The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23
THINK" he said. that the
America woman ought to
be much more interested in

Il ne InuCn more interested IN
babies than in ballots and
In feminine virtues rather than in
feminine votes
The speaker was the Rev DR.. Nehe-
miah Boynton, minister Of the Clifton
Avenue Congregat .onal Church, Brook
Ign. A few days previous he had held
a special service for the Fort Greene
chapter OF the d. A. r.. OF which he IS
chaplain. and had delivered an address
on American womanhood which at.
tracted so much attention that DR.
Boynton was asked to go into some
detail OF the subject for the benefit OF
readers Of THE SUNDAY Sun. He sal
In his church study and talked or
several phases Of the woman ques.
ton so called. bringing out from a
large and long experience such views
as he has obtained thereof
II approach the question" he con.
tinued, from the standpoint OF a New
England father OF seven children and
from the standpoint Of a minister for
thirty-five years. As a minister II is
possible that l nave seen rather more
OF the lives Of various families than
falls to the lot OF most men: and ]
take my doctrine Of womanhood from
the mother OF my family and the wife
OF my life We believe that the fam
fly, and not the individual, Is the unit
in American civilization: and that all
American interests ultimately should
he interpreted In terms OF the veal OF
the American family.
I'VE believe that the American fam
!ly Is imperilled to-day by the decline
In the birth rate, especially among the
native stock, which probably does not
equal the death rate. That Is a SIM
pie statement, but It is a fact OF tre-
mendous, perhaps Of portentous. sig
nif1cance We further believe the
American fam ly to be imperllled be-
cause of Influences at work which ara
DETECTING the attention of woman
hood away from her fundamental and
most significant privilege-that OF
being the life bearer OF the genera
lions.
I'VE believe, as strongly as my
wife. in the fullest and f-eest develop
ment OF all the qualities and powers OF
womanhood; but in order that this
increasingly minister to her sole pre-
rogatiye (Which is the conservation
OF the family, we believe that the
interests OF that family should be for
ever regarded as the highest and most
precious.
I'VE are aware OF the changes which
the factory and the apartment house
are introducing, and the very fact OF
those changes calls for new en-
phasis upon the fundamentals-upo
the home and its allies. One may talk
and argue and persuade for time with
out end. but without changing the
great and elemental facts OF life. one Of
these Interchangeable facts Is that men
and women are crelted for different
purposes In the world. The mascu-
Inc nature is asqu!stivc; it Is his part
to go out and gather and bring home
.neans NJ support for his wife and
children. The feminine nature Is both
appropriative and conserving, II is
tho woma ms part to take that which
the husband provides and to use IL in
The family interests. II is IN this
that she shows her powers Of conserva-
ton.
That the power Of woma nhood
should end here, however, Ia altogether
wrong. The most inspiring sight to-
day, in the world Is that group of
women at The Hague. calling upon
tbe-Ssrring nations to lay down their
Thu "svmholisni IN sI..,.I. A. .r,,.... -.