INFANT BRAINS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3142, 21 July 1917, Page 8

INFANT BRAINS

Sir,—Where are the doctors of Wei-* lington and the PUiuket nurses? Very much is made in these days of the necessity of making tho children of the Dominion strong and healthy. They must havo eyes and teeth seen to and have special medical officers set apart fo look after then. But every now and again one sees accounts in tho papers of displays of dancing by children from throe years old and upwards—displays taking pine© generally in the evening, when the little ones should be in bed. Can any treatment for such littlo ones ba worse than that? Not only is there tho strain and excitement of the public evening, but also the lengthy preparation for it. «off we seo two public functions proposed for these little children, and I see no protest from doctors, nurses, or even mothers. Of course I shall be dubbed old-fashioned and absolutely out of date, but I am sure I am right. The brains of littlo children ought not to be subjected to the excitement of such evening entertainments. I think any women who are real mothers would carefully shield their littlo ones from such excitement. Mothers who lived long ago, as mine did. were, I am sure, more real mothers than most of those of t'ie present day. Here a good deal might be said about home life and what it should be. One dance I see is for children under 16—to this should be added and over 15. Has this unnatural excitement under which 60 many children now suffer anything to do with infantile paralysis anil meningitis? Is not this method o£ getting money forithe soldiers who are fi"htin" for us worse than queen carnivals. Taffies, and other gambling methods?—l am, etc., CHAS. P. POWLES. Wellington, July 19, 1917.