New-York tribune., 1920-12-16
Harding Urges
Revival of Old
Mother Spirit
Cooperation With School
and Other Public Officials
Advocated as Invaluable
i'm Training of Children
Teach Religion at Home
Tendencies to Leave Educa-
ton of Youth to Public
Institutions Is Deplored

MARION, Ohio, Dec. 15.-American
mothers were asked by President-elect
Harding tonight to give to school Of
ficials and other public servants full
measure of cooperation in the educa-
tional, religious and physical training
Of children.
Speaking here before state meeting
Of the Child Conservation League, Mr..
Harding declared it the duty of mother
hood to keep the oldtime spirit alive
in spite Of the growing tendency to in
trust the instruction Of the child al
most wholly to public institutions. He
made particular plea that religious
training be kept within the province
of the hearth, and voiced a hope for
revival of religious reverence in the
trying times ahead.
The Presdent-elect, who delivered
his speech in the Methodist Church,
also asked that the public welfare agen-
cies of the nation be kept democratic,
and expressed disapproval of the prac-
tice Of the rich in withdrawing their
children from the public schools and en-
reaffirmed his hope that great good
would be accomplished by the new
Public Welfare Department to be pro-
posed by his Administration, and said
he had found sentiment in and out of
Congress strongly supporting the plan.
Senator Harding said:
Text of Harding's Speech
an my address to women voters last
October 1st | spoke of my desire that
there shall be created in our govern
ment department of public welfare.
1t is with some satisfaction that | am
now able to say to you that since the
election l have had opportunity to dis
cuss that proposal with a number Of
leaders of liberal public thought in
and out of Congress, with reference
complishment, and have found them
eager to help in the constructive task.
dts mplishment will tardi,y
place our government on something
like an equal footing, in recognition
of this set of problems. with govern
ments which have long maintained
ministries of education represented in
their Cabinets. While my own ideal
envisages a broader scope for the new
department, giving it concern with
many other phases Of human welfare,
ton will for the first time place this
great work on a phase of dignity COM
parable to that given it in many other
coun tries.
"Whether we may esteem it wise
or unwise, the modern mother must
realize that society disposes more and
more to take from her control the
training, the intellectual direction and
the spiritual guidance Of her children.
We may we'll plead with the mothers
to make the most, for good, Of the
! Joc fx ho1
molding the lives and minds of their
| children. Through such cooperative
effort as this, it seems to me, there is
opportunity to lift the poorer and the
less fortunate to q higher level.
Community School Upheld
1.-THE mother who indefatigibly seeks
be performing this service not only
for her own children, but for those
from other homes not so richly blessed
with the finer things Of life. I confess
to no great satisfaction in the good
fortune of those families which when
they become sufficiently we'll do like
to take their children away from the
public schools and give them the doubt
full advantage of more exclusive cdu-
cational processes. I like the democ-
racy of the community school and, in
deed, | would like to see a greater
measure Of it en- orced in the public
schools by the elimination of those
evidences of extravaganza in dress and
social indulgence which make for the
development Of something like caste
within our democracy.
con the side Of the teacher, and the
responsible auth critics back of her.
there must be the same ready disposi-
tton to cooperate W tn the home and
the mother. Our public school system
leaves to the home and its influence the
great dut of instlling into the child
those fundamental concepts of religion
which arc SO essential in shaping the
character of individual citizens and
therefore, of the nation. That duty
remains to be performed at the hearth
side and will always be peculiarly a
prerogative of the mother. | could wish.
indeed, that our nation might have a