The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-10-05
Mrs. John Whiteman Tells Ardmore
Mothers Clubs How They Can Advance
The Schools as Well as the Civic Welfare

thing in the world-the mind Of a
child.
I'VE send our children to be drilled
in the arts and sciences, to be trained
for business and for citizenship, to be
instructed in manners ana morals
They hold in the hollow of their hand
the future of America.
Too often, the introduction between
the teacher and the mother is some.
thing like this
Little Johnny comes home one az
ternoon in a fearful mood.
BY cross-eXamination, you discover
the amazing fact that during the pro.
gress of the afternoon, the teacher
has taken Johnny across her knee. and
with deliberate malice aforethought has
applied the ruler across that portion
Of his anatomy. most conveniently ac.
cessable and which nature has ex
pressly designed for such purposes.
You fairly overflow with indigna.
ton and what you say to Johnny makes
him trembe with pride.
You have transformed him from
culprit into "A martyr and the chances
are, if you are not looking. he will
go out and pick a fight, with the boy
next door and lick him before night.
fall-if the lckless lad chances to be
the smaller of the two,
The next morning you take Johnny
by the hand and escort him to school.
With the eyes Of every child in
that room rvited upon you in breath
less curiosity, YOU and Johnny con.
front the teacher.
The very air is surcharged with
antagonism.
Indignation fairly eXudes from you.
like the sap from a bruised plant.
And unless teacher has the patience
of Job, the tact of Madame de StaeI,
the diplomacy of Woodrow Wilson. and
the good humor of Fatty Arbuckle,
she has reached a crisis in her career.
"The function of the Mothers club
is to provide happier plane of meet.
ing, to pave the way for future hos.
tlities. or better stin to guard against
them by educating the mothers along
school lines and ripcning their judg.
ment upon school affairs
"One thing that has always been a
mystery to me is that parents will lis
ten to their childrcn's criticism of their
teachers
why, you wouldn't consider your
child's Judgment mature enough to risk
upon the choice of even a good race
horse, and still there are mothers who
will take sides with their children in
adverse criticism of their teachers.
Il have little girl-a freshie' this
year, who l am am sure. on various
occasion has thought that she could
be Of great assistance to her teacher
in giving advice as to how the affairs
Of the class should b. conducted. but
she never said So
Not at home-the atmosphere is
just moi conclusive to that line Of talk!
There may be some excuse Tor being
in q cyclone, if You happen 10 oe there
first, but there is nc sense IN Just
stirring up one.
"A good reason why the Mothers
Club should be especially popular
among the ladies', is because it is the
one place where a mother can so and
talk about her children to her heart $
content and not offend good taste. and
be assured of an audience. Each
month some topic of timely import
relative to school or child life is dis
cussed
ITO the mothers of leisure it offers
abundant opportunity to do some splen-
did work and to the mothers, whose
moments are like jewels, to be treas
ured and invested, it is the one place
to so and keep abreast of the times
and at the same time, keep the home
fires burning
There is also a practical side to
the Mothers Clubs as you have doubt