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THE COURIER
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doSDg than "Tom Brown" schoolboy
stories, or the conversation of hornet? in u
Vermont paeturo. Ho has tho moBt vc r
tiginoue imagination of his generation,
and it is not to bo wu&tod on "Youth's
Companion'1 stories. It found its fittest
material in lunds near the sun; lands of
mjstery, where there aro mountains thut
havo not been scaled, rivers thut have
not been bridged, deserts that have not
been crossed. Surely, tho templo bells
aro calling him "on tho road to Manda
lay." There aro a dozen men 'who
could havo written "Captains Coura
geous" very nearly bb well as Mr. Kip
ting no, not half bb well but there is
only ono hand in ail tho living world
that could havo written "Without Bene
fit of Clergy" or anything liko it.
'
In "The Day's Work" Mr. Kipling's
experimental playfulness of mood seems
to have affected his workmanship. Sev
eral of tho stories exhibit an alarming
departure from the single purpose, and
awift, vivid execution which has been
one of his most meritorious qualities.
The opium dream and tho convocation
of the Hindu gods in "Tho Bridge Build
ers" is an entire departuro from the
original theme of tho etory, and bus
nothing whatever to do with tho fato of
"Findlayson's" bridge. Mr. Kiplioghas
dropped tho familiar "but that's unothor
eory;" he now tellB two storieB in one.
In "William tho Conqueror'' the love
story is certainly forced unduly into the
foreground to make it a love story at all,
and, moreover, it is somewhat conven
tionalized. The elaborate discussion of
"GeorgioV military career in India is
diametrically opposed to tho mystic
strain in "Tho Brushwood Boy," and
cannot be excused as a moanB of con
trast, as can tho recital of his experience
at school. "Qeorgio," indeed, smacks a
little of "Bobby" in "Only a Subaltern,"
and yet he has a very different part to
play, and is supposed to have a poot
ehut up ineido of him somewhere. I
could understand tho hero of "Tho Light
that Failed" having possessions in a
dream rorld and riding the Thirty-Milo
Ride with "Masie," but I cannot under
stand it in "Georgie Cottar" and tho gill
who lisped. In "Georgia's'' Indiac ex
periences the writing haB a jocular ring
that detracts from the dignity of the
main theme, and if Mr. Kipling had sub
ordinated "GeoigieV obtrusive virtues
to the poetic mysticism of tho back
ground, he would have made a better
story. It might hav6 been ono cf the
greatest stories that bear bis name, and
it ia not. When he wished to use worn
en for a high end, he used not to make
them lisp, though bis attitude toward
the gentle sex has never been overly
chivalrous. In "Tho Brushwood Boy"
I roiBB something of the intense earnest
ness and tenderness which were so tor
ribly present in "Without Boneflt of
Clergy;" eomethlng of tho imperious
splendrr of imagination which mado
"The Gate of a Hundred Sorrows" ono
glorious debauch of color. I miss them,
acd I am unconBoled for their Iobs.
Plumbers were at work in Marjorie'a
home, and they conversed in their nativo
tongue.
"Mamma,'" questioned tho four-yoar-old,
"why can't I toll what thoso men
aro saying? I'vo listened and listened,
and I can't make out a word!"
"Ofcoursoyou can't," said mamma;
"they are talking in Gorman."
That evening Marjorie was drumming
on tho piano.
"What are you playing?" asked bor
brother.
'I'm playing 'Home Sweet Hono."'
"That lent 'Homo Swoot Home!' " ho
Baid, scornfully.
"Ycb it 1b," was the reply; "I'm play-
ing it in German!"
Subscribo for Thr Coumkk $1 a year.
foCH)A
I
LOUISA li KIOKKTTH.
odeoc
Tho thiid National Congress of Moth
era which convened in Washington Feb
ruary 11, 15, 10 and 17, wbb, in spito of
tho heavy snow nod bovoto storm, ono of
great interest and ono of tho most nota
blo in tho history of tho movemont.
Nearly all tho railrondH throughout tho
oast wcro blockaded, many delegates
wero thus provontcd from reaching tho
city at all, wbilo othorH wero dolayod.
Owing to weatbor conditions tho opon
iug session was dolayod until tho Kith'
und oven on that day Washington wbb
visited with a rain storm which con
verted tho deep snow into a sea of bIubI).
Tho president, Mrs. Theodore W. Bir
noy, called the congress together and at
hor request the uudieuco bowed their
heads in silent prayer. Then followed
tho oponing address of tho president, in
the course of which she said:
' With an unaltorablo conviction that
in tho homo lies tho only solution to tho
problems which confront tho world to
day, wo havo striven to roach tho moth
ers of our land, und through thorn tho
fathers, because it is they who hare in
their possession tho priceless material
of which future civilization will bo
wrought. Aro they building of stono or
sand? Thut should bo the question of
most consequence before tho world, and
yet is it so regarded?
"Organization is ono of tho greatest
powers of tho world today. It ia very
important that all branches of the child
etudy movement, which is a compara
tively new ono, shall bo closely banded
together for thoadvunco of tho cause. In
no way except by union and conceited
action, can it be successfully demon
strated that in truining mothers we moBt
truly help the children and protect so
cioty from countless social, civic and
moral ovils. Such union will greatly in
crease the cllicioncy and importance of
tho individual club; tho stronger clubs
will have tho pleasure of widening their
influonco by service to tho weaker; tho
weaker clubs will feel tho stimulating
contact with the stronger."
Tho membership in tho congress con
sists of members of mother's clubs and
bomemakers' clubs, associate members,
life members, contributors, benefactors
and ufliliation clubs. Nineteen organi
zations havo paid their dues and come
into the congress as members during tho
pust year.
The National Congress of Mothers
keeps headquarters in Washington dur
ing tho entire year, where those inter
ested in this great work will receive all
poEBiblo assistance; address, Mothers'
Congress, Washington, D. C, Loan and
Trust building Thoy have put maty
holpful things in circular form which
they Bend to clubs or organizations
aflillatod with thtin. Their great desiro
is to waken public sentiment to a recog
nition of the responsibilities of parents
und to their need of training to properly
discharge these responsibilities.
Thoy havo no official organ for us Mrs.
Birney says: "Wo have almost tho en
tiro press of tho country aa chumpionB
of this movement." It iB tho bopo of tho
congress, however, to establish u publi
cation which will bo a kind of quurtoily
review, but it will bo confined strictly to
the progress of tho movement through
out this country and the world.
Tho amount of work accomplished in
tho two years existence of tho congress
is wonderful. In Chicugo, in New York
city, in Philadelphia, Boston, San Fran
cisco and other largo cities mothers'
clubs have gone into the study of child
ethics and the rotation of 6qualid homeB
to criminal statistics with an energy
thut must bo appalling to evildoers,
They have established day nursorioa for
tho childron of women who must work
to sustiiin life. Thoy havo instituted
night reboots, whoso touchers aro bright
young women and young mon, w'io take
from happy, caro-froo lives filled with
social duties tho two or three hours
daily that help to enrich their poorer,
more ignorant and Iofh unfortunate
brothers and eiHtors. Cooking schools
havo boon established, sowing schools
and schools of domestic science. Thoy
havo sot up froo kindergartens for tho
childron of tho Blums, started soup
hoiiBce in tho saloon infested parts of
soiuo of tho largo cities. Tho basic idea
is tho "home," und tho hope of each is to
help tho weak, encourage tho faint
hearted and strengthen tho bond of tho
family and tho homo.
Mrs. Birney, who was tho originator
of tho idea, first put on foot by tho For
tunatua purso of Mrs. Phoebo Hearst,
haB been tho president for two yenra and
sho is tho beet example of a good
mother that can bo found. She haB not
neglected her children or her homo in
hor soul-absorbing work for the advanc
mont of tho mother idea, but sho says
they havo inspired hor to renowod effort
when hor spirits wero sometimes flagging
us she saw the enormous task boforo her.
Sho further says that tho work ramifies
till it has gono boyond anything that
was over dreamed for it und beliovoB
thut ere muny yourr congross will fool
tho subtle influence of tho movement,
"It may take a whole nation for our
present influonco to bo felt, but a gener
ation iB but a short span when it roaches
from evil to bettor tires "
In connection with the congress in
one of tho rooms of tbo church wbb con
ducted a fulltiedgod kindergarten, ono
that would have delighted tho heart of
Frosbel wero he living. Hero the
mothers who wished to attend tho meet
ings and could not leavo their little ones
at home had them carod for frco of cost.
It was called tbo "children's room" and
here tho neods of tbo little oneB wero
catered too in tho shapo of crackers,
broad and milk und the like. Thero wub
a bureau of information, also a postofllce,
ut the church and a hot lunch served to
visitors in tho basement. On tho protty
programs was printed this sentence:
"Delegates and visitors aro requested to
remove their hats and bonnets during
tbo sessions."
Mrs. Mary E.Green, president of the
National Household Economic associa
tion, was greeted with hearty applause,
when 9ho was introduced to deliver an
address upon "Some of tho Neods in the
Education of Mothers." She began by
saying she had been throe dajs trying
to reach the city.
She spoke of the importance of women
knowing all about home hygiene and tho
preparation of food9. Sho thought
daughters ought lo be trained in do
mestico ecienco. In spoakbg of the ig
noranco in regard not only to proper
foode, but to the cure of the body, tho
speaker expressed tho opinion that thero
would have been littlo sickness In tho
military campB in this country during
the war with Spain if the mon had
known how to tako caro of themselves.
Sho believed, sho said, thut modern
women, membors of numerous clubs, aro
familiar with about every art except tho
art of living. Many women take a lively
interest in tho cleaning of tho streets of
citieB, wbilo tho sinks at their homes
wero neglected. Sho spoko of tho en
croachments of boarding house life upon
home life, and said thero was a growing
ignorance of how to manage a home.
In the opinion of tho spoukor, tho du
ties of a wifo and mother constituted a
profession, and there should be a proper
education and training beforo entering
upon the life work. At present, tho
speaker paid, this profession was entored
into without tho slighto3t preparation.
Sho advocated tho establishment by
Congress of a national hoalth bureau,
which should bo used for tho dissemina
tion of information about tho euro of
childron; about tuberculosis in mon as
is now dono in tho ciibo of animals; tho
dangers of polluting tho streams with
soworago and in general tho hoalth of
tho nation.
ThiH suggestion about tho health
bureau apparently mot with tho favor of
tho audience, as it was greeted with tho
hearty clapping of hands.
This Mother's Congress wbb largely
intorsperriod with fathors. It is tho hopo
of tho progonitors of HiIb movemont that
it will, ut an ourly day, morgo into a
father's and mothor's Congress, pre
liminary to this sovornl gontlomon wero
asked to take promlnont parts on tho
program. Mr. Horace Flotchor gave
an addresB in fuvor of an effort to im
prove tho condition of tho colored child
ron. Ho said tho effort to improve so
cial conditions ought to begin in tho
lower ranks, in tho slums, and especially
with tho childron. He referred, ho
said, to tho negro population tnoroly ub
illustrating his thought. In elaborat
ing his argument ho gavo soma statist
ics about tho situation in Now Orleans.
In that city, bo said, 00 per cent of
those urrestod for committing crime aro
negroes, while 511 per cent of tho monoy
raised by taxation is devoted to tho cor
rection of crimo and dii order. Ho urged
thut the ('olegutes, upon tho return to
their homes, seek to create a sontimont
in favor of educating arid caring for tho
children of the city, and in this way, ho
said, such a revolution would be
wrought that in tho courbo of a few
years no child would bo noglec'od or al
lowed to grow up in ignorunce.
Dr. G. Stanley Hull read a carefully
prepared paper on tho results of inves
tigations as to the development of child
ren, especially during the period of
adolosconco. Ho described at some
length tbo characteristics of thta period
of lifo, oneof thn most marked of which
is tho craving for excitement. Ho
dwelt upon tbo importance that tho
child ut this time should have plain food
should sleep on hard beds and havo
plenty of exercise. He Laid that adol
esence wbb tho center of all human in
terests, tho church, tho homo, tho school
and all other inlluencoB of civilization
woro tbo forces by which this period of
maturity is brought to its highest prive
leges, that in its highest stage it was
manifested by its love for the bautiful
and good, and in its lowest by dissipa
tion. Ono entire session was devoted to
papers and discussions of the desirabili
ty of a closer relation and co-operation
between parents and teacher, and bo
many bright, interesting, helpful things
were said that 'tie pity lack of space for
bids our spreading thia feast before you.
The afternoon of February 10th, the
la lies were recoivod by Mrs. McKinloy
at the White House at ,.') o'clock. At 4
o'clock, Rev. II . H. Hart of Chicago,
gavo an ablo address on Environment
versuB Heredity, discussion led by Mrs.
Roger McMullon EvanBton and Dr. Re
becca Cole of Washington. In the
evening Dr. Josiah Strong of New York,
lectured on the "Supremo Peril of
Modern Civilization. The program was
long and full of good things, but we
have not room to give mcro specific men
tion. Our object in mentioning iti de
tail some who participated was to show
tho general trend of this movement to
wards a mixed congress. Many import
ant chunges were made in the by-laws,
and several important resolutions pass
ed, perhaps tho most vigorous, tho one
adopted aguinst seating Brigham H.
Roberts tho polycramist, which is as fol
lows: "Whereas, the election of a poly
gamist to Congress threatens the sacred
institution of monoaimus mairiage; bo
it resolved, that the third national Con
gress of Mothers request 'the Nutional
Congress of tho United States to repu
diate tho result of the November elec
tion in Utah, oithor by refusing to allow
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