Evening star., 1915-12-31
Mistakes Before and After.
Birth Expensive, Asserts Or.
Helen C. Putnam.
MORE DIRECT EDUCATION
GIVEN AS GREAT NEED
Physician and Miss Julia C. Lathrop
Address Joint Session of Pam
American Educators.

One decades mistakes such a. have
been made regarding children before and
after birth cost us eventually more in ma
uonal prestige and wealth than the great
war costs Europe" asserted DIR. Helen
I. Putnam OF Providence. r. l.. ad-
dressing the joint session OF subsection
four of the educational section OF the
Pan-American Congress with the woman's
auxiliary conference at Memorial Con-
tinental Hall this morning. Miss Sarah
l.. Arnold, dean of Simons College, Bos-
ton. occupied the chair.
THE Education of Women" was the
general topic upon which the papers of
the day were based. and DR. Putmans
subject was The Well Being of Chill
dren. as Determined by the Education of
women Continuing. she said:
our millions of ailing and diseased. de-
fectiVe and degenerate children soon
would he brought down to a few thou
sand if education OF women included GER
tain elementary facts of life known TO
scientists. II the law that special men
tai and physical defects in men and wom-
en- forbid parenthood We're understood
early enough it would be violated much
less often by individual women.
Dr. Putnam said there are danger sig
mails of coming mental and physical trou-
pies that can be averted, but often are
not because mothers and educat tors have
not been prepared for these responsible
ties.
More Direct Education Needed.
The need of more direct education for
women in the matter of the care of chill
dren was emphasized by Miss Julia G.
Lathrop. chief OF the children's bureau,
Washington. d. c.. in her address.
1T can hardly be doubted" she said.
that the recent worldwide interest in
a haG cd tn cfi
late the attention of women to the
need of more direct education in the
care Of children. In our country. for
example, every year 100000 babies
are born. OF these. on an average. one
in eight dies before it is "A year old.
The four great factors involved in
infant mortality are recognized as the
ignorance of mothers, civic neglect,
poverty and bad behavior on the part
Of the parents. All these factors can
be modified or removed and one of the
first ways in which to lessen infant
mortality is the education of the
mothers.
The new teaching must have many
phases. For the child in school. for
the young girl and for the mother at
the head of the household there must
be such instruction as their advancing
needs seem to indicate. There also
should be centers of research in mat
ters affecting the family"
Some of the ways in which the IL
brary may help promote the highest
ideas. well ideals in democratic
government and citizenship, were de-
scribed by Miss Lutte E. Stearns of MIL
waukee, Wis, in an address on The
Library and the Educa tion of the Peo-
Pile" OF all occupations for women,
she said. there is none richer in op-
portunity and fulfllment than that of
the librarian.
Qualities of a Secretary.
Speaking on "The Profession of Be-
ing a Secretary" Miss Mary S. Snow
said:
"In the 1910 United States census sec
retaries and stenographers numbered
263,315. OF this great army at least 80
per cent qualified with the art of ste
biography. The secretarial section pos
sesses every! variety and amount of
education from graduation Cor even
less) from elementary school to post
graduate collegiate degrees.
THE woman with meager education
who has risen to a secretarial position
has possessed a mind which has been
first of all receptive and elastic, and
after that industrious.
The secretary must enter into the
whole professional experience of her
chief. She must have exceptional in
teligence toward the past, present and
future of the undertaking which
reaches into every implication of Office
procedure. She must be innocent OF
nerves, fatigue or boredom.
The average salary which the col
lege group reports is sl.109 per year.
This however, is considerably lowered
by a number who with total disregard
of economic and social values naivelv
name absurd salaries, adding that they
are conscious that the salary is very
low, but the position is very con-
genial"