WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 145, 6 November 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen.") ON PAMPERING CHILDREN SOME. TERSE COMMENTS. All imaginable sweets, moving pictures, and other delights come in profusion to the latter-day child. This spectacle of the over-indulgence of children has moved Miss E. Murray to give some frank-opinions to the Normal Correspondent, an educational periodical published in London. 1 "Fifty years 1 ago," this critic states, "the general treatment of children was harsh and severe. Any attempt at precocity or individuality was promptly checked and suppressed b)' parents anil teachers chiefly. Then came a great reaction, through the clever writings of ■Charles Dickens. With his inimitable power of pathos, .feeling and sympathy, lis 'began a battle against harshness, cruelty and suffering which the child of the workhouse endured at the handu of ignorant and hard-hearted officials. ! No writer, living or dead, ever did grander work on behalf of children, whether one of the, poorest in the land, "asking for more," or the middle-class t lad, beaten and cowed by a brutal stepfather. And 110 battle has been more' completely won. In our English enthusiasm of righting the wrong, how- ■ ever, it is debatable whether we are not, at the present day, over-stepping the j bounds of common-sense and moderation. Amongst the children of the poor, the tendency to over-indulgence on the part of the press, parent and generous-heart-ed patrons—mostly ladies—is in danger of becoming a menace to the future of ( the rising generation. 1 "Nowadays, poor and rich children are specially catered for; in the latter case, special "at homes" and matinees at London theatres being arranged for them, while the former are entertained, three or four evenings each week, with play 1 clubs, happy evenings, kinematographs, bands of hope, etc. At most of these gatherings, something over and above the entertainments is given; prizes for attendance, reciting, singing, etc., an excursion in the summer, and a festival at Christmas. And all entirely free. "Consequently, there Is being inculcated, slowly but surely, ths idea that all this loving self-sacrifice of time and money on the part of the generous promoters 6f these pleasant evenings, is the children's "right," and it is in that spirit that thousands of school prizes are accepted by the scholars. Springing from this excess of kindness, come the silly idtea of no corporal punishment, fee discipline (if such a thing can be) and the absurdity that infants should be ceaselessly amused and never made to sit gtill. "The result of all this will eventually • produce a general lack of suppression of temper and will 1 .- Our boys and girls will lose all power of application to anything disagreeable or irksome. Only what is amusing and congenial will receive attention, which, in the end, will prove sadly detrimental to that stabiity of character and will for which Englishmen are so noted. "Children- who; at 14 or 15, will have to stand the strain and stress of earning -a livelihood, should be taught the lessons of restraint, patience, and perseverance, and taught them early, too. It is false kindness to amuse children all through their childhood, when at the end of it ' they will have the difficulties and temptations of youth to overcome and stand against, alone. It is very doubtful whether the children of the present day are truly, benefiting by all these earnest efforts to promote their happiness, and secure for them freedom from punishment. Indeed, there are evidences that, ; with many, harm, and not good, is the result." .MEDICAL WOMEN It is stated that there are now 175 . qualified medical women in Germany. Particulars as to 125 of them (says the . British Mtedical Journal) have been collected by FrauDr. Stelzner. The results of her enquiry show that of that num- : ber 78 are 'unmarried, and 47 married ; (including five widows). Of the married , women 34 have given up practice; two of them, however, who are wives of doc- ■ tors, assist and act for their husbands, i Considerably more than half the num- | ber are married to doctors. Two began their studies after marriage. The women who. practise are distributed in the cities of Germany as follows: Berlin 30, ; Munich 7, Frankfort-on-the-Main 5, Hamburg 3, Dusseldorf, Breslau, Kai'lsruhe, Heidelberg and Bad Elster, each 2, while a number of other places have : one each. Most of these women doctors practise as specialists, especially in diseases of women and children. During the last few years the chances of medical women have. steadily become more favorable in Germany. They often secure posts'in hospitals, institutes and asylums. Those ..entering the profession may! it is said, count with fair certainty that they ivill be able to earn sufficient income within a year or two of qualification. STATUS OF ORIENTAL WOMEN Writing of the improvement of the status of Oriental women, Saint Nilial Singh, in the Edinburgh Review, quotes by way of contrast son\e old maxims, as for example: —-The Japanese says, "Though a woman has borne you seven children, do not trust her"; and "A woman's tongue is only three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high." The Chinaman declares: "Eighteen goddesslike daughters are not equal to son with a limp"; and "A young wife should be in her house but a shadow of air echo." The Indian remarks: "A woman's sense ■always lies at the back of her neck (or lieolj"—i e., she is wise when it is too late; and "He is a downright fool who acts according to his wife's advice." The Turk contemptuously exclaims: "Woman's hair is long, but her wit is short"; shows his lack of confidence in her integrity by declaring "The log is faithful, woman never"; and expresses his opinion in regard to the propriety of females taking an interest in anything beyond pots and pans by saying, "With her hands full of dough she is mixed up with (interferes with) the business of a man. EUGENICS iSpeaking in Sydney recently on the subject of "Eugenics," Dr. Arthur said that the most efficient and profitable way of expending the sum of £600,000 ■proposed in Mr. Fisher's "baby 'bonus" scheme, was by' the training of the • school girls of the Commonwealth, of 13 years of age and older, in the care of children. If qualified nurses were appointed by the State Governments to specially train school girls on this important subject, he said, it would imprint upon their minds scientific knowledge which would stand them in good stead, in their later ilfe. Then there could be "cheches" established, also_ in j the care of capable nurses, and the girls could receive instruction to enable them I to carry out the duties. Possibly if some of this money were spent in eugenics in Australia," said the speakei, "it would have a very good effect; and a sum -could also be set apart for preventing the unfitted from settling in Australia and other lands. There is a large of diseased persons landing here e'verv week. This prevention alone would ao more good than the ■baby bonus' would do."