OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 69, 16 December 1918, Page 3

OUR BABIES

IB* HIGEIA.I

Published under the auspices of tho Royal Now Zealand Society lor tho Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fenco at tho top of a precipice than to maintain »n . ambulance at the bottom." CHILD-WELFARE CONFERENCE. Tho report of tho proceedings of tho Second South African Annual Conference on Child Welfare is just to hand. Tho conference was held in Johannesburg, and Lady Buxton, wife of the Governor-Gen-eral, presided. This week I purposo extracting from tho report a paragraph from the editorial noto by Mrs. Anna M'Murray, the organising secretary, and- also some portions of Lady Buxton's presidential address. EDITORIAL NOTE. Tho crisis through which tho world is passing. mußt bring homo to every community the supreme importance of safeguarding child-life, of preventing the appalling wastage which is tho result of the present neglect, and of Bccuring to the children of to-day the fullest opportunity for the healthy development of all their faculties. A nation's strength chiefly consists of tho mental and bodily strength of its citizens. Without > men physically fit to fight its battles a nation must be content to be left behind, to bo subservient to greater and more powerful neighbours. At the present time the best manhood of the world is being destroyed, hundreds of thousands of men in the flush of youth, in the prime of life, have gone for ever; whilst hundreds of thousands more are being maimed, blinded, turned J nto physical wrecks. Concurrently, the birth-rate is lower than ever before. It is, therefore, more than ever essential to savo those babies who aro born and to ensure happy, healthy citizens to carry on in the future.

LADT'BTJXTON'S ADDKESS. I am very glad, as president of this conference, to welcome you all here, and see such a large attendance. It augurs well for our success that bo much interest should be taken in our proceedinge. Owing to my abßcnco in Eugland I was not able to attend tho oonierence, held last year in Cape Town, so I am particularly glad to be here for this one and to preside over.it. The conference at Cape Town was the first of its kind'ever held in South Africa, and it .marked a new era in tho child-welfare campaign, for it concentrated public attention on the subject for nearly a week, and brought into close touch people interested fn the question— which' must have meant a great deal of mutual Btimulus and cucouragement. . . .

Up to a very few years ago no public interest, or very little, was taken in the subject of child welfare, and infant consultation bureaux and schools for mothers -were considered to be the unpractical and uninteresting fads of ft few crankß. Now this point of view haß all mercifully altered, and few subjects appeal moro to public interest. Tho welfare'of children makes an appeal on every ground, but the two principal claims it has are to humanity arid to patriotism—to humanity because of the unnecessary and avoidable suffering which many children endure from ill-health, neglect, and cruelty, and. to patriotism, because all the strength and hope of a country lie in its children. Within the last 30 years the methodß adopted in the education and unbringing of children have completely altered, ana, I venture to think, for tho better. In old days, to quote an amusing writer, it was taken for granted that a child would do most things wrong because he was a child, and childhood was an' age of sin and danger. Those who, like myself, have had the privilege of being brought up on Mrß. Sherwood's immortal work "The Fairchild Family," will remember that when the children told lies they were taken by their father to see a- murderer hanging in chains of a gibbet—as a warning of what they would come to if they continued to tell untruths; and I have no doubt that this was a real incident. We read, with horror about Buch things to-day, and about the employment in old days of young children in mines and factories, and we cannot understand that the public then.saw no harm or cruelty in such employment, but took it as a matter of course, and even believed that the prosperity of a country largely defended on a Biipply of cheap child labour. It is amazing to us nowadays to read of the old-fashioned treatment of children, and to realise that the -kindest and most affectionate parents were firm believers in the virtues of severe punishments, unattractive and insufficient food, long, dull leßsoiiß, dark bedrooms, ugly clothes, 'and repressive sayings, such as "Children must be seen and not heard," and "Those that ask shall not have, and thoso that do not a6k do not want." I hope and believe that all this is now a thing 1 of the past. But the change in the'-treatment of children\ came very slowlyj and was accompanied by-warnings that a luxurious and self-indulgent 'gen oration were growing up who would be unworthy of their hardy ancestors and of their traditions. If any of these croak,ers still exist they will have seen with what magnificent courage and endurance the luxurious .and self-indulgent generation have endured', the incredible strain and privations and horrors of war. I have never agreed to the point of view of those who believe that artificiallyimposed hardships are a necessary part of a child's education. Surely, as life goes on, it ib full enough of real hardships, arid the sensible mothod ought to bo to bring children up with all possible kind, ness and gentleness, and by tho right training of their bodies, minds, and spirits to teach them to endure hardness when it comes. The more indulgent treatment of children was really the beginning of an interest in child welfare, which , has grown to what we see it is to-day. This interest was first, displayed in increased kindness and consideration, then in improved education, and-now to-day in care for their health aud physical wellbeing. Toluntary effort led the way. especially in education and health. It is a curious and interesting fact that in the history of public health measures to protect tho lives and welfare. of children were the last to find a place. But that is now all changed, and everyone interested In child welfare will gratefully acknowledge tho helpful co-operation of tho Government and of the municipal author-', ities, and will look forward with confidence to" further favours to come. I. am told that there are two objections which are holding back child-welfare work in Bome places in this country. One objection iB that the existence of infant Consultation bureaux, to which mothers can bring their babies for advice and treatment, are an encouragement to illegitimacy. The other objection is that child-welfare work, is not war work, and therefore unsuitable at this time. To- the first objection I would answer that every effort to make a child healthy and strong is a direct encouragement to morality, for if the child grows up weak ,'and sickly, what chance has it rising above its bad environments? I appeal to eyoryone to strongly combat this objection whenever they hear of it. The influence of an infant consultation bureau can do nothing but good to a mother who comes there for help and advice, and from all I know of these organisations I am • quite certain that the kindneßa and Bympathy of the nurses and health visitors have dono.la great doll to keep the unmarried mother from sinking lower still. To the other objection, that ohild-wel-fare work is not war work, the answer is that in these days a very good alternative name for child-welfare work would be "life-saving in war time." .1 hope this second conference will bring about an ever-increasing interest in this very important work, and that it will bo tho means of a* fresh infiißion of now ideas and inspiration,' which the members present will take away with them to all partß of this new country. Sinco the war began we are all conscious of the great power of ideas and of an increased intensity of feoling about all things in life that really matter. The question of child-welfare—and a child is a child in the eyo of the law until it is lb—is ever-present in the mind of the country to-day, and tho Bubject needs all the, brains and talent in tho land, for on it reßts our future, the responsibility for tho South Africa that la to bo. Early in the war an Italian statesman said: "He who cannot give his arm to the service of the nation, must give his mind and his heart." We here to-dav cannot give our arms to the war, hut ■wo can give our,hearts, our minds, and our wills to the oauso of tho children of South Africa.