OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 17 July 1915, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

fBT HYGEIA.I "

Pttbliihed". under the auspices of the society lor the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at tie bottom." NATIONAL IMPORTANCE OF THE TEACHING OF MOTHERCRAFT. (Addressiby the Rev. R. S. Gray, concluded.) 'OUR FORTY PER CENT. OF' REJECTS. There are authorities who do not hesitate to attribute our 40 per cent, of rejects among the young men/applying for army service mainly to defective nursing and lack of proper care in infancy. Our averago standard. ' of health is shown to.be most-unsatisfac-tory; and the authorities are agreed that the only children who have a, fair chance of perfect health are those fed naturally and mothered intelligently. Tho fact that'two out of five of our young men volunteering for. army; service prove unfit is alarming; vi'for it means that we might have had a representation of almost as many men again as wo now have. And if the same proportion applies all over the Empire, it is surely time that the nation was awake to its vital importance.—(Applause.) -•••. ■ I submit that the facts which I have adduced, and tho results achieved by the Society for the Health of Women and Children, demonstrate "the national importance of the teaching cf mothercraft." ' How is the Teaching of Motheroraft to be Brought About? First, the State jtself: should recognise even more generously the work of fcho Society. Thero is a great deal to be said for tho position that the n'ork should bo undertaken, wholly by the State. That is clearly one of the chief functions of an ideal State. • I. recognise; however, that there are great difficulties in'the way, and that the work can -be done much more ; effectively iii the meantime by such a .society as this. It is not, however, too much to.ask that larger Government grants to the society be made in order that there may be no

portion of the whole Dominion in which mothers _ may' not avail themselves of the services of the Plunket nurses. (Applause.)

The action of the Government in endeavouring to place .in the hands of every mother Dr. Truby King's.invaluable Handbook for Mothers was a step in the right direction, but the society 6hould be freed from all financial anxiety, and more clearly recognised as, practically,, a department of the State's necessary "activities. • . Education of Oirls in Mothercraft. Secondly, there is urgent need of proper education of our girls in this matter. There should 'be classes in.,, .our,, girls' schools and colleges.' Tliis has" been done in some few. ; It should be universalised. In,some parts of.America "Little Mothers' Leagues";, have been formed, in which girls are instructed in the care of children. • \ " Thirdly, there should be a determined 'and persistent attempt to alter the em-, phasis in the matter of' the education : of girls. There should be more-'-dis-' crimination.of sex. -,The Almighty has discriminated, and to ignore the clear facts written' -'n the very constitution of every girl and to treat her in. the-years' of her adolescence as though she differ-' ed little from the other sex is to deny the basal law of her being. As one; writer has said: "We are not furnished in our public schools with adequate womanly' ideals in history or literature, and there is a danger of bur having a female sex without a female character. The new love of freedom which women have 'lately felt inclines girls to abandon the home' for the office." This matter is vital to the State. Its future depends upon its motherhood, and as far. as possible it . must train its, girls in an atmosphere which will glorify motherhood and make it tha legitimate object of every girl's life. Present Provision for Education In Everything but Motiiorcraft. . There must be'no conflict between intellectuality and motherhood. And we must also destroy t-ho conception that independence is the chief end 'of a woman's' education, and provide for motherhood., A girl may be taught without cost almost anything else by the

bountiful provision of the State. She may become a dressmaker or a typists or a bookkeeper. She may-take advan- ' tage of the numerous facilities • which exist for training her, in any other work in life; but for her; chief ■ work—tlio work for which tlie Almighty, made'her —she must drift-into it without pre-, - paration, and trust to Providence.

Our Bodies the Temples of the ■/. Almigthy. If it. should be suggested that I am' placing all the emphasis ,on what/differs little from tlie breeding of the ani-. *.mal,~tlie..reply. is .obvious/' Tile appeal is ;made to that wliicli is deepest 111 the 'human sou Mo-sincerity,'. and simplicity and sacrifice, < the response to' .is tlio only sure method by which' true character can be builded. lii ihe matter of real sainthood, the Almighty has placed no premium ■ on. ill-health—as-cetics and physical weaklings to the contrary, notwithstanding. The human 'body was intended to be. tlio templeof the Highest. . If;is obligation ;to prepare it to perfection.

The Rights of Mother aridt Child. I In conclusion, I .ple»d for the same equality of opportunity for the child which we are coming to recognise as the , right of .the .adult.. The State has obligations to; the baby no .less than to the jgrown man-. ';Let' "us pla.rand work'to •hasten* the day when we may he'able to 'remove, reproach', which rests on us,;and when every child born.in our inidst will be given his inalienable birthright —the chance to he born well, to live, and to, grow up strong and healthy. Motherhood was'glorified for all time by the Immortal Son of .God,_ and it is the, work of all lovers of their fellows to ' attempt by all means in their power to replace the halo of glory which has been in some'measure removed. (Ap>" plauso.)