OUR BABIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 96, 25 July 1916, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for 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 the bottom.” PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE. The main plank of the Society’s platfor m has always been that proper attention to the simple measures necessary for the building up and maintenance of health and fitness, especially the health and fitness of women and children., is a matter of far more practical importance and ultimate beneficence than the fighting of disease. The fact is that there would be very little disease or debility in the rising generation if people gave a moderate fraction of the thought and attention to health and prevention of disease that they bestow on providing the means for treating sickness and sufferiug.

As we have insisted over and over again, the debility and sickness of babies is due to mere ignorance and carelessness, rarely to intentional neglect or cruelty. One cannot quote too often the following paragraph, which appeared some years ago in a manifesto, issued by the Society in association with the Public Health Oepa rtraent; — WHY CONVERT ASSETS INTO LIABILITIES ? Hospitals (public and private) are costing us directly about £500,000 (half a million sterling) a year, to say nothing of the enormous loss entailed by chronic debility and the withdrawal of nurses and invalids from spheres of work which would give a return to the country. We want to prevent our normal assets from continuing to be converted through ignorance and neglect into grave liabilities.

Wo are all of us proud of our costly hospitals; but should we not rather have some sense of shame regarding these constantly-increasing evidences of our failure to take to heart the arresting American adage which lias appeared for nearly 10 years at the head of our weekly column; —“It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the ho (tom.” We have just received art interesting Red I loss pamphlet bearing on ‘ I re-

vention v. Cure” from the Hon. Dr. j I. W. Barrett, the well-known humanitarian enthusiast, who lectured on Town-planning, etc., at the recent Intercolonial Medical Congress at Auckland, and subsequently throughout New Zealand. The following clever poem by Joseph Maliiles, with which Dr. Barrett concludes his pamphlet, may bo trusted to further the cause of common sense and prevention where, perhaps, serious prose alone might fail: — FENCE OR AMBULANCE. T was a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed, Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant; But over its terrible edge there had slipped A duke, and full many a peasant. So the people said something would have to be done. But their projects did not at all tally: Some said, “Put a fence ’round the edge of the cliff” ; Some, “an ambulance down in the \ valley.” But the cry for the ambulance carried the day, For it spread through the neighboring city. A fence may bo useful or not, it is true, But each heart became brimful of pity For those who had slipped o’er that dangerous cliff ; And the dwellers in highway and alloy Gave pounds or gave ponce, not to put up a, fence. But an ambulance down in the valley. • • "hen an old sage remarked, “It’s a marvel to me That people give fur more attention. To repairing results than to stopping the cause, When they’d much bettor aim at prevention. Let us stop at its source all this mischief,” cried he, “Come, neighbours and friends, lot us rally! If the cliff we will fence we might almost dispense With the ambulance down in the valley.” “Oh, he’s a fanatic,” the others rejoined, Dispense with the ambulance Never ! He’d dispense with all charities, too, if he could ! No, no! We’ll support them forever ! Aren’t we picking folks up just as fast as they fall ? And shall this man dictate to ns r 1 Shall he ? Why" should people of sense stop to put up a fence While their ambulance works in the valley ?

But a sensible few, who arc practical too, Will not bear with such nonsense much longer • They believe that prevention as better than cure, And their party will soon he the stronger. Encourage them, then, with your purse, voice, and pen, And (while other philanthropists dally) They will scorn all pretence, and put a stout fence On the cliff that hangs over the valley. Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old, For the voice of true wisdom is calling: “To rescue the fallen is good, but ’tis best To prevent other people from falling. Better close up the course of temptation and crime Than deliver from dungeon or galley ; Better put a strong fence ’round the top of the cljff, Than an ambulance down in the valley.” As bearing on the last few lines of the poem, we cannot do better than quote the conclusion of the manifesto previously referred to; — WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE, “Every country has just as many unfortunates, invalids, and criminals as it deserves—no more ! ‘lll-health means unemployableness; unemployabieness means iporbid thought and IVeliiig; and morbid thought and feeling mean loafing, vice, and crime.’ ” Our Best immigrants are the Babies.