, 1874-08-16
CH!LDREN'S RIGHTS VS., PARENTAL Efi-
PlRclSh1.

Ctl!LDREN'S RIGHTS VS., PARENTAL Ell
PlRiclSE1.
To tie Editor Of The Chicago tribune:
| SIZE: Among tho numerous reformatory OF
| gani3ntions which to-day exist in this country
from those aiming at tho social and political ele
walton Of woman, OIL the Que hand, to those, or
tha other, cndoavoriug to ameiorato tho condi-
| ton Of cur domesticated aui1uals, Ikuow Of none
having the laudable, and no less necessary, OBJ
jest OF protecting the lights of children from the
ignorance carc1essucas, or intentional cruelty OF
| their pareuts or guardians. That they are sub
| ject to numerous and grlevous wrongs,
WHICH SHOULD be nEDDEsSED,
! must be apparent to every observing and re-
| tlecting mind.
| Tha press daily entertain the pubio with ac-
counts Of the tiightfu1 effects Of Iaby farming
| iu this aud o.her countries; OF the 1ard9AlpH
eudn,ed by young children working in factories,
mines, etc. OF Tho Ia lamentGble deprayity Of the
unfortunato5 reared III The gutters aud alleys Ut
our large cities; Of tile untold number Of beings
destroyed before birth, who should have been
born in tho image and likeness OF God; aye,
and the numperie1s illegally ushe!ed into ex-
| stence but to be ost1aclred by thei7 fellow
beings fur no fault of thoirs, aud who afterwards,
perhaps in the depth OF sllolr anguish, mag ex-
claim with job, "Let the day perish wherein l
was bo1n" Terrible as aro these Ills, they arc
among the least in tie dire catalogue which arc
continually inflicted Oh mans wenk and defenso-
less Offspring.
Thousands of human beings
YEs, AND M1LIIoNs-
are annually robbed Of their natur11 bi.thriEht:
sound mind IL sound body, aud, IN the same
wholesale mauner, are consigned to premature
grave, through tue iustrumeutality OF parental
ignorance aud tlousltlessuess conceIniug those
laws which preside over the embsyoloslcal de-
velopneut aud tile health and longevity Of OFF,
sprlug. BuI, rs facts speak moro emphatically
and Enthusiastically than ~o1us permit me to ad-
uGce, frGu the rccord3 OF tnlb city and else
where, subsrantiato,y evidence which must con-
vince the most skeltical, aud, perhaps, astouud
not few.
Without alludlns to idiocy, imbeci]ity, and
rredisposition 10 disease, insanity, crime. aui
other imperfections III chlldten,-wAicn, ju
gieat measure, are the direct results Vi parental
empuicism,-l shall conhne myself 10 the
FH1GuTFUL MORTALITY OF CHILDREN
Il. Floureus, celebrated Flench savaut, esti-
duration OF human LIE is 100 years: ret, ouly
one person in II, 000 attalns that age. willie so
per cent die previously to their 5th year, aud
less than half Of those born live quarter Of q
contury. III citles tue death-rate is even greater
than tuis. Thus, in Chicago. during the three
months ending With june last, the total
mortality vas 1881, Of which $40, or COIL
siderably MIRO than onc-half, were Under
yeais Of sgo! And tL1s without in
GLIDING 8 large humber Of premature and still
seven ears preceding 1870, the mortality vas
103, 7S5, of which 1850 Heie under Is, ard
1922 less than yeazs OF age.
According to the UNANIMOUS testimony Of med
lcal writer's, this appalling mortality is due
chiefy to tho want of knowledge on part Of
para1lts concerning correct principles Of dress,
exerclle, aimentation, and ventilation. 10 Illus
trate with what certainty and dispatch ignorance
can deprive chIdicn Of health and life. / will /
cite. aE instance or two: For long period dur |
ho1:see OF England were 23 in every - infautB |
under tho age OF l year. improvements in tho |
svsten Of management. however, subsequently |
reduced this remarkable mortality 6ve-sixthy. |
At the Dublin lylug-in Hospital, .944 out OF |
Ii $50 Children born. or about in 6, died within
TWO WEEKs AFTER D1RTu.
By means of better ventilation, principally, that
GcatL-1atc was afterwards reduced to about in |
210! Again. during the first three years after the
opening Of the Orphan Asylum at Albany. n Y,
from a1s average OF so chilaien nearly 10 died, |
while from to 6 we're constantly On the sick
list. Bur, in consequence of hygien,c improve |
mcnts, "The nursery was soon vacated, !.
and, for more than two years, no case Of aick~
has the same modifying influence On the death
rate in cities as in institutions, slatstics prove.
During the last century: our general knowl-
edge and application, Of the laws of
1o apopdiur % degree '''h has 'o the - dest1,- en1
rate decreased From 1880 to 174s, in
London, 74.5 per cent of the Inhabitants died be-
fore the age Of S; from 1880 to 1SUo, the rate
decreased to ALB per, cent, and from 1850 to
1867, 1t was reduced to less than 80 per cent.
That the excessive mortality OF children can
not be attributed solely to ignorance or to un-
natural causes, is manifest. DIR. |
Harris, Chief OF the Bureau of Vital Statistics"
says The TRIBUNE Of the 4th inst, "states that
u1et+t nrtf,o 11,i-. I
York City, of Which &c, 600 only are properly ac-
counted tor or taken care of Ill conformity with
,sal regulations OF these, 1850 ale iliegitimate.
sud z, SUI more are abandoned or got rid of IN
he slme way. The 1legisi,uate children aro
Usually put out to board with irresponsible per-
IONS, Whose business it is to dispose OF the IN
ANTS co Al to prevent all future trouble to
1arent3."
Are not these facts
A MpET1FIISG COMMENTARY
lpon the raunted civilization OF this age? Yet
10 contlnue to educate our young men and
somen in all departments Of knowledge with
me remarkable exception, Carentage. and that
he most important OF them nil. The laws gov
'rnlpg the reproduction Of stock are everywhere
arcfu]'y investigated, and associations formed
or extending such information. Witness the !
While premature death and
,reat longevity. gcnius and idiocj, molaltJ and
hance obedience or disobedence to natural
= I'VE; yet tho qualities OF our Do1ters aud
Goldsmith Maids, of cur l1ize-cat!le and pigs,
re not Moro than 80 Fer cent Of mankind die
je1otc reaching maturity; yet, Of our improved
'reeds Of domcsicated animals, only 5 or per
ent. Indeed, aB breeders of SWINE, men may
'e termed scientlets az parents, the grossest
t empires. Fc.iIy, it has been well said that
ioney il everything, and nan-nothing.
r. LAWRENCE Mfrs, II. D.
CHICAGO, Aug Il, 1874.
A Living l1utou:ato1s.
The Paris correspondent Of the Baltimore CO.
elte. writes; "A curious phenomenon eau be
itnessed in the saiat Antoine Hospital. A