Milford chronicle., 1912-02-23
The PARENT TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION OF MILFORD
Rev. Howard T. Quigg, Addresses The
Association. Much Good Work,
Accomplished.

Association. Much Good Work,
Accomplished.
On Tuesday evening, February 18th,
the Parent-P Peachers Association held its
regular monthly meeting in the Milford
High School Auditorium, with the presi-
dent, Mrs. Harry L. Grier, presiding.
After hearing reports from committees,
Rev. Howard T. Quigg was introduced
and gave a most interesting and instruc-
tive address on the work of the Parent
Teachers Association and of the possi-
bilities of great good to the home and
school that must follow this cooperation,
not throwing the whole responsibility on
the teacher of the moral as well as literary
improvement of the children. That par
ents should have something definite and
correct concerning the teachers tasks.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Quigg's address
he was given a rising vote of thanks.
With the consent of the writer the
address is printed below and it is hoped
that everyone interested in child welfare
will read it.
Mrs. Robert E. Lewis, president of
the Dover Parent-Teachers Association,
was present and gave an interesting ac-
count of what they were doing in Dover.
Mrs. G. w. Marshall told of Founders
Day, February 18th, when the congress
was organized by Mrs Theodore Bierny
of Washington, d. c., and Mrs. Phoebe
Hurst of Denver, Colorado.
Delegates were elected to the National
Convention of the Mothers Congress of
Mothers to be held in st. Louis, Mo-,
March 10th to 26th, 1912. Mrs. Carmean
and Mrs. Allan Vinyard delegates, and
Dr. Edith Phelps and Mrs. Edgar Mahan
alternates. The next meeting will be
on Tuesday afternoon, March 18th, from
$3.50 to O. clock. All are welcome.
Great blessings to our children are within the
reach of your Parent-Teacher Association. When
your chairman asked me to speak to you had no
information to the Mothers Congress or this de-
partment of its work. The tasks which the Con-
gress sets ITSELF and the aims it seeks. of the
highest quality and most urgent Importance The
Mothers Congress, gathered by Mrs. Theodore
Brney and Mrs. Phoebe Hurst, in Washington. in
1897 may easily turn out to be the beginning of the
most important agency. instituted in modern times
for the service of future generations of young folks.
1t may live to see the death of many movements
which now look large in public esteem and find it
lself growing in social power when they are gone.
Not to mention the other purposes which the Con-
gress pursues there is crying need in every commu-
nifty of this land for organization to discharge
the functions which this Parent-Teacher Associa-
ton assumes. The home must cooperate in the
cultural achievements of the schools render these
achievements nugatory. To throw the entire re-
sponsbty of the physical moral and literary i'm
provement of children the teachers is to load the
teachers down with impossible duties. To send out
every morning clean, obedient and healthy children
to the schools. with shining morning face j" sweet
tempers and honest purposes, is the duty of every
father and mother Parents should know some
thing definite and correct concerning the teachers
tasks. Not the few parents who always do but the
many who always don't.
Whether for good or for evil the home is the most
powerful social unite on earth, and as long hu-
manity is made up of men, women and children,
the home will continue to be more influential than
all other institutions together. The church, the
school and the government combined will be unable
to stand against the influence which tiwields The
substitution of modern parental indulgence for the
ancient parental tyranny does not remove the han
dcap from the children ia the race of life. heard
the Hon. L. Irving Handy say in the presence of
thousand people that he was the most unfortunate
of men because he had the misfortune to be a child
when children We're nobodies and the added mis-
fortune to live to be parent now that parents had
come to be nobodies. The unmannered and over
nattered children of these days do not make more
efficient citizens than the scared boys and girls of
former generations. while parents in the average
home come to be more care-ridden and overborne
The wonder is not that many boys when they
leave school wander from Job to job. failing in each
till they settle down to loaf prey on society. not
that so many young women loose their charm by
early too strenuous toll The wonder is rather that
in the present situation so many splendid men and
women can be turned out by the schools are ac-
tually produced,
For men, women and children in all stages of life
and every age Of the world the greatest need is an
guide Cor a true and intelligent obedi-
ence Emerson says. He that has more obedience
than masters me- whether he wishes it or not,
whether l will or no." Unless some agent dis !
charges the function of this Parent-Teacher Asso-
citation it is hard to tell how this adequate guidance
for a moral obedience is to be supplied for the chill
iren If the teachers and parents will indeed get
together on this serious undertaking then the !
guidance required win be provided to the children
1t least curing their homage.
The loss Of this guidance is the most character
site fault of the whole modern situation. More
han TIE tyranny of all commercial trusts it ac-
counts for the present rapid increase of paupers
md detectives. criminals and maniacs. which the
wise declare to be out of all proportion to the in
.rease Of population, though their warning voices
ire drowned by our resonant on-rush to selfndul-
renee.
The situation which makes this need most urgent
g founded on a dreadful fallaey-the falacy in re-
.a-d to personality-th that l must develop my fine
nmal soul and body according to my own sweet
vii in defiance of the universe about me. This
arroom- -tenderloin falacy; this wild-steers-in-a-
tampede fallacy; this Decentralization
Wharton fallacy. this modern-novel fallaey has
aught us all in its tolls too sadly for peace if not
90 badly for hope.
This wild license seed necessary early in the 18th
entury to certain developments of the splendid
naterialism Of the present age, but has this fan
astc result-that every observant mind has a
world full Of men, women and children out seeking
religion which the omniscent criticism of each
ne can approve for himself. This absurd cOndi-
ion bears the absurd fruit that otherwise intelli
ent people adopt their religion. as they would not
heir food or hygiene. on the sole ground that the
ianiac who invents some new cult is arrogant
nouvh to assert his equality with deity, and mad