The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-09
Child WeHdre Meeting
x Y HEN Mrs. Milton P. Higgins. 1 V\W national president of the Copprnss of Mothers and

associations. comes to Birmingham on Wednesday, February 16 those who are interested in this work, will have the pleasure of gain ing tremendous inspiration from this cultured and broad-minded woman whose position gives her ample op- portunity to come in contact with all those engaged in such work through out America.
 Mrs. Paul H. Earle, Jr.. who is president of the Central School Im- provement association of Greater Bir mingham (which includes all of the improvement associations in this com munity), urges and emphasizes the visit of Mrs. Higgins not only stress ing the fact that the meeting being the semi-annual convention of the school improvement associations of Birmingham every parent should avail herself of the opportunity to attend the meeting and learn something of the great work which is being accom- plished all over the United States in child welfare circles.
 This semi-annual meeting" Mrs. Earle said in speaking of the com ing visit of Mrs. Higgins, "is held primarily to go over the work done by our associations throughout the six months just passed, and as a branch of the child welfare department of the United States. l feel that we should exert ourselves to make the meeting a success, and to have just as many parents attend as is possible"
 "The main idea of the work is to establish a link between the home and the school" Mrs. Earle said. Tn the declaration of the aims and purposes of the work we find the definite state a1af rrf.y f,s~y ;yN hnri- ty to this effect: TO bring into closer relations the home and the school the parent and the teacher so that they may cooperate intelligently in the education of the child.' This express es in a nutshell the mission we want to accomplish, the necessity, of which is very clearly realized by all of us. children, teachers and parents
 "In 1884 the first convention of mothers was called, but it was not until 1887 that a national congress of mothers was organized at Washington for the definite purpose of the train ing of parenthood. Today an organ ized body of 100000 members obtains, supported entirely by voluntary fees.
 The National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher associations,' Mrs. Earle said, promotes the nurture of childhood; conservation of child hood duty of Christian citizenship; making better homes and better schools; protection of childhood through legislation; training of par7 ents. teachers, cooperating in better methods for the care-talsipy and safe guarding of children and youth, and all united, home. church. school and state in the work of child welfare"
 Continuing Mrs. Earle said:
 "(shild nlrtIlra is a roienpe Fnr inc best development of the child, par ents as well as teachers must recog- niZe this fact. In order to insure the highest development of children both parents and teachers need preparation and study of child nature. The intel lectual education of children unless accompanied by the physical and spir- itual development may prove disad- vantage.
 'The home and school together must take cognizance of this. Together must they work to give each child the sym pathetic intelligent care which will develop mind, heart and body. Parents and teachers must have common purpose. a spirit of intelligent co-op- eration, in order that either home or school may perform it's best service to the child.
 "The nt-teacher association gives the opportunity for this acquain- tance which promotes cooperation. Educators throughout the United States have awakened to the fact that without the help of parents they can not carry out their proper service to the children.
 Through the intelligent co-opera- tion of home and school the work of ethe teacher is greatly frightened and the advantages to the children are be- yond estimate. Parents are awakening to the fact that standards of home life can only be raised as fathers and mothers are given the opportunity to sturdy the physical and spiritual needs of their children
 When schools serve parents as well as children, their educational value and efficiency are doubled. In- numerable children are handicapped from the very beginning because of parents ignorance as to childhood's s requirements. To remove this ignor- ance is the first duty of the parent teacher association. by making child study their primary function
 Tt has been truly said that to cure is the voice of the past; to prevent is the divine whisper of today" Mrs. Earle declared "and the whisper is rapidly growing into a mighty shout through out the land until all mankind takes it up as the battle cry for the new century. Let mothers, fathers. nurses, educators, ministers, legislators. and, mightiest of all in it's swift, far-reach- ing influence, the press, make the child the watchword and word of the day and hour; let all else be secon- dary, and coming generations will be- hold a new world and a new people.
 "Untiring, universal, individual ef- effort, with such organization only as may prove helpful, will build a bridge upon which struggling humanity may safely cross into a new land, leaving forever the old, with it's unendir.g re- formatory movements, it's shattered homes; and the keystone of that bridge will be maternal love, while in that new civilization will bear the corner stone of home.' said Mrs. Earle.
 ~"Some of the Fundamentals in train- ing children which we have learned through our association with the mothers congress and the parent teacher associations has revealed some excellent things as follows" said Mrs. Earle namely, that the play and in- terests of children are just as serious and important to them as is our adult work to us So long as children are 'notein Areal danger or doing actual harm, they should be helped and en- couraged in what they want to do and not interfered with and constantly dictated to. That we must provide growing children with something to do and think about. They are cease