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5 The Silver Cord "One o f m y favorite fancie s i s that durin g m y college years I have bee n training for parenthood, " Marth a Lavel l reflected durin g her senior year at th e Universit y o f Minnesota . Althoug h i n som e sens e Lavell' s fanc y held tru e fo r man y wome n wh o expecte d t o marr y durin g o r shortl y after thei r college years, she did not have husband hunting in mind whe n she wrot e abou t parenthood . Sh e referred , instead , t o he r trainin g i n psychology an d sociology . Marth a Lavel l dre w he r ideal s o f marriag e and famil y fro m he r readin g i n the socia l science s of th e late 1920 s an d from th e discussions o n these subjects hel d in her classes and amon g her friends. "M y ide a o f marriag e i s a unio n primaril y fo r th e purpos e o f having children, " sh e wrote . Reflectin g bot h a theoretica l radicalis m about se x and he r fait h i n eugenics, she continued tha t "An y othe r rela tion shoul d b e sanctione d outside o f marriage , bu t onl y th e physicall y and mentall y fi t wit h definit e wis h fo r childre n shoul d b e allowe d t o marry." LavelPs speculations gav e a large measure o f responsibilit y t o societ y and even the state for th e proper rearin g of children. Prospective parents would receiv e "specia l trainin g i n th e ar t o f carin g for , teaching , an d bringing u p children. " Sh e looke d forwar d t o a n idylli c settin g fo r he r own family , "somewher e i n th e country , i n a larg e hous e wit h sleeping porches, surrounde d b y acres of wild land. " Th e family woul d b e large: "half a dozen childre n o f ou r own , plus half a dozen mor e belongin g t o other people , orphan s perhaps. " Th e childre n woul d stud y a t home , where Lavel l would encourag e thei r curiosity . "Cultivat e a taste for sci entific research , a n interes t i n ma n an d thi s worl d h e live s in , a lov e of 117 118 The Silver Cord beauty an d a n idea l o f servic e t o humanity , an d yo u hav e create d a n individual wh o wil l find th e worl d goo d an d lif e wort h living . Suc h a home, preparin g suc h citizen s fo r th e world , i s m y visio n o f th e goo d life." Marth a Lavel l obviousl y idealize d motherhood , ye t he r visio n in cludes few of the traditional activities of the mother, and her home seems more lik e a socia l welfar e agenc y tha n a typical family . Sh e wrote late r that sh e recognize d tha t man y o f he r idea s "ar e wil d an d impractical , and perhap s impossible, " althoug h sh e stil l longe d fo r a husban d an d children. Behin d Lavell' s idea l lie s a growin g relianc e o n expertis e i n decisions abou t chil d rearin g i n the 1920s , an d a related distrus t o f th e family, an d especiall y of motherhood. 1 In 192 7 the term "silver cord" entered American speech as a reference to th e tigh t an d sometime s unbreakabl e connection s tha t mother s ha d for thei r children . The pejorative referenc e cam e from th e title of Sidne y Howard's pla y i n whic h Mrs . Phelps entertain s he r tw o adul t son s an d the wife o f one son...

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