OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 187, 27 April 1918, Page 5

OUR BABIES

fBY HYGIIA.I Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It it. wiser to put un a fence at ll) e top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." BEAUTIFUL BABIES. The following article was written by Dr. Trul.y King and was published in Ohristcliurch last June. As it, ouclit to Interest all parents with youne bates \vu arc printing it in this column. What Becomes of tho Beautiful liabieß? Many years ago Professor I'atricl; Geddes, the iireat biologist and humanitarian, and joint author of our most noted book on sex, paused to ask muisclt this question—What becomes of all the beautiful babies? He had steeped lnmsell in a profound study of the orifins and destinies of and baby-animais, but what struck him as the niont extraordinary and disappointing of the mysteries was the failure of the little human beings all around him to come up to the splendid possibilities with which they luailv all seemed to start. As he wandered along the streeU or byways of cities, or even in tee open country, he found himself confronted everywhere with the same thine —boys and girls, meu and women, young and old had fallen infinitely short of what they might hnve been. This was perhaps 20 yearri but can the most rptimistic of us say that matters are now appreciably better than they were then, or that we have paid one particle of heed to the clear-siirhted and eommon-seuse warnings of men such as Herbert Spencer and Geddes? Could anything be more amazingly significant or prophetic than the following passage lroni ilerbert Spencer? Physical Fitness, "To be a nation' of 'good animals', is the first condition to national prnnuerity. iNot only is it that the event- of a war often turns on the strength and hardiness of soldiers, but it is that the contesls of commerce are in purt determined bv the bodily endurance of producers. Thus far we have found no .eason to fear trials of strength with'otlier races in either of these helds. But there are not wauting signs,that our powers will presently be taxed to the uttermost." And this was written half a century before George V became king! Going along our own streets to-day. what is if that strikeß us, if we trouble to observe and think whether wo are doing justice to our race? As the crowd passes up and down the street before us how many youths or adults of cither sei could we pick out who would compare favourably, as samples of human perfection, with the beautiful babies who arc so comparatively common. The vast majority are out of the running altogether. This failure to develop and grow up according to early promise causes no surprise or protest—we have got out. of the way of expecting tho average man or woman to have the shapely feet, good limbs, broad hips, deep chest, square shoulders, good muscles, graceful, easy/carriage, and aspect of radiant health and perfection which would be the i revalent'type if man took as much trouble! about'the rearing and care of his own species aB ho does about the rearing of cattle and hoiws. Deformed and crippled feet, spindley calves, indifferent bodies, shallow chests, round shoulders, and slouching gait characterise the majority. Tho Elect Pew. Even among the elect few, where can we find the individual who, however well he may look, would be fairly entitled to 75 per cent, of marks as nn ideal specimen of manhood or womanhood, if the Ave following points were given the place they ought to. have in standards of reasonable attainable bodily perfection:— 1. Well-developed jaws and sound good teeth. 2. Fully-developed nose and throat, free from all restrictions or obstruc tions. 3. Fully-developed chest with ample breathing capacity. 4. Sound digestive organß and free' dom from indigestion. . 6. Shapely, well-developed calves and feet, frco from distortions and deformities, Our shortcomings aro obvious even to , the casual observer, yet for the most part people regard the present state of matters ub normal. There is no general urotest itgainst human unfitness. So long as libople can manage to struggle through their daily work with the help of occasional patchings-up by the doctor and the dentist, it does not recur to them that any higher standard than this is to be ex- [ pected. Yet it is quite safe to say that, with very few exceptions indeed, the great majority of those who drag along with indifferent health and who hardly ever feel perfectly wejl, strong and fit, could have grown up. excellent specimens of humanity had they been properly and sensibly reared. For the most >art men and women flo not Buffer from inevitable ill-health or unfitness, but from the results of a few easily avoidable daily transgressions of the laws of life, The main cause oi modern bodily unfitness and inefficiency lies with our women, and is due not to indifference on their part, but to lack of necessary knowledge and consequent failure to put in practice the law 6 of healthy living as regards themsehes and their offspring. CORRESPONDENCE. "Parent," Topotunoa.—We regret that we cannot answer any letter unless the name and address of the fender is given. - ' ,1 ■ 'iCis;