WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 252, 17 October 1908, Page 5

WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

THEIR HEALTH. LECTURE BY DR. TRUBY KING. There was a good attendance at the Theatre Royal last evening to hear I>r. Trilby King deliver his lecture on "The Health of Women and Children.'' with

special reference to dro--. fashions, am cenventions. The audience was eoiu , posed for the most part of members o tlie fair sex. Mr. Fred. licllringer pr" Bided and briefly introduced the speaker Dr. King, who is a most fluent nn< forceful speaker, spoke for two hour? his remarks being followed with ken interest. He remarked that lady I'lun ket had already addressed the Xew I*l v mouth public en the question, but ■ was lii s intention to treat the subjee somewhat differently and to illustrat his remarks with numerous lantcn slides. To some people, he said, it niigh seem that the present state of civilisa tion was such that the establishing o the aotiety with which he was iden'i fled was unnecessary. This was an ei voneous' idea. It was the present con dftion of things that made such a m. ciety absolutely essential to the heall! of women and children. Discussing t'i nurture of children, he pointed out ho. far youngsters artificially nurtured IV short of those brought up iu nature' way. The babies born in the Doiuinnu were more important units of the popu lation 'than all the immigrants, anil tli responsibility devolved upon mothers t see that their children were well n;u tilled and brought up in, a natural an, healthy way. The greatest drawbifi-1 to this desired condition of things wa the want of knowledge. The object o forming the society was to have trainei •arses supplying the' necessary knov; ledge. The great importance of gooi tir, good food, good water, exercise recreation, sleep, rest, cleanliness, etc nag recognised by too few people. Tb< lecturer practically demonstrated ho> ••cessary these things were if childrei were to have good healthy constitution to fit them for the battle of tern slides showing diagrams 01 health; and deformed children were showii Little things in the early life of an in fant that were apparently of little o no importance were often of the great est importance. There was too muel artificial feeding of children, the food used being not nutritious. A number o slides were sWvn of youngsters tha had been, brought to the Home for In fants in Dunetrm pirny little mite that, after proper treatment with i course of humanised milk, left the in stitution in perfect health. It might 1* argued, the Doctor said, that in ai

established home babies had special advantages in the matter of treatment. This should not be. It was the duty of the people of the Dominion to see that in each district mothers could secure all the essential knowledge for the rearing of infants. Of course, there were many mothers who reared their children in the right manner and gave to the country robust and healthy offspring.

The lecturer demonstrated how the fondest of mothers often, in ignorance, reared their children on. lines that were wrong. To these mothers the society would be of great benefit. Nearly aU babies were born healthy, lint wrong methods were allowed to obtain. ,: We have no right to allow this condition of things," remarked: the lecturer.

Dr. King dealt at length with the 'deformities of women, brought about by dress and fashions. One of the greatest deformities of members of the human race was that of deformed feet. lie was quite sure that there was not a person in the audience who hail not deformed feet. Such deformities were principally caused by high heels and pointed toes. The footwear of three hundred years ago was more rational than that of the present day. The lectureT next presented diagrams of the human figure as nature intended at should be, contrasting it with the deformed figures of the present - day woman who restricted her waist bv corsets in order to appear fashionable. It was considered the correct thing f: r a woman to be slender at the waist, and that was termed graceful. Evrv woman should remember that by restricting her waist in corsets the organs of the body were thrust from their natural positions. Muscles were weakened and the women suffered in consequence. Women were too prone to follow the fashion-plates in the matter of figure, but they should bear in mind that fashion-ptatcs were drawn l>y artists and were not photographs of natural figures. (People who persisted in following the fashion-plates were foolish to themselves and inviting trouble and ill-health.

■ Dr. King appealed to those present and others to seek all knowledge ohtamable in the interest of health, lie had heard that fundi would not i,e forthcoming in New Plymouth to have a nurse trained and placed in our midst. Tliis was not so. He himself had obtained promises for £53 and had ouiy interviewed some half-dozen persons. This, with the Government subsidy of £1 for £l, would give a start of Clin. He felt quite sure that New. Vlynioiith would not he behindhand in s» important a matter. The subscription to the proposed society would be only js, and he trusted the membership of the New Plymouth branch would be very large. A meeting would be held on Saturday (this) afternoon, when a committee would be formed and arrangements ?iade for having a nurse sent to and rained at the Infants' Home. At the conclusion of the lecture .1 hearty rote of thanks, proposed by Mr. H. Okey, Jf.TLB., was accorded the lecturer i'or his instructive and able address. The customary compliment to. the chair terminated the proceedings. ; The lantern slides were manipulatad by Messrs. Nixon; and Nixon.