The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-23
HE CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.

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 dren. not by putting them to death by violence. but by the slow process of insufficient or unwholesome food, and the neglect of the commonest precau- tions. We know that there Is now what may almost be called a crusade against babies, and 1t may be that there are people SO constituted as to believe that any method of getting rid of them Is commendable, but we are yet possessed of enough faith in our common humanity to believe that this anti-children fad, as we may designate 1t, is not as widely spread as some would have us believe. and that a large majority of men and women are ready to say. with Tupper, that "a babe in a house is. a well-spring of pleasure; a messenger of peace and love-"
 The murder of the innocents" to which we refer is constantly going on in all the large cities of the world, as the reports show beyond question. Some of the mortality Is, of course. due to natural causes which are constantly present in cities, such as the foul and vitiated air the little ones are compelled to breathe. the in- vide and care for their offspring, and such causes which are inherent in all thickly crowded places. These causes of death may not be remediable, but there are others which can be remedied to a great extent, and the failure to provide against them is little short of child murder.
 Among these causes we may place foul water and unwholesome food. and perhaps the latter Is the worst. Many women in the large cities are so situ- ated that they cannot give their babies the nourishment which nature intend- ed, and then recourse is had to the various preparations put up and sold as substitutes for the mothers milk. Some of these. if not actually bene- ficial, may at least be harmless, but too many of them are actual poisons for the little one. Impure milk, foul water and other things are put up and sold. They are reeking with disease germs and the continued use of them Is neither more nor less than adminis- tering poison to the helpless little ones. and in many cases 1t is by no means a slow poison. Much of this prepared food Is not only innutritious and indi- gestible. but is actually deadly in it's effects. The mortuary reports from many of our large cities are as start ling as they are unpardonable for those responsible for the conditions produc- ing them.
 We not that one English city. Liver pool, we think. has gone at the solu ton of this problem in a determined as well as a rational manner. Alarmed at the great mortality among the infants the city authorities established what might be called a baby food manufac- tory. They brought to bear all the resources of chemistry, physiology and medical experience to prepare food for infants which would not only be absolutely pure and safe, but would be nutritious. In short, the object sought to be accomplished was to prepare a substitute for pure human milk which would be. as nearly as science could make it, an exact counterpart of the milk of a healthy mother. and this it is claimed has been crowned with sue cess.
 The entire cost of the experiment for twelve months was $1S.000, and the profits on sales amounted to $S,OO0, showing a loss in money of S10,OOO. Financially. the experiment was a fail ure, but the extraordinary decrease in infant mortality has been SO gratify- ing that no disappointment is felt at the pecuniary loss. Tine records and results show beyond doubt that hum dreds and thousands of little lives have been saved in the great city and the helpless stoms have been started on the road to healthy existence. So great has been the interest aroused by in Great Britain are preparing to fol- low the example of Liverpool
 Here, 1t seems to us. is a work of genuine, Christ-like humanity. To preserve the health and save the lives of those who are unable to help them selves is more noble triumph than conquering a city or building monu- ments. It is an example that every great city may and should follow. The comparatively small amount of money required for the work should not be put in the balance against the saving of the children. The poet Wards worth, says:
 A simple child
 That lightly draws It's breath,
 And feels it's life in every limb,
 What should 1t know of death?