The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-02-21
ROCKING THE CRADLE OR
ROCKING THE BOAT

Bishop Warren A. Gambler in Sou
thern Christian Advocate.
Rev. Fred Winslow Adams of
Springfield, Mass, has published re-
Gently most striking and wholesome
article under the caption, viii the
Family Survive?"
He points out most clearly some of
the imminent perils which are beset-
ting the family in our day. His words
are not those Of wild alarm, but of
solemn and timely warning.
His admirable article opens with
the following gripping paragraph:
"The fires of civilization will reach
no higher and burn with no winter
heat than the fires of the hearth. The
home is the real unit Of our civillza-
ton. If its fires go out, civilization
too, will shoulder and die. There
fore, rock the cradle and not the boat.
The hand that stops rocking the era
die will finally begin rocking the
boat
He is quite right, and too many
Hands have stopped rocking the era
die and fallen to rocking the boat.
The movements of feminism in all
their forms tend to the undervalua-
ton of motherhood and the overes-
timation of public work. Being thus
out of moral balance they drop cas-
isly into all sorts Of rad:calisms.
They gravitate towards socialism
and communism inevitably, although
often ;nsensibly to their advocates.
These tendencies have been most
marked since the close Of the world
war. That awful upheaval unset
tied the mental equilibrium OF null
titudes, and Ly it finely strung fem
mime minds especially seem to have
been most seriously and quickly un-
hinged. Many have become almost
hyster;cal in sthe leadership Of dan
geYous agitaMons the ultimate end
of w!ch they DO not foresee. They
have found rocking the cradle alto
gether tame ard tedious, and have
proceeded to make 'thrills" tor
themselves by rocking the boat, up
on the fate of which their own high
est interests and the welfare Of So
ciety depend.
Upon this point DR.. Adams speaks
n the following paragraph which IS
characterized by both wisdom and
moderation:
"Today's new freedom brings its
assault on the very life of the fam
ily.
"The most dangerous doctrine OF
the World war is the doctrine of self
determination. and yet t IS funda-
mental to democracy. The self de-
termination Of woman has opened a
door through which the church does
not vet appear to see the dawn OF
a different day, but the day IS neV-
ertheless at hand 1t is strikingly
apparent that more and more mod
ern feminism is withdrawing the
best of women from marriage and
motherhood. In one sense, we 90
not need to fear this larger career
Of woman any more than we need to
dread modern machinery. Both
bring their problems and in the ned
NAV mean tightening the burden
and increasing the efficiency OF
production and of the home.
welcome woman place with man IN
the new order. and the strategic
wori, wh:cn she alone can do to un-
1arg.c the web of exploitation, IN
justice, ana burden in which modern
;n&u.try and civilization have en-
nleShed women and children and
whole immigrant populations. But
if the economic independence Of wo-
men means their permanent place
in the labor market, then | say it
is a menace to the home and an
outrage on civilization.
"Charlotte Perkins Gilman. whose
brain is as brilliant as scintillating
ice and about as cold, dreams a
wonderful picture Of the golden age
with no dishes to wash, floors to
sweep, clothes to mend, babies to