The St. Joseph observer., 1921-10-15

en- assistants, Che question OF person.
ality becomes important. Accordingly
I give the names: Miss Julia Lathrop,
chief Mrs, Helen S. woodbury., Miss
Blanche Steele, Miss Emma Lund-
berg, Miss Catherine Lenroot, Miss DIR.
Anna Ruhl, Miss Il. N. Matthews,
Miss Flora seibert, Miss Mary Buck
ford. Observe that the entire bureau
is composed of unmarried women, ex-
cept Mrs. Helen Woodbury. and her
husband, who both hold jobs in the
same department.
1t seems to be the established doc
trine of this bureau that the only
people capable of caring for babies
and mothers of babies are ladies who
have never had babies. (Laughter)
This is further indicated by the list
of field workers employed. The book
Maternity Care and the Welfare of
Young Children in Homesteading
County in Montana" is prepared by
Miss DIR. Grace L. Meigs, Miss Viola I.
Paradise. Miss Helen NJ. Dart, Miss
NJ. Letitia Fyffe, Miss Dorothy M.
Williams, Miss Janet M. Geister, Miss
Stella e. Packard, Miss May r. Lane,
and Miss Eta F. Philbrook. The
book Infant Mortality is credited to
Miss Mia F. Allen, Miss Melissa Far
rell, Miss Roberta King, Miss Eliza
beth Moore, Miss Jessie Rial, Miss
Mary Van zile, and Miss Rena Rosen-
berg. The book Rural Children in
North Carolina" is by DIR. Frances
Sage Bradley presumably a miss)
and Miss Margaretta A. Williamson.
Maternal Morality" is the work of
Miss DIR. Meigs, Miss Emma Duke,
and Miss Viola Paradise. The book
Infant Welfare Work in Europe" is
attributed to Miss Nettie McGnl, Mrs.
Frances Halves, and Miss Anna Kalet.
All the medical doctors who have
been concerned in the preparation of
literature or the work of the bureau
are women and are, believe, with
|
Would Amuse the Gods
At the very threshold, therefore,
we are confronted by the remarkable
and amusing fact that we are asked
to turn over questions of infant bear
ing and infant care to an aggregation
composed almost exclusively OF spin
sters. 1t is enough to arouse "the
laughter of the gods"
Not for a moment would I be un-
derstood as reflecting in any respect
upon the good Intentions Of the ladies
whom l have mentioned. Neither do
1 criticize in the slightest degree any
woman because she happens to be un-
married. The state of single blessed
ness arises from many causes. Every |
woman has the full right to determine |
for herself whether she will enter the |
married state. For this decision she |
is obliged to give no reason. She may |
be unwilling to unite her fortunes |
with any man. She may never have |
come in contact with man fulfilling |
her ideals. Possibly she exhibits su-
perior taste by remaining single. She |
may not choose TO endure the dangers |
and agonies of child bearing or the
cares and anxieties OF child rearing. |
Candor compels the admission that
many of the finest women of the
4
the married state. The settlement of
the question Is the business of the
woman. Because of her decision she
should neither be made the subject of
criticism nor the object of ridicule.
But, Mr.. President, when we en-
ploy female celibates to instruct
mothers how to raise babies they have
brought into the earth, do we not in
dulge in a rare bit of irony? 1 repeat
1 cast no reflection on unmarried
ladies. Perhaps some OF them are too
good to have husbands. But any
woman who is too refined to have a
husband should not undertake the
that other woman wants to take care
of it herself.
Tho Mothers Tender Love
A wise man places all important
tasks in experienced hands He does
not engage as a civil engineer a man
who has never seen level; as a doc
tor, a person unacquainted with anat-
omy; or as an instructor in music, an
individual ignorant of its notes. Is it
not the height of unwisdom TO dele
gate the solution Of problems of child
bearing and child care to a woman
who has not had the experience of
motherhood, and very possibly does
not so desire, or TO a bachelor girl
who never beheld in baby's eyes the
MIR pred vision of a mothers tender
loNG nor watched the loving dimples
w. Iah,,Fg ahaaE oatban 20