New-York tribune., 1907-05-27
H SCHOOL FOR MOTHERS.
Social Service in the City of Ghent
Described.

AS there are promises that clinics for mothers
Will be opened in American cities for the purpose
of reducing .he loss of infant life the poor.
a brief account OF what Is being done IN the city
of Cfhent may be interesting
While Client is not great city. its peculiar
population has afforded excellent ground for the
working out Of philanthropic experiments. II is
manufacturing city with a population OF 1S2 Gte.
consisting mainly OF workers in the textile mills;
high the death rate in 1901 reaching 3SS TO 1oo
Through the interest of young doctor this ter
rble slaughter of the innocents was brought before
women, who had the lettering conditions among
! DIT. Miele young physician born with the true
spirit of social service, set about devising plan
and 10 give young women intelligent view of the
An account of a visit DIR. Miee's clinic was
published In The Nineteenth Century. in Decem-
the society Of Helping Mothers saws The Chicaso
charity. but as the philanthropy has grown under
advisory board and the doctor carries on his work
he manages to keep down 6y interesting ana Hl, Htz
Ing GoT women as 2 listing m otngTs' LosIsT motnsrs
ages its members to lend aid. He is modest un-
assuming man. permitting his name TO ap-
pear in the reports and receives no reeompenss
The visitors to Dr. NIieIe's clinic found him in a
small consulting room opening our OF a large wait
rooms were spotess the white walls decorated with
notices & IN sles % Ge & tefeS' b bIrsn fr ts
obev: don't heed what foolish prattIers say
IN ,%e corsaI1fing ,o1n, vrirh th. doctor Ueys
three neat ycung girls from eleven 10 fourteen;
who We're candidates in the doctors course In enid
culture Two student girls OF fifteen or sixteen
and taking tempera lures
As each mother came in she placed her baby in
tor. He verified the weight and took the child in
hs T ST HANDS Sn vs5 {T0 The t9 css ba9 I not
The mother was questioned regarding 5he eniid
weeks milk and card of Instructions Inc
mother paid from half cent 10 three cents OF our
money according to her means. On this Sunday
morning forty babies were examined in two hours.
in the morning and the other from 8 to in the
evening. The consultations are longest in summer
records told interesting stories to the students:
thus one woman brought her delicate seventeenth
child a third her tenth under weight. another. II
good woman but short OF feed" from her husband :
child having lost eight infants
NJ NgnS ~ TjJ t,,osDSsrs 81 liner Wills
on the other hand there We're healthy babies. sew
and we're wholesome example to the mothers OF
delicate ones who were not neat ana uGy, Wnns @
70 follow directions and are obedent OUT or ltsf'
SeaT and this was graduay reduced 70 per cent
last year, though because OF factory We or the
Dr. Mieie's system makes use Of twelve services.
babies ANNUALLY for treatment four-hfths paying.
one-ffth free Second IS the service OF the visit
neiebborhoods and protect rl-cared-for babies
Thev receive no pay but are proud Of the honor OF
being chosen by DR. Nee and their zeal is valuable
from a practical and moral point OF view. Ths
third service is the Mothers Friendly Society, in
which baby can be entered for fifteen months az
three cents week. or ~ the parent Is very poor.
for two cents. For this the baby has tina
privileges Of the dispensary. including ser-
OF medical aid, and the mother is helped in tirns
Of need
The fourth fifth and sixth services relate to tho
distribution Of sterZed milk 70 infants and moth
ers and q seventh covers the special foods for
babies digestive troubles sold at a a meal.
\ small fee - charged for everything. but poor
mother is turned away. In winter Sunday after
noon talks with lantern slides and exhibition cc
Chidren's clothes constitute eighth service and
the four remaining services found in
on child nurture for girls between fourteen and
eighteen. Tho unframed girls have two years teach
ing. then receiving pay helpers Then follows
a practical for foster mothers. who for
two or more babies while the mothers work These
foster mothers also preside creches. of which
DIR. Miele has four. and the more intelligent ones
traine. for SneCfal nursing in skin disease,
tuberculosis etc. The of a creche baby is 81
a week, though the mother pays but 81.