The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-08

recover from sickness. In the incubating
rooms | saw a score or so Of babies in cop
per tubs made that hot water running
around their double walls kept the interior
at almost blood heat. In these were babies
born two or thrse months before their time
These were wrapped in cotton, and they
hardly seemed alive, but could note the
quivering OF th cir eyelids as the matron
opened the glass tops Of the tubs. The most
of such cases are, am told, successful. The
babies are washed once day in bath tubs
OF copper, aud noted that in the bottom
OF each tub there was a pillow on which the
baby was placed, and that its sides were
padded with soft flannel.
THE BABIES GO BY NUMBERS.
About fifty new babies are received on
the average by this institution every day,
and all babies are taken and no questions
asked. They are sometimes left on the steps
of the institution, but more often are
brought by their mothers or some friend.
II the mother has name for the chnd she
writes it on card and this name is given
it, and at the same time it is registered with
a number and corresponding number is
given TO the mother. This number is writ
ten on little round tag Of bone, aud 10 is
tied around the neck OF the child, and by
this number it goes in the institution. II
the mother wants it again she can bring
back her check ana get her baby, and she
years. The babies are kept in this institu-
ton only four weeks, and after this time the
nurses who are in charge OF them take them
to their homes In the village and the re bring
them up.
Each nurse gets 81 month for such ser.
vice, and she is under the super vision of the
doctor OF the district and has to report her
baby TO him from time to time. At the
age of about 6 years the children are
brought back to the institution aud are edu-
Gated, They are taught trades and at 10 go
out to work for themselves Some of the
girls are taken back as officers and they are
trained as hospital nurses. Many Of the
boys go into the army and there are $50 of
them annually admitted to the industrial
schools of Moscow. II girl gets married
before she becomes or age the institution
gives her her troussesu, and altogether
foundlfngs are better treated in Russia than
in any other country in the world.
A FRIGHTFUL INFANT MORTALITY.
Their treatment, however, after they are
sent out into the villages TO be nursed Is not
so good as it is here and the statistics show
that fully half Of all these babies die before
they are year old, and the science OF baby
raising over the whole Of Russia is in such
a backward state that one-fourth of all the
babies born in the empire die before they
are IL months OF age. Forty-two per
cent die before they are 5 years old, and
still the yearly crop Of children is so great
that the population of Russia, according So
she statistics of the Statesman's Year Book,
is increasing at the rate Of 100000 a year.
In European Russia alone there are every
year l 900. 900 more babies than there were
the year before and more than 1000, 900
bat les are born here every year. Russia
has a high death rate, but these peasants
breed like Australian rabbits aud they like
large families.
The most OF the babies of Moscow come
from the city. There are 10 per cent. more
of this olass In Moscow than there are in
Paris, but it is said that there is little or no
infanticide here, and the probability is the
statistics OF Paris do not represent che true
social state Of that city in this regard.
am told that mothers often bring their ba-
bies to this institution and after ward apply
20 the establishments for places as wet
nurses, and thus manage to get hold of their
own babies and get paid for feeding them.
THE RECEPTION OF THE WAITS.
l watched the bringing in of the babies
and saw a number sent out into the coun-
try. The receiving room was about twenty
feet square, and in the center of one side Of
1t, behind a low table, sat an intelligent
Russian girl with a ledger beaind her. At
one side OF her was pair or scales, for all
the world like a pair Of grOcer's scales, in
which sugar is weighed, and before her
stood another OF the matrons with q tape
measure thrown over her shoulder. As
stood in the room I took out my watch and
timed the taking in of half dozen babies.
These we're brought In within twenty min-
utes, and il did not take more than three
minutes at the outside to register, wash and
take care of each of them. Their mothers,
l supposed, brought the babies in.
One was pretty Russian peasant girl
who came In In her bare feet with bundle
In her arms. She took this to the table aud
handed slip Of paper, on which was writ
ten the name OF the baby, to the book
keeper She was asked the date Of its birth
and was then given a check with a number
on 1t. and her baby was handed over to the
girl with the tape measure. The girl I'M
wrapped the little one in jiffy and laid IL
squalllng on the scales. She then gave its
weight to the book keeper and taking the
tape measure from her shoulders ran it
around the head of the baby, noted the size
of it and then measured its length from
crown to SOLE These figures were put
down and the infant was carried of, naked
as IL was, into the next room and handed
over to the washer. First however, its
check Of white bone bearing its number was
tied about its neck and it from this time
lost its name and became a number.
PREPARED FOR IT'S NEW LIFE.
Let US follow 1t as did and see how it is
taken care Of. In the next room an old
lady is washing baby that was brought in
five minutes earlier. She speaks to the girl
who brings the baby in and the baby is
dropped gently on a padded table and left
second while number one is dressed. IL
continues to squat and kick as it lies there
for five seconds on its back, but stops sud-
denly as the old lady picks it up. 1t starts
up again as she lays It in the copper bath
tub lined with flannel. This has warm
water In 1t and into it more warm water is
flowing. With soap the old lady quickly
washes the baby and in ten seconds by my
watch she has cleaned every part of its
body. She now raises 1t in her hands and
lays It on dry padded table. She dries its
red limbs with a soft towel and puts little
long shirt on its body. Thsn comes a neces-
sary article, which is much the same as
that used by our babies at homo, and then
the old lady wraps around it these swad-
ding clothes aud the infant is complete It
Is carried to its little iron crib and Its life
as Russian founding has begun.
Eight days later II will be baptized by the
priest In q great silver urn which stands on
the floor Of the next room, and for the next
four weeks it is sure OF as good attention
and as good food as any baby can have. Its
health will be carefully watched and it will
be vaccinated with matter taken from inoc-
ulated calves, which are selected for this
purpose, and which are kept in another part
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