter. No home is ever
ideal, We aren't any Of us always
calm and poised and sweet tempered
yet the atmosphere of the home ough'
to be quiet and cultured and chris
tian and the occasional Impotence BIZ
only incidental You know 1t is true
that the mother gives character t.
the home and for the sake Of ths
child we ought to live on the highes
mental and moral plane possible.
1T isn't enough for you and me t,
think Of the home environment of OH
own children. but we owe a duty t.
the children in this city who have n,
homes or worse than none. VIVA
chance for moral uprightness does
child have who lives in the street
There are children in this city VIII
to all intents and purposes live Il
the street. In the summer just pass
ed children of two, three and fou
years old played all day on Mai
street and sat on the curling in tn
evening. With the growth Of the cit
certainly a public play ground prof.
" supervised and a free kindergarte
will have to be established.
Miss Solomon will tell us of GU
Influence on the school environment.
The city has its effect, too, upo
the child. The influence of we
ordered city is exActly the same a
well ordered home. The humbles
as we'll as the most influential woma
In this town can have her part an
Should have her part in making tn
new Keokuk better and NOR
beautiful city. Keokuk society ha
always been clean and above r
proch; this is no mean accomplish
ment for the women of any city.
am sure the future will hold n
change in this regard. There al
many avenues through which the W
man can do effectual work to max
the city environment a better one fl
our children. The Y. w. C. A. offel
vide field along this line and II
women's civic organization is ia
tor, too. A traveller once spoke of II
remarkable impression made by gre;
men upon the cities in which the
lived. Did you meet Michael Ange
IN Romeo Is the most natural que
lion in the world At Stratford OF
expects to see Shakespeare. Rubel
Is always present in A.ntwer
Hoethes spirit is felt in Weiner al
N the dim cloisters OF st. Marks
Florence you see savanorola in COZ
Ind robe. AS these spirits of gre
men dominate the cities of the o
world, wish that spirit of cultu
md purity and righteousness mig
pine to dominate this city. The M
AK and work and plan for great
Smmercial activity and larger bu'