New-York tribune., 1901-07-22
EUROPEAN FOSTER MOTHERS.
CHILDREN OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE
CLASSES LEFT To THE CARE
OF PEASANT WOMEN


The practice of employing foster mothers on the
continent OF Europe. and Of delegating the nursing
OF children to hirelings has become general
that many foreigners consider it direct menace
10 the vitality OF their race The well known la
ment OF Alphonse Tousse,:e the French writer
and critic. over the less of Asace-Lorra!ne was
based chiefly on the fact that with the lost prov
ince his country had been bsreft OF the source OF
supply OF its hest nurses, and he knew that women
of fashion. rather than give up their social privi-
Ieges. would turn TO inferior class Of nurses
The example set by women of the higher ranks
is followed by of the middle class. The Gus
tom. begun centuries ago, has steadily become
more and more prevalent, as IS proved by the ever
increasing frequency CT legal enactments on this
subject dating from remote period as the
fourteenth century. The peasant mother, of whom
this additional requirement Is demanded. is forced
to sight her own child. and this also has its evil
conseq dences. IN commenting on the subject The
London Daily Telegraph" states that u large or
even smaller centres or the CoHtireut not PEI
cent OF the mothers OF the uprcr and bourgeois
classes nurse their children.
In Germany nursing has become trade no less
tLan in Franco. The position Of nurse, ANNE,
is also made a most envabie Says The Teie.
graph:
The amme's lines are truly fallen in pleasant
places. Her are four times those OF TIE
ordinary domestic; her daily fare IS as gooc as
that Of her master. and in less wea thier fdmlie
ofyen better be veFy ReSsf24 ys her Is face too rob
and she is carefully screened from the occa-
per Whoever IS scoided. she goes scot free She
constitutes the pomp and circumstance CT the es-
tahlishmeut. though its owner should sai!F fortn
day after Gay II gorgeous uniform For regimen
tails show as thickly the streets ~ Gcru2t
t1vrs as leaves lie in Ealonbr0Sa. but the me,
in her peasant dress. with the cleaning shoe
buckles. the CocTett!Sh cap OF black Ribbon. the
velvet bodice and scarlet kirtle. the silver arrow
fastening her peats * the only picturesou feni-
nine figure left IN urban every day life. Naturally
the quality OF the ~5EtU-1e VIII vary according 10
the means ot employers who bear the cost OF
H. ard in many il is entirely dispensed
with en- account OF its expense, hence the merely
rassng forei-reT viii fail to gauge accurately the
q f~S-er mothers in proportion to the
rurslngs: but il is nevertheless, fact. that eN-
mo hers delegate their first and foremost duty
10 hire!ings.
The mother Of Kaiser wilheira. Empress Fred
e-ick h-avely carrying out her determination 10
nurse her own c5iL. II tho face o; undisgc;Sei
public astonishmert. has found few imitatCrs in
royal circles. Il IS said that Queen Helena o;
italy pleaded hard 20 te allowed rCrsn her chiid,
and was upheld by the WIDOWED Queen MarGhari
her mother-ili-iaw. But the only concession she
couid gain was that her wish should BE- gratihed II
her born should be a At present the
little YolanCa is entirely under tic Of her
nurse. MaGaitra Cinti and the English mistress.
Mrs Dickens The laiter's rule appears 10 he quite
employed by the Empress Eugene 70 care for tn
laby Prince Imperial, and who when the Empress
IN Gispeasu-c limited at EeT leaving the royal
household. made the astounding answer; VERY
vreIl. rnadarn hut / IKE prince with me II Il
said that almost the last letters the prince
woman. who had been almost a sovereign to her
royal employers.