Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-02-05
MRS, SP IKER PRAISED
BY NEW YORK WOMEN
Has Done Inestimablc Service 10
Country in Welcoming Illus
bands Sweetheart, One
Declares.

New York, Feb. 5.-Promlnent New
Work women attracted by the strange
social tangle involving Mrs. ferley n.
Sn;Ler who sent for and welcomed the
cb;ld horn Of her husbands war romance
and It's English girl-mother, Miss Emily
Knowles, have extolled the w1ies ex-
traordinary deed. ;.
DIR. Mary Halton, well-known physician
said:
"When America strives to keep g'ri
of this class out of the country she puts
stigma Of crime upon motherhood. The
great problem of this country is that OF the
Unmarried mother. just because she fail
,,d 70 wait for the legal union or because of
circumstances preventing it, the neither is
not evil.
"Thc unmarried mother belongs in a
respected class of her own, just as the
widow does. Her love has met misfortune.
IL has been killed or lost to her. She Is
unfortunate, not social menace.
"NIrs. Spiker has done an inestimable
service to her country In submitting to the
publicity her noble action inspired. She
has given great impetus to the move
ment for class respect of the unmarried
mother. :.
al wonder if this child-mother realizes
IN giving herself in marriage to man she
cannot love because she cannot now-as
she will do in marrying Guy Spiker, her
child's fathers brother-she will he
violating the real love relation that alone
united men and women"
Miss Annie Laurie Sparkes, head OF the
Union Settlement, who has had broad
contact with war-mothcrs, gave this
opinion:
"The girl, nor the man in this case can
ne blamed. Indeed the same is true OF
most of the girlmother tragedies growing
out of the war. The very understanding OF
war conditions has revolutionized the
psychology of women and introduced the
clement OF Justice and tolerance.
sMrs. Spiker's action Is that OF a
pyoneer in an era of new justice. The
child Of this unhappy war union is the
innocent sufferer. 1t should always, IN any
case. be protected and given an even
chance In life.
Miss Lucille Pugh, lawyer, said:
NO odium attaches TO the mother IN
this case. The price of her error she has
maid fully, and will pay all her life. She
has brought a child into the world enc
did not sin. Only the man sins. tie has q
wife to whom he intended to return. lie
had no legal or moral right 70 draw an,
other woman into his life. What he did
was TO steal.
therefore. the girl is under no ban
whatever. But she should not marry the
BROTHER of the man to whom she already
has given herself in love. II Is iniquity for
her to marry another merely to meet re
ouired conventions. II she were de-
veloped woman, instead Of . mere child,
she would understand that the false
standards of the world today are not Just
or holy The idea of marrying her of to a
man merely for the protection of his name
would have occurred to no one were our
social standards true instead of false.
Virginia Terhune Van dc Water,
novelist, added:
"Nrs. Spiker was far broader than the
average wife. who cannot bear the wound
70 self-Iove and vanity her husband IN
fficted. She must be not only courageous
and kind, but true philosopher. If she
forcsve her husband In ordinary Justice
She had to forgive the erring girl.
"Her husbands love she has bound for
ever TO herself. for man could not but
love and honor so magnificent woman.
Mrs. Clarice NJ. Baright, lawyer, SAID ::
"Mrs. Spiker has attained moral
plane splendid beyond all imagination
81 did not know it were possible for
mortal woman to do thing so flne.
Mrs Owen Kildare, of New Rochelle,
widely known clubwornan in New York,
addressing the Government Club, added
this:
.Mrs. Spiker, herself 3 mother, has
,bown the divinity strong within her.
Her service to humanity. her example,
the precedent set by her, is magnificent
1.-The brother. Guy SpIker, Is the hero OF
the drama. He IS serving the cause OF
humanity as truly as did any soldier In
France This Is the one great story the
war so far has yielded up
Mrs. Clarence Burns. president OF the
Little Mothers Club and supervisor OF
dsv nurseries, SAID:
There is no question Of the baby's
right TO a name and protection. II is the
innocent victim. ] approve anything for
the childs good.