Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-24
tation for all time if circumstance.
---- a

tation for all time if circumstances
and opportunity had knocked al
their door and put them in places
where their inherent virtues woulc
be seen and recognized by all the
world? And what is greatness
anyway? We are told in the New
Testament that the disciples Of
Christ disputed among themselves
about who should be greatest ir
the kingdom of heaven, and Christ
took a little child and put him in
the midst of them, and told them
that whoever should humble him.
self as a little child should be the
greatest, and at another time, he
told them that "he that is greatest
among you shall be your servant
Apparently, the Christ idea OF
greatness lay in humility and serv.
ice. He once said: "And whose
ever shall exalt himself shall be
abased, and he that shall humble
himself shall be exalted" Evident
ly the Great Teacher would look
for the twelve greatest women OF
America among the millions OF
mothers in humble life who have
served we'll. The Philadelphia
Public Ledger has caught some
thing of that idea when it nomin-
ates an unnamed woman as n OF
the greatest among the twelve. II
says: .
"Our candidate is the woman
who will be regarded as the great
est exponent of these qualifica-
tions: AS the mother of at least
two healthy children; as n pos
sessed of all the lore of the house
hold that has been accumulated by
the race following the discovery
that the friction of two sticks pro-
duces fire, and sufficiently master
of it to be its administrator, not its
slave; as one who gathers her chill
dren at her knee and teaches them
to face the world in faith and un-
afraid: as a conserver of the finer
things of life, its tenderer and more
intimate susceptibilities. In short,
we nominate the Unknown Mother"
We second the nomination OF the
Philadelphia Ledger, but would 60
a step further. and tell her name.
Her name is Legion" She is to
be found in a thousand homes to.
day displaying her greatness daily,
and yet quite unconscious of the
fact. She would think you were
making game of her if you pro-
posed her name as one of the
twelve greatest women in the
state.
The Springfield Republican dis
cussing the question, says:
But the Chilean writer who pro-
pounded the present much discuss
ed question apparently realized the
difficulty of applying such an alb
stract term as greatness. She speci-
fled that the IL greatest women
whose anne she sought must rep
resent as wide as possible a range
of occupation, residence and TEN.
permanent, and must have made their
own way without the assistance OF
father or husband. 1t is perhaps
not without significance that those
compliers who have borne these
conditions in mind have mentioned
a good many women without hus-
bands. 1t might otherwise be diff
ficult to say that they had given no
assistance. Many compliers, how
ever, have quite ignored the terms
mentioned, or have preferred to
make their selections without being
thus hampered. 1t was probably
to have been expected that many
such judges have indicated a pref
erence for women whose special
field of active interest has coincid-
ed with their own. The names OF
suffragists, club women and social
workers have frequently appeared.
But who are the IL women
meeting the Chilean conditions?
Most of the serious lists agree in
including Carrie Chapman Gait, M
Carey Thomas and Jane Adams.
Many name Edith Wharton, al