“I wish to call your attention to the fact that in the mythical second chapter of Genesis, upon which men lay so much stress as their authority for subjugating and belittling the position of woman, no toil was imposed on our Mother Eve. The ground was cursed for man’s sake, and he was to labor and eat his bread in the sweat of his face. But to woman no command to labor was given, no toil laid upon her, no ground or stove cursed for her sake. She was to bear children; but motherhood was never cursed by the Almighty. Woman is the mother of mankind, the living Providence (under God) who gives to every human being its mental, moral and physical organization, who stamps upon every human heart her seal for good or for evil. How important then that her surroundings be pleasant, her thoughts elevated, her mind imbued with the best and noblest traits, her individuality acknowledged, her freedom assured, that she may impart wise and noble characters to her children, surround them with good influences and train them in all goodness and virtue! This is the part of woman. But how can she be fitted for such life work when subjected to the whims and commands of another, to the constant round of housekeeping labor, to toil and drudgery, to cares, annoyances and perplexities which she has not health and strength and nerve to bear? How can one woman cook and wash dishes three times a day, sweep and dust the house, wash and iron, scrub and clean, make and mend and darn for a family, and yet have time or spirit for the improvement of her own mind so that she may stamp strong characters upon her children? How can a mother whose every hour from early morn to late at night is filled with cares and worries and toil to supply the physical needs of her family find time or be prepared to instruct properly the tender minds committed to her care? “It is to woman’s weary hours and broken health, and to her subject, unhappy and unsatisfactory position, that we may impute much of the evil, vice and crime that are abroad. And to the same cause are due so many domestic quarrels, separations and divorces. Children are born into the world with the stamp of the mother’s mind upon them. I believe it is conceded that children are more indebted to their mothers than to their fathers for their natural gifts. How important then that every facility be afforded the mother for making good impressions on her child! How strange that men so entirely overlook this law of inheritance! What can they expect of children when the mother is degraded and enslaved?