EDITOR'S TABLE. 



701 



following: "Proper food and clotli- 

 ing for children; care of the body, 

 cleanliness, the way to prevent the 

 formation of injurious habits; the 

 rights of children ; proper reading in 

 the home; how to teach the children 

 self-control and to have a proper re- 

 gard for the rights of others ; the du- 

 ties of true citizenship ; and various 

 other subjects to be taken up by the 

 mothers in the home." 



Now, nothing could be better than 

 this, except that we do not see why 

 the movement should have been con- 

 fined to the mothers. Why were the 

 fathers not thought worthy to take 

 a share in the good work ? Mrs. 

 Gamble states that in Detroit the 

 movement has received a check. 

 " At the very outset it was observed." 

 so she tells us, " that petty jealousies 

 and a fear of the growing influence 

 of women would make it difficult for 

 the work to continue." We do not 

 see why there should be any dread 

 of the growing influence of women 

 so long as the latter are working 

 judiciously toward good ends. We 

 can imagine, however, that an ex- 

 clusively feminine movement might 

 perhaps be conducted upon lines or 

 might become committed to posi- 

 tions that would excite not wholly 

 unreasonable opposition. Zeal for 

 reform is a noble thing, but to be 

 successful it requires to be tempered 

 by tact and a sense for the practica- 

 ble. The matter is not one in which 

 women solely are interested, and if 

 the best results are to be achieved 

 there must be a co-operation of the 

 sexes. If the ideas of men lag be- 

 hind those of women in some par- 

 ticulars, compensation may be found 

 in the assistance which the former 

 are able to lend in carrying certain 

 limited reforms into actual practice 

 and so preparing the way for further 

 advance. 



Mrs. Gamble raises a serious ques- 

 tion when she asks, " Has society 



reached that stage where such re- 

 sults (those, namely, contemplated 

 by the Educational Union) are de- 

 sired ? " There is, unfortunately, 

 room to doubt whether some parents 

 really desire the best training for 

 their children. A parent, for exam- 

 ple, who has no worthy ideal in life 

 would not care to have his child in- 

 doctrinated with the idea that world- 

 ly success is not everything. Such 

 teaching is looked upon as harmless 

 in the pulpit; but many parents, if 

 we are not mistaken, would be dis- 

 posed to object if their children were 

 taught anything like this at school. 

 It is very desirable that we should 

 know just where as a community we 

 stand in regard to this matter. If 

 all parents do not desire the best 

 moral teaching for their children, 

 all the greater need is there for an 

 educative campaign that shall em- 

 brace parents as well as children. 

 Certain it is that the children have a 

 right to the best teaching the most 

 rational, the most humane, the most 

 inspiring teaching that can be given 

 them, and no effort should be spared 

 that could in any way tend to put 

 the instruction given in our public 

 schools on a right level or to supple- 

 ment it by suitable home influence. 

 The subject is one upon which too 

 much public attention can not be 

 concentrated, and we are glad to find 

 from Mrs. Gamble's letter that she 

 and her fellow-woi'kers have no in- 

 tention, despite some discourage- 

 ments, to intermit their efforts. It is 

 satisfactory to think that whatever 

 may be done with right motives in 

 the direction indicated must have 

 some good effect. To interest even 

 one mother or one father in what 

 using the words not quite in their 

 usual sense, but in a sense more im- 

 portant than the usual one may be 

 called the higher education of their 

 children is so far a gain; but to in- 

 terest, as by proper measures might 



