OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 11

OUR BABIES.

[By Hyoeia.] ["It is wiser to put up a fenco.at tho top of a precipice than to main- ■ tain an ambulauco at tho bottom."] THE MAKING OF -MOTHERS. Wo trust wo loft our readers last week i:i no doubt as to tho gravity of tho wrong which is being done to the rising genera-ti-on by mothers failing in bodily strength and equipment for tho building up and bearing or. healthy normal offspring, and also by their inability to nurturo their babies properly after birth. No amendment of tho existing state of matters can'reasonably bo expected until women clearly rccognise tho main factors in our modern civilisation, by .which - the widespread unfitness of mothers for motherhood has been brought about. • STITCH IN TIME. The old adago, "A stitch in time saves nine," is. nowhere moro true than it is in connection with securing the proper growth of the body by-'.judicious treatment during early life. ,A doep. thinker, inveighing against tho prevailing' tendency to put off serious attention to tli'o' perfecting of bodily development until tho 1 golden opportunity has passed, says—reversing tho old adago—"lt is always too lato to bo what ono might have been." For the future of our girls thems'olvcs,, and still' moro for the futuro of the" race, tho first essential is normal growth during puberty. Schoolgirls must be given every chanco to expand and develop ill accordance with'tho design of nature and tho laws of life. Stress and. pressure, in regard to education, .or in any othor'direction, should bo removed as far as Puberty is tho period ordained, not only for extremely rapid growth of tho body generally, but most essentially .'for tho evolution and dovolnvm"" f «f fo-'ln-mental 'organs specially concerned in motherhood. Of all poriods of. life, tins is 1110 one upon' which overpressure, especially mental dvorpressure, tells most disastrously. Tho main brunt of overpressure at puberty falls on. tho. organs then underdoing speciar'development, and on the subtle connections of theso organs.with tho brain and nervous system. • SACREDNESS OF THE BODY. Girls at school must bo ' impressed with tho sacrodness of tho body, the perfection of :its''design, tho interdependence of all. tho organs, and the consequent harm done to the wliolo'.being by restricting or interfering with tho natural form or working of any part. Of courso such lessons should .bo taught by practice and exaniplo rather than by mero precept, and we cannot liopo for much amendment so long as girls aro allowed to attend schotjl with pinched waists and high-heeled shoos—but it is a long lane that has no turninsl

. BODILY HEALTH A HIGHER DUTY. ■■ Zangwill has a vision of tlu> time when the toothers of the future, imbued with a due sense, of the rights of those to ;whom they may be privileged to give birth, will-"rise to/hoights of health and holiness of which our sick generation does not dream." The • inviolability of tho natural form of every part of the bady, and tho duty^of-girls to keep in robust liealth-r-as much for others as.-for themselvcß—should bo the watchword of every school; further, no pains.should.be spared'to convinco them of tho oxtremo selfishness and shortsightedness of bringing upon• themselves .'during, tho growing .period any avoidablo disability or imperfection which will. handicap •' them ;for their future duties in life; .finally, they should realiso that tho bodily sins.of omission and carelessness may-.b.e just ,as cruel, and far-reaching .in their results, as tho sins of commission. ...

How can we ensure for a girl a normallydeveloped body, and tho sound, robust constitution needed for healthy maternity? In other words, what are the RIGHTS OF. THE BODY. \ . - A growing girl needs plenty of time for , meals, rest, and recreation during the daytime, and not less than nine or 10 hours of -imbrokoti sleep at night. Pro- - per refreshing sleep cannot be counted • on" unless all lessons are put aside at least an hour before going to bed. . Nothing is more stunting to-the growth of the bodily organs than overwork—especially excessive application to' mental work;' . Granted the above simple essentials, normal development would follow as. a matter of course, and women, in general would have no'ground whatever for anxiety, as to the perfect fulfilment of all tho calls of motherImperfect and ono-sided development during puberty is responsible* for most.of-the ill-health, emotional breakdowns, and _ nervous disabilities specially characteristic of modern- life in tho caso of growing girls and young women. Thero is an appointed time and -way for building every part of us, and if wo foolishly'try to thwart nature by diverting' the main energy and blood supply into wrong channels, sho may appear to givo in and let tho strenuously competing schoolgirl have her own way with impunity; but mi incvitablo penalty will havo to bo paid later on. The girl having grown to womanhood, will desiro something lieyond accomplishments or tho power to memorise, calculate, and pass examinations; but natuxo is inexorable and is apt to reply: "You should liavo thought of theso things sooner; you have allowed the appointed time and season to slip by. I will still do my best; but it is too late now to make you all that you might have been as a woman and a mother."

NOT NATURE'S FAULT. The young mother tends to'echo hor parents' complaints against heredity, civilisation, and even naturo herself, for disabilities which havo been brought about- through noglcct of tho simple laws of life. It is futile to rail against nature. Milton says aptly: "Accuso not nature she hath deuo her part; Do thou but thine." Socioty and parents aro mainly responsible for tho ovils wo are trying to combat. However, our object is not to apportion blamo, but merely to forewarn the rising generation of women against pitfalls into which many of their own mothers unwittingly fell. Surely women can bo brought to grasp tho fact that, naturo ordains tho way, and that they and' their children must oither follow' as near as may b'a in her courso or doom themselves and posterity to pay a further, penalty in ill-health and degenrncy.