Feminine Interests

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 598, 26 February 1929, Page 5

Feminine Interests

OUR BABIES By Hygeia. Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” WILL HE WEAR WELL? There are times one is thankful that one is of solid British stock; there are others when one could shake one’s conservative, unimaginative, unconvincible neighbour! Despite all that has been written and spoken and demonstrated on the subject, an immigrant from the Old Country—from the Southern Counties, where life flows quietly along, remote and fixed—said to a Plunket nurse after a health campaign lecture: — “Well, it was very interesting, but 1 know my sister’s baby was reared on whole cow’s milk, and she is a fat, beautiful little girl. Why, she took the prize at the baby-welfare show!” “Why was she weaned?” asked “Oh, her mother’s milk was poisoning her; such a pity, because she is a big woman and had plenty of milk; but the baby screamed and was in great pain and drew up her legs, and her motions were awful —green!” Note by “Hygeia.”—The same old story—a baby weaned because her mother’s milk was evidently superabundant in the early days. Too much too often usually results in indigestion, followed by green motions. The question also arises as to the condition of the mother’s nipples. Possibly they were soft, inelastic and spongy, and the baby sucked so quickly that she got colic. The same thing would have happened on the best artificial milk if the hole in the teat were too large and the baby were allowed to gobble. A Prize Baby The Plunket nurse explained the above possibilities to this woman, but she scouted them—the baby niece had taken a prize at one of the Bnglish baby shows; could there be more conclusive evidence of her perfect physique? Nurse tried again, not to frighten the aunt about the present

child, but to ensure if possible that future nieces and nephew's would not be defrauded of their birthright even if they lived in Bngland. It is not just what the baby looks and appar-

ently is now which alone matters, but what he should be at 40 or 50 years of age and after. The question is: Will he wear? The answer is, Certainly not, if the body is not properly built or one portion is overstrained. The laws of health are like building laws; the foundations must be sure and the material of the best, together with good workmanship (in the child's case, good mothering). Analogies The same applies to such homely arts as dressmaking, etc. Buy cheap serge and cut out the finest pattern, the result is disastrous. The style is charming, the dress looks well, fits well, a lot of time has bewi expended on the making and trimming, but will it wear well? No! Because the right material was not used in the first instance, and appearances are often deceptive* Take another example. A man thinks he has made a good investment; taken shares in a gold mine, and on tht* strength of this launches out, uses up all the savings he has collected, quite secure in his belief in the soundness of his investment, because the prospectus “looked well,” and what is the result of such blind credulity? In nine cases out of ten —ruin! Wrong Feeding The child which is fed on whole cow’s milk, raw, boiled, condensed, or dried, may possibly tolerate it—certainly will do so more easily if it has been boiled or super-heated. That is where so many mothers (and not mothers alone) are deluded into using patent foods and over-heated condensed and dried milks, because the child seems to digest them—because he, keeps them down, in other words. For the child’s sake, it is safer when he brings them, up! “But surely,” argued our friend, “if the food stays down and the baby grows, all must be right?” Not so, the building may rise on cheap material and poor workmanship; the dress be put together to look like a 20-guina article in the window; but will they wear? No. Overtaxing the Growing Kidneys The tiny kidneys of the growing child are being seriously overtaxed all the time by being called on to get rid of three times the amount of fleshforming material if whole cow’s milk is given, because it was intended for the calf, which grows three times Ifs quickly as the baby. *ls it wise to work an engine to the extreme limit of its powers? No! Do captains run their steamships up to the maximum or keep a reserve? Do wise people keep a bank balance for a rainy day (which may never come)? Yes. Then why tax the infant’s kidneys up to or beyond their limit? What about the rainy day? What balance is left if the child takes scarlet fever? which so often followed by Bright’s disease. Why do so many comparatively young and middle-aged people suffer, and often die, from kidney disease? Possibly because they used the kidneys, or rather misused them, overtaxed them, to get rid of products unnecessary to the body—poisonous if left in it, and which used up, wasted the kidneys’ reserve of strength to gel rid of. AIJ is not gold that glitters! Ask yourself before you depart from nature and the food she provides, “If I do so will he wear well?”

WORKING FOR PEACE INFLUENCE OF WOMEN CAMPAIGN IN CANADA An interesting phase of the activity of women’s organisations in Canada and the United States was mentioned

Coarse black silk lace is used for the flounced skirt, the yoke and long fitting sleeves of this pretty model, the remainder being in soft black satin—a useful toilette for numerous afternoon and evening occasions.

last evening by Dr. Mildred Staley in I an address to the National Council of 1 Women. Dr. Staley said that in both countries an effort was made toward constructive work fo rpeace. In Canada one week was set aside for peace work, and something was done in every city and village. All sections of the community, secular and religious, participated, and careful preparation made the campaign successful.

CHATS ON COLOUR SILVER OR CERISE? By LYDIA LIDSTOXB More and more colour is becoming important to us. It is thought that colours have certain vital forces and powers, and modern science applies the colour cure to certain diseases. There is a language of colour of great antiquity. Red is the symbol of vigour, action and enthusiasm - the life-colour. Healers use it as a stimulant and tonic. The rod ruby Is said by the Chinese to give long life and - appiness. The Persians think the glowing garnet confers lasting health on its owner. Red is also the symbol of war and, therefore, of suffering and sacrifice. It expresses also the ardours of love, and intensity of emotion. The red rose is the symbol of love. SYMBOL OF TRUTH Blue has ever stood for Truth in colour language; "true-blue" we say. Blue is the colour of devotion in the sense of striving after Eternal Truth. The Egyptian judges wore a breastplate of blue, as a sign that they stood for truth in their judgments It always denotes beautiful and spiritual things.

The "Blue-bird.” in Maeterlinck’s famous play, was the quest of ideal love and happiness. Buddhists say the sapphire produces peace and tranquility.

Colour-healers use blue to induce a calming influence, and tell us that we ought to have our ceilings painted blue, like the sky. Those exquisite jewels, the turquoise and lapis-lazuli, are constantly referred to in ancient writing, as symbols of eternal truth aud beauty. Buddha had a vision of the "Fields of Lapis Lazuli" where dwelt all the pure spirits who were the souls of. Truth.

White, which is really the sum of the seven colours of the rainbow, is greatly used in the ancient language of colour imagery. It symbolises purity, unity and the joys of spiritual victory and attainment. WHITE SOSES AND LILIES Dante saw the forms of the Blessed in Paradise, in the form of a white rose:— “In the form then of a white rose, Displayed itself to me the heavenly host.” The lily Is the emblem of purity—a bride wears white. In ancient legends, the victor in all spiritual conquests always rode a white horse. Silver has the same significance as white. It is the colour of the moon, which radiates purity and light, and Diana, the Goddess of’chastity, is the Moon-goddess. The ancient Welsh Druids wore white robes, after their twenty years’ training, symbolising victory after lengthy years of struggle in spiritual attainments. Brahma was said to have his being in the heart of a silver rose, which meant the heart of all the fragrance, sweetness, beauty and joy of God. So you see how the same idea runs through it all, and very fascinating Is it to trace the symbolism of colourlanguage when reading poetry and old legends.