Arizona republican., 1922-01-05

mittee chairman Of the local Rotary
club. DR.. Barker is himself a Ro-
tartan. His talk to these men in
cluded two elements of sex hygiene
and the spirit of Rotary as he has
found it.
Speaks to Women
IT was more as a friend and coun-
selor than as cut and dried lee
turer that DR.. Barker appealed to
the women of Phoenix yesterday aft
ernoon when he stood before a ca
pacitv audience of the feminine sex
at the Woman's club and told them
a few neglected facts about their
duty as mothers. Probably no one
else could have spoken so straight
from the shoulder and yet with such
infinite tact and gentleness as did
DR.. Barker, and probably never before
have women gone away from one who
has openly criticized them with such
a sense of friendlinuess and under
standing.
DIR. Barker is a man Of vivid person
allty ana an appealing speaker. From
the time he opened his lips after
being introduced by Mrs. Lloyd
Christy, to the close of his talk, he
held his hearers to him. not by brill
liant oratory or amusing stories. but
his earnestness and sincerity. Wom-
en- felt instinctively that they were
listening to :, nan who knew what
he was talking about and that his
heart was back Of every word he ut
tered. And for more than an hour
they sat and applauded his remarks,
laughing recognizingly as he held UP
their own little failings for inspec-
ton and crowding around after him
talk was finished to tell him how
much good they had derived from 1t.
Calling attention to the high school
girls of the senior class who occu-
pied front seats, DR.. Barker told the
women that these girls were there
at his request, and as an augury that
he would not say anything which
might offend or embarrass them.
Greatest Responsibility
May l say to you women that 1t
is very encouraging to me that so
many of you are willing to leave
your homes and places of amuse-
ment to come here and listen to me
talk on the responsibilities of mothers
to their children? In my opinion the
most important thing a woman can
have in life is responsibility to-
ward her own children; the most
successful career any woman can
engage in is the bearing of children.
Some of you women in Phoenix think
the finest thing in life is the wearing
of silk and jewels, and being called
a society woman. But ii is a petty
business, cheap, towdry business.
Why. there s nothing so tremendous
ly fine and ennobling as when a
woman realizes that there should be
some replicas of herself and hus-
band to pass en- to the future"
You women who have been side
stepping your responsibilities. who
have been unwilling to take the time
to study your sons and daughters.
but have been giving them things
that hurt them because you Couldn't
bear to refuse them. will you be big
enough now to take this criticism?
You are the very worst enemy your
children will ever have to facet If
you keep this up until your child is
16 or is years old and something
harmful comes up which This child
wants and takes, 1 tell you that you
are responsible because you have
gradually through the years taught
them that whatever they want they
can take. You have omitted to
teach them self control and that the
greatest lesson in life is that the
happiest people in the world are those
who have been taught to obey the
law"
Speaking OF the lowering of the
morals of this generation, he gave
what he thought to be the four most
important reasons; Auto -intoxication,
sex movie films, present day dances.
and present day dress of women. Too
many young girls were motoring
through the country at night with
young men and "spooning" by the
wayside on moonLt nights and other
wise endangering their morals by too
much familiarity with the opposite
sex, he said. He gave an illustration
OF the present fo'm of dancing which
sent his audience into gales of laugh
ter. and decrie6 the passing of the
stately minuets and square dances
of the past He told the women
frankly that II they would boycott
sex movies the managers would be
glad to show a different sort, as the
women were the principal reason for
the continuance of such pictures.
And he ended bv telling the mothers
of the audience pointedly that if they
did not want their daughters ap-
pearing half naked at public affairs
they should set them the example of
modest attire themselves.