New-York tribune., 1906-07-15
THE LIVES OF THE CHILDREN.

The statistics of infant mortality IN this city
for May, classified according to the nativity
Of the parents, which the state Department of
Health issued a few days ago, reveal curious
difference among various nationalities here in
the care of children. They show high death
rate among children Of American parents, which
calls for the attention of students of our civ
ilization The people from only three countries
seem to be less successful in protecting their
offspring here than the native born Americans.
There were in May 4305 deaths per 1O0,-
900 among children of Italian parents under
five years of age. The rate for children of Aus
tro-Hungarian parents was 263. and for those
Of Bohemian parents 171.6 while the rate for
children whose parents We're born IN the United
States was 1915. The rate among Russians and
Poles was only 141; among the French, 102;
among Irish, 676; Swiss, SAB; Scotch. 87.2: Ger
mans, 81; English, 27.6 and Canadians 26.6.
1t was to be expected that the rate would
be highest among Italians. They are poor,
ignorant and their homes are greatly crowded.
Moreover, the Italian woman is proverbially
unwise in the feeding OF her infant. Maurice
Hewlett's story which represents an italian
mother as weaning her babe by feeding it
peaches is not untrue to life. 1t might SINH
larly be expected that the AustrO- -Hungarians
would show a high death rate, but how does it
come about that the Russians and Poles, who are
dl0OuB the tQOSC ullSeTdDIe OL our lultu4STdulSl
make better showing than the Americans?
These figures are not based merely upon the
tenement house records, but cover the whole
city, and as the Americans are in the best posi-
ton, socially and economically, they of all peO-
pie have the best chance for life, yet they seem
to throw It away. Some physicians attribute
this to the comparative unwillingness of Amer
lean mothers to nurse their own children. The
fact is also to be taken into consideration that
III -,
lower and is more hopeless than the poorest Of
the immigrants. They come here striving for
better things-full of ambition for themselves
and their children. He on the other hand, is
content with squalor, and naturally pays the
penalty
Another element In the situation is the fact
that these American parents are in large num-
bers by no means Americans in blood. They
are the children of immigrants, likely to have
lost some of the sturdy, homelY virtues of their
ancestors without having fully acquired others
characteristic OF their cOuntrymen. They are
likely to have acquired q smattering of educa-
ton and many vain desires. They do not bring
up their children in oldtme simplicity, nor with
the intelligence bef1tting Americans. That we
think, is the chief reason for the high death
rate OF children born of parents of American
nativity. There is great need of better train
ing for the children OF immigrants who are half
Americanized and likely 20 mistake license for
liberty. They need not merely book learning,
but a much greater degree of discipline. Far
too many Of them are allowed to grow up un-
skilled to work and unframed to the duties Of
life. Such training as they get makes more
for stenography and ribbon selling than for
housekeeping, and when they do have children
they Go not know how to care for them. We
hear much about the low birth rate in Amerl-
can families, but the high death rate is more
appalling. q