The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-12-24

MRS. sTANToN-BLATCH.
New York nursemaids are flends, and New
York mothers are FOOLS" she says. "Cen.
trail park Is regular babies inferno.
What have seen there has almost given
me nervous prostration. The nurses, In.
stead of giving intelligent and humane
care to their charges, spend their time in
Rossiping with each other, flirting with
the policemen and loungers or reading to
themselves The little babies got along as
best they can in their carriages. The run
abouts are snubbed and sat upon and
shaken and spanked and yanked about
until 1t is a wonder to me that they are
not so cowed that their fathers must notice
1t when they come home, even If their
mothers do not
"The up town New York baby seems to
me to be merely an animate figure for the
vulgar display of wealth. You may see
any day little babies so swathed in satin,
silks, real lace and ostrich feathers that 1t
is wonder they are not smothered in the
heavy mass Of dry goods and millinery
with which they are loaded. Even the tod
dlers are so befounced and befurbelowed
that any such thing as playing in sand
heap would be out of the question, even II
New York provided its babies with such
little patches of heaven as does Paris and
Berlin"
This Is the effect. The cause is equally
clear to Mrs. Stanton -Blatch, and this Is
the way she expresses her idea of what 1t
is: "I don't blame the nursemaids half as
much as l do the mothers. The truth Is,
New York is being 'clubbed' to death by
its women. To be sure, go to a woman's
club meeting occasionally and listen to all
a.. I'll,
women bestow upon each other, but do
not come away with any desire to go and
do likewise. / have little patience with
those who talk and do not act"
Now for the cure. When Mrs. Blatch
was asked what she was going to do about
1t, she replied: "Do2 That is simple.
Choke off few super1uous clubwomen
and start to raising mothers"
Then she proceeded to elaborate her idea.
She wants women's colleges to esta ablish a
degree of .housewifery GAS far as can
see, she says, "there Is little hope to be
expected for the next generation from the
| lubwomen--'rOunders,' as you call them
here. hope for better things from the
alumne of our women's colleges. / want
to establish postgraduate course in
'mothering' for college graduates. l want
| to see some first class university open its
| doors not only to It's own graduates, but to
those of other colleges, where they may go
when they become engaged to be married
and take three, six or nine months
course in the scientific way to keep house
and raise baby.
"My hope Is to sec n cottage built near
| Vassar-a cottage which shall be an abso-
lutely up to date sanitary dwelling. Here
| l would have such girls go as desired to
take the course. / would have them first
learn all about the sanitary requirements
| of house. Then, besides the routine OF
housework and cooking, which grant you
| Is important, would have the girl learn
| two more things. One of these would be
bookkeeping, so that she could keep her
house accounts in some kind of shape.
"Then the baby question. What would
| we think of men In the railroad business
" they should run their trains off the
track from to 10 per cent Of the timer
Yet that is what women do with their
babies-kill about in 10. l would get
from a poorhouse or asylum baby to
practice ON. would have in my post
graduate cottage trained nurse, and ev-
cry girl that went out of there would know
how TO give baby IA bath. She would not
have to guess that the water was too hot
when the child got red and too cold when
it got blue She would know how to wash
Its flannel shirts without shrinking them,
SO that they would strangle the baby when
they were worn. She would know Of
something better to do than wiring hel
hands when the baby stiffens out al
straight as a yardstick In the middle Of
the night or curls up In knot with th'
collie.
There are many other things that Mrs
Blatch would teach young women befor'
they were married. After she has educat
cd the mothers until they have become
bachelors In housewifery she will take th,
nurse, in hand and give them a course in |
nurses kindergarten which she hopes t
establish. With such start as this, Mrs
Blatch thinks a generation ought b
amount to something
ALFRED II. RowLEY.