Advocate and Family Guardian
American journal (1835-1941)
The Advocate and Family Guardian (former names, Advocate of Moral Reform, Advocate of Moral Reform and Family Guardian, and Advocate and Guardian; 1835–1941) was an American periodical published semi-monthly by the New York Female Moral Reform Society and its successor, the American Female Guardian Society, characterized as a "pioneer child-saving institution in the U.S.". The first number appeared in 1835 and the last, in volume 109, number 6, in June 1941. Initial publication took place at 29 East 29th Street, in New York City. The Advocate, a continuation of McDowell's Journal, went through several name changes: Advocate of Moral Reform (1835–47), The Advocate of Moral Reform and Family Guardian, (1847–49), finally, The Advocate and Family Guardian from 1849 until it ceased publication in 1941.
Advocate of Moral Reform
After the formation of the Society, and previous to his illness, John Robert McDowall (1801–1836) had discontinued the publication of his Journal, and given to this Society, his list of subscribers, with whatever payments were due-but with no restrictions-a gift that afterward proved of special service in establishing a new paper, under different auspices, and in no sense, identified with any previous publication.
The first work of the Society was the establishment of a semimonthly paper, the Advocate of Moral Reform, which should be an exponent of their principles, and an organ of communication with the public. Still young in years, timid, unused to business beyond the confines of home, the leaders in this work had much to learn in a new sphere of duty, where wisdom, skill, and efficiency were indispensable. Pecuniary resources they had none, and how to prosecute their enterprise without embarrassment was an unsolved problem. But they were encouraged by the approval of their husbands and pastors.
It was designed to be the ally and defender of virtue, and to hold up before the world as their prominent aim, "Remedy if practicable, Prevention by every possible Christian endeavor".
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