Changing Views of Motherhood
Danielle Armstrong
English 111: Dr. Taimi Olsen
Tusculum College
0ctober 09, 2007
Sarah J. Hale
Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of
Godey’s Lady’s Book from1837-1877,
was a prominent advocate for women’s
advancement. According to Lisa Niles,
author of “Sarah Josepha Hale”, her
magazine was America’s leader in
women’s literature and fashion (1). It
included a wide range of topics, some of
which are health, beauty, cooking,
gardening, and architecture. Not only did
she write “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, but
she also wrote many other poems and
novels, helped declare our Thanksgiving
as a national holiday, and raised money
for the completion of the Bunker Hill
monument (Niles 1).
Figure 1: Untitled picture from David
Crumm’s article “Happy Thanksgiving”
“In this age of
innovation, perhaps no
experiment will have an
influence more important
on the character and
happiness of our society
than the granting to
females the advantages of
a systematic and
thorough education”
-- Sarah J. Hale (1)
Above
all she promoted
the education of women so that
they may in turn educate and care
for
their
children.
Hale
incorporated tips for writing and
works of famous authors such as
Poe, Longfellow, Emerson, and
Hawthorne to help women learn
how to write better. She also
accepted original works from
contributors
(Niles3).
In the May 1850 edition
of Godey’s Lady’s Book
volume XL is one such
contribution. In this unsigned
article on page 304 a man and
his wife’s friends debate
whether or not a “mother’s
instinct” is inherent from birth
or
learned
through
her
education and rearing. The man
is under the impression that
women act how they do
because of how they are raised.
Trying to prove his point he
mentions how his little girl has
never played with dolls because
he “will not permit such a thing
to come into his house”.
Figure 2: Christoph Wetzel’s “Kartenmotiv E”
Figure 3: “Playing Mother” page 305 of the
May 1850 edition of Godey’s Lady’s Book
The woman in the
article below argues with the
man visiting her home and
strongly opposes his idea. She,
like many of this time period,
believes that women are born
with a natural sense of how to
care for children. To prove her
point, she says that they should
seek out the child and see how
she is playing. Anna is found to
be wearing a discarded bonnet
and nursing a bunny. She
pretends to be its mother. It is
easy to see from this plate on
page 305 and the article on page
304 that motherhood in the midnineteenth century was seen as
instinctual;
containing
occasional help from mothers or
neighbors.
Engraved by W.E. Tucker from an original
picture loaned him by the owner in London
Figure 4: “Playing Mother” pg 304
of the May 1850 edition of
Godey’s Lady’s Book
“It’s just as you raise them,” said Mr. Warner,
in his dogmatic way. “I don’t believe in a boy’s
taking to a hammer and a girl to a doll, from an instinct of nature. Girls are different because they
are educated differently. There is no other law in
the matter.”
“My experience,” said a lady, who made one of
a little company numbering about half a dozen, and
she spoke in a quiet way, “leads me to a different
conclusion. Each sex has a use in society peculiarly its own; and, from the earliest childhood,
impulses pointing thitherward may be seen. Gentle,
tender, and loving are the uses of woman, and for
these she is fitted by nature. Hardier, rougher,
bolder is the man, because he is designed for a
different sphere of life. The boy takes the hammer,
the whip, or any other plaything that is noisy, or
calls for the exercise of strength and action; while
the girl, as naturally, busies herself with her doll, or
her cups and saucers.”
“Simply,” replied Mr. Warner, “because you
provide a hammer and whip for the one, and a doll
for the other.”
Figure 5: “Playing Mother”
“No,” returned the lady, “the cause lies deeper
than this. It is radical. How is it with your own
little Anna? She is here to-day.”
“She never had a doll in her life. I will not permit such a thing to come into my house. I wish to
develop the strength, not the weakness of her character.” And, as Mr. Warner spoke, he threw a
glance upon his wife, which said, plainly enough,
“This wouldn’t be so, if you had your way.”
“Oh!” remarked the lady, “then you are trying
to warp her character to suit your own theory. You
are not willing to let it develop naturally, and, as I
would say, healthfully.”
“I wish to give it a strong and healthy develpment.”
“Then it must grow from inward elements. If
you warp it, as you are certainly doing, you will
weaken and deform, instead of producing beauty,
health, and strength.”
Figure 6: “Playing Mother”
“So you think,” said Mr. Warner, a little rudely.
Opinionated men are very often rude to ladies.
“Yes, I think so,” replied the lady, not seeming
to notice the gentleman’s manner.
“Where is your dear little girl?” asked one of
the company, a little while after, addressing Mrs.
Warner.
“She’s playing about the garden. I saw her from
the window a few minutes ago.”
“It would be a pleasant experiment,” said the
lady with whom the child’s father had held the controversy, “just to take a look after Anna, and see
what she is doing. I’ll warrant that the girl’s instincts are predominant in her acts. You’ll not find
her dragging up the flowers, nor throwing stones at
the birds, nor even digging in the dirt.”
“You’ll probably find her racing about with the
boys,” said the father.
Figure 7: “Playing Mother”
“Anna!” called the mother. They listened, and
her sweet, young voice was heard faintly answering. Guided by the sound, she was soon discovered
by those in search of her.
“What is she doing?” asked Mr. Warner, who
did not at first see her distinctly.
“Playing mother!” replied the lady with whom
he had held the controversy. And she spoke in a
tone of triumph.
“Nonsense!” said Mr. Warner.
“See for yourself.”
“The little witch!” exclaimed the father, affected
with pleasure, in spite of himself, by what he saw.
Anna had found a cap belonging to the lady at
whose house they were visiting, and, with this
drawn upon her head, was nursing a rabbit with the
earnest fondness of a mother.
The ladies caught the happy child in their arms,
and almost devoured her with kisses, while Mr.
Warner escaped back into the house, to re-arrange
his forces for a new battle on his favorite hobby.
The
article above says, “Gentle, tender, and
loving are the uses of woman, and for these she is fitted
by nature.” Society saw women as having an instinctual
knowledge of how to raise children. According to
Discovering the American Past: a Look at Evidence, in
the nineteenth century, we thought women had certain
natures because of being born female. These natures are
not learned but biologically natural; an inherent part of
being born female (136).
This
idea that women
automatically are born with the
knowledge to care for children did
not last for very long. Rima D.
Apple concurs with this thought in
her book Perfect Motherhood:
Science and Childrearing in
America and states that “instinct
and tradition in childrearing were
replaced by all-important medical
and science advice” (2). Today, we
always consult a nurse or physician,
so that our children are as healthy as
possible. Why did this image
change?
Figure 8: Take A Stroll’s “Motherhood”
Early
Figure 9: Johnson+Johnson’s
“JOHNSON’S Toilet and Baby Powder”
in the nineteenth
century, medical care was given at
home by a mother. She might
consult her neighbors or mother for
advice. Sometimes she would have
a home medical book to refer to or
she would know certain herbal
remedies. If she lived in an urban
area she could seek advice and
medicine from a pharmacist.
Physicians were only turned to in
cases of the very ill (Apple 3).
Mostly women were thought to
have all the knowledge required to
raise healthy and robust children.
This
idea changed at the turn of the
century. Apple states that “ changing family
size,
growing
industrialization
and
urbanization, and emerging technological
innovation all served to transform life in the
U.S. in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
and maternal functions within it” (6).
Women no longer had as
many children due to the
widespread use of birth control,
the amount of women joining the
workforce, and young women
waiting longer to have children.
Young married women did not
have as much knowledge of
babies since they had fewer
siblings to help look after. In line
with this idea, Discovering the
American Past points out that
many young women aged thirteen
to thirty left their homes in order
to help contribute to their families
by working in textile mills (37).
Since they were working at this
age they no longer were getting
married young and beginning
large families.
Figure 10: Lewis Wickes Hine’s “Group of adolescent spinners in
Washington Cotton Mills” May 1911
“mothers
needed the
help of
medically and
scientifically
trained experts
to raise their
children”(7)
Due
to the growing industry,
women moved around with their husbands
and had fewer children. They could no
longer depend on the knowledge of their
mothers before them and did not trust their
neighbors (Apple 7). Education and
literacy became more widespread in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
than earlier. Women began to realize the
importance of understanding how to care
for their children properly and they began
to search for ways to do this. Books on
child care and childrearing increased with
guidance informed by science and
medicine (Apple 8). Some women were
confident in their own abilities, some read
widely and based their choices on
“contemporary science”, and others turned
to doctors for instructions on infant and
childcare (Apple 12).
During the early twentieth century,
modern science evolved into what it is today.
Apple states that “developments in bacteriology,
nutrition, and physiology heightened public
awareness of the potential benefits of modern
science and medicine (16). According to
“Medicine of the Nineteenth Century”, scientific
investigation replaced the concept of
“philosophic discussion of theories” (1). The
sources of diseases appeared and doctors began
to cure ailments such as whooping cough,
diphtheria, and croup which had previously
killed many infants and young children. Women
began to trust physicians with the care of their
children when they saw the benefits involved.
The old idea of domestic motherhood
transformed into one of scientific motherhood
where women researched the proper manner to
raise a child and who the best doctor was.
“preventative
medicine was a
blundering
incomplete practice
until bacteriology
opened unheard of
possibilities for the
prevention of
disease” (Medicine 2)
--Dr. Osler
True motherhood
is the most
beautiful of all
arts, the greatest
of all professions.
-- David O.
McKay
In the late nineteenth century and
early twentieth century women began to
think of motherhood as a profession.
According to Apple this “rejected the
idea that women as women had a unique
and instinctive knowledge of things
maternal” (22). Mothers who changed
this idea began to read more literature on
childrearing, consulted experts, and took
their children to physicians. In Ladies
Home Journal, Helen Watterson Moody
said in 1899 that motherhood can be
equated with “enlightened knowledge
conscientiously acquired and carefully
digested” (22). When literacy became
more widespread, industrialization and
urbanization expanded, and technology
and modern science evolved women saw
the need of looking to experts on how to
raise children. This is why motherhood
became a profession. Women were
thought to need “assistance in raising
families healthfully and that this
assistance would be in the form of
medical and scientific expertise” (22).
Works Cited
Apple, Rima D. Perfect Motherhood: science and childrearing in America. 2006. Netlibrary. 6
October 2007. <www. Netlibrary.com.library.acaweb.org/Reader/ >
Crumm, David. “Happy Thanksgiving.” Spirit Scholars. November 22, 2006. 4 October 2007.
<http://www.spititscholars.com/my_weblog_arts/index.html >
Discovering the American Past: a Look at Evidence. 3rd ed. vol.1. William Wheeler and Susan
Becker. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Hine, Lewis Wickes. “Group of adolescent spinners in Washington Cotton Mills, Fries, Va.” May
1911 Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC). 4 October 2007.
<http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html>
“JOHNSON’S Toilet and Baby Powder.” Johnson+Johnson. June 8, 2007. 6 October 2007.
<http://www.jnj.com/our_company/history/history_section_1.htm>
McKay, David. O. “Mothers Quotations Part 4.” Weird Web Sites: Weird Quotation Collection. 6
October 2007. <http://www.weird-websites.com/WeirdQuotes.htm>
“Medicine of the Nineteenth Century.” JAMA 100 Years Ago. Ed. Jennifer Reiling. February 7,
2001. 6 October 2007.
<http://www.laskerfoundation.org/reports/jama_lasker/v285n5/ffull/jjy10049-1.htm>
“Motherhood.” Take A Stroll. 2007. 6 October 2007.
<http://www.takeastroll.com/nameprints.htm>
Niles, Lisa. “Sarah Josepha Hale.” Domestic Goddesses. Ed. Kim Wells. July 2007. 5 October
2007. <http://www.womenwriters.net/domesticgoddess/hale1.html>
“Sarah J. Hale quotes.” Thinkexist.com January 2004. 5 October 2007.
<http://Thinkexist.com/quotes/sarah_j._hale/ >
Wetzel, Christoph. “Kartenmotiv E.” ProMoM. June 25, 2007. 6 October 2007.
<http://www.promom.org/images/galleries/finart/31.jpg>