OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 79, 28 December 1918, Page 10

OUR BABIES

IB* HicntA.l

Published undor tho auspicoa of tho Royal New Zoafftnd Society for tho Health of Women and Ohildron. "It is wiser to put up a fence at tho top of a preciploo than to maintain an ambulance at tbo bottom." MOTIIEROIUFT. Laet week wo made some oxtrncts from nn address on "Ifothercraft" by Dr. Lilian Itobiiifion, which was read at a Child Welfare Conference hold iu Johannesburg. South Africa. Thin week wo shall continue the extracts. Dlt, LILIAN KOBINSON'S ADDRESS (Continued.) Ignorance. Tho first difficulty in our path—that of ignorance—has this element, of hopelessness about it; wo can inform and instruct those who are to be the mothers and fathers of tho future. Those of us who havo worked through weary years in the cause of child welfare have again and again insisted upon tho importance of the teaching of motnercraft and practical hygiene in every school throughout the land. Such teaching is now clvon in many schools both in Great Britain and tho United States, and many societies of "little mothers" havo been started, where tho eldor girl of a needy family is taught tho care of her llttlo brothers and eietors, for whom she so oarly becomes reeponsiblo in many a working-class homo So far little or nothing has boon done in South Africa to fit a girl for tho responsibilities of motherhood or the caro of children. Our young teachors, after an elaborato curriculum, are sent to their pouts lacking tho commonest knowledge of how to provent the spread of infection through their schools, how to detect shorteightednCße or deafness in their pupils, or how to -recognise any departure from tho normal mental standard. Such ignorance must bo combated during tho ordinary educational course, and training college curriculum, as much for tho teacher's sako ne for that of her pupils. We slinll not go far wrong if wo consider every girl who passes through our schools and training colleges as a potential mother and home-builder. In tho same way boys should bo instructed in the laws of health, and both boys and girls should be niado to realise that tho caro of their own health and of that of the younger members of the family is ono of the highest forms of patriotism. "Your King and oountry need you strong and clean-mind-ed and loynl" might well be a motto of our schools to-day. The task of supplying knowledge to those who havo already undertaken the burden of family life ia another side of niotheroraft. Baby clinics and mothers' welcomes seem, on the whole, the beat means of meeting this need. Not only mothers, but expectant mothers, are received and helped at these mothers' welcomes. Many a young married woman obtains her first insight into the art of home-making whon. in. company with others of her standing, she trice her urentico hand ou tho cutting out and sewing of-little giirmeiite, or the preparation of u simple meal, • and- learua something of the oloments bf home nuraing and the care of a Bick baby. . These schools for mothers are rapidly multiplying , throughout America and the. United Kingdom, and thore aro few bettor ways of combating the ignorance * which ■ie one of tho prime factors of high infantile mortality, t ,■

After describing the work done at the infant consultation bureaux in South Africa, Br. Hobiiison aaya:— "A further development of our work was undertaken at the beginning of this year ,by tho appointment of a epecial sick nurso for the throo hottest months, to follow up every caso of infantile diarrhoea, to ita own homo, and keep it under observation until • convalescence was established. . . . The importance of this 'following up' of-Bick and needy babies cannot be too strongly insisted upon. . . . The' suggestion has been mado that this' work could bo combined with other branches of district numing or sanitary inspection. It ia my firm conviction, however, that such a plan will never bo satisfactory. Babies cannot bo 'fitted in' to any schemo of work which is not primarily undertaken for their -exclusive benefit. Our greatest infant mortality occurs in the homes of foster-mothers, and thoEe.in which tho mother soea out to work by day, and leaves the baby to tho care of an older child or an ignorant or careless neighbour. If theße cases were under constant supervision by a trained nurse, working in close connection with the consultation bureau, tho evils of underfeeding, neglect, or illness would bo diecovered at the outset, and many a little life, now sacrificed to the iunoranco, greed, or indifference of the caretaker, could he eaved to the community. lam anxious to aeo this branch of our baby-saving work develop on tho lines of that of the Plunket nurses of New Zealand. The many hours apent each week by our municipal nurses in registering details of tho deaths of babies would, in my opinion, be of much greater use to tho community if spent in timely visits to the eame houses while the babies arc still alive. . . . The building up of the race is' an essential form of war work, and it deeervee the support of the whole community. Wo can only counter tho innoranco of the 'don't knows' by spreading the knowledge which will bnablo them, to build their homes on a suro and stable foundation, and ho destroy one of the lions which bar the way to the pathway of life, Indifference. "The second lion in our path will still remain, however—that of indifference—and this, too, must be combated with all the resources in our powers if we are to preserve the homes in which the future of our nation is, cradled. Amomtst the most serious menaces, to infant life are those of alcoholism and venereal disease in ono or other parent. Wo have tended in tho past to stloss over the effect of the first upon tho offspring, and to conceal as far as possible the occurrence of the eecond. The time for. lies and subterfuge is rapidly passing, howoher, and we are no longer afraid of declaring that, as a nan liven, so.will tho cliiWron begotten of him either benefit or Buffer. ... We nre often reminded ,by a,, .certain typo of politician that people cannot be made cithor mornl or sober by Act of Parliament. Thin is one of the most ■ mischievous axioms ever invented, n.nd has-been responsible for the retention of many old and bad lo.wb which should long ago have beon rerdaced by better opos. . . . The moral health of a community can be as < certainly improved by wiso laws as its nhysioal health. . . "In bringing my paper to a close I feel I have, after all, only touched tho fringe of my subject. Mothcrcraft is a matter of Buch far-rcacliinu influence that it is impossible to. more than indicate the linee on which it may bo dovclopcd. Wo aro working for the regeneration of society, for a national rebirth, when the handicap of diseased and poisoned offspring will no longer bo tolerated by' an enlightened community. -We are working to repair tho waeto of war. and the waste of the oldi callous days of peace. Jtothercraft stands for the conservation of child-llfn and the destruction of all that is inimlcablo to its fullest and highest development." . .

"The four brothers Tnit," says a "Bulletin" contributor, "havo industriously climbed into rivalry of the formidable Tallis, Ward, Meynell, and Wenman combine. " Charles led the way as an omployoo ' at' Allan's music warehouse, where ho gained the confidence of visiting showmen as a front manager. The younger brothers took jobs as . ticketsellers. Their rise was precisely similar to that of Musgrove, who commenced selling opera , books. They undertook a long film of,tho Kelly Gang for a picture show which' was very successful- Later, they advanced to great enterprises, with Dolores, Clara Butt, Hambourg, M'Cormack, Bauer, Calve, Lander, and so forth. A big step was leasing the site of the old Presbyterian Assembly Hall, Collins Street, nnd erecting the splendid auditorium. Another enterprise was tho Majestic I'icturo Theatre, Hinders Street. Bailey anil Grant have yielded tho King's Theatre for eminent Taifc stars, such as Guv Bates Post and Polini, That's the trouble—theatres."

The deat/i occurred'a few days agojit Wanganui of the veteran actor, Mr, E. D. Ilaygarth. He was ljorn in Armagh in 1810, and went to Melbourne in 1853 with his parents. Beaching man's dstatc, he went on the stnge, coming to New Zealand in. 1862. Ho subsequently played with Mr. Clarence Holt (Bland's father). He was u .member of the coin, pany which toured India with Mrs. G. li. \\ T . Lewis, in tha 'sixties. Hβ also visited America, and later returned to Australia and New Zealand. On one occasion he toured the Dominion, playing the name part in "Charley's Aunt."