Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-07-20

the principle of rendering girl-mothers
pecuniarily attractive. Its vast influ-
ence is exercised in every ward of
Paris; and it's unique gesture is to
offer money inducements to young
men to marry their victimS-in a
country like France, where the 'in-
quiry into paternity" much more the
swearing of a baby, is not enforceable
by law. On condition that they marry,
the Charlie Maternelle will lavish at
tentions on the couple; but, as the
young satisfactory doctor points out,
the girl being nearly always willing,
why should she and the baby lose
their chance to patronage by the back
wardness of an uninterested third
party?
The Hope of the Country.
Mother and child are the interest
ing couple; they are the hope of
France he says; land there are vital
reasons why the numerous and highly
organized day nurseries of the Societe
des Creches, while having their vital
raison d'etre after the child is well
weaned, slow weaned, you understand,
ought not to separate the baby from
it's mother even in the day time!"
The Societe des Creches has so such
establishments in Paris. Twelve of
them are financially sustained by the
municipality; but you would not know
them from the others. All are run on
the same plan. Has the poor mother
a legal domicile in the ward? 1t is
the only question asked when there
is room; and baby is fed and cared
for all day while mamma works, till
night, when mamma comes to take it
home with her. Apart from these,
many wards contain their own special
day nurseries; not to speak of fash
ionable ladies' recently established
Dolls houses"-very smart and
pretty for those who can gain admis-
sion; while all survivors in the strug-
gle for existence at the age of two
years slip safe into the great maternal
schools, the pride of Paris for ten
years back.
"Baby's Smile"
What Paris had Observation-Disclosures
modern maternity science had not
sufficiently insisted on Infancy in
augurated by enlarging and municipal
izing the private Oeuvre de la Ma
ternite of Prof. Alphonse Herrgott,
called "Baby's Smile
Prof. Herrgott was convinced that
the only way to combat the phenom-
email infant mortality of France was to
prevent any separation of the mother
and her unweaned child.
IF 1 give money at the start he
argued, ''how will it be employed
Will 1 get results? No"
Therefore he said to each mother
quitting his Maternity hospital:
Nurse your babe from your breast;
and in six weeks come back and see
me. The babe will be weighed and
examined. If it is in fine condition,
I'll give you $40 cash"
1t was the first cash for babies in
France!
And the results were magical. In
coufse of time Prof. Herrgott had so
many mothers proudly bringing him
their superb babies-and demanding
money at each weighing-that the
private fortune of the good man
melted. Fortunately private donations
and substitutes from the department
came to his aid. Now the municipality
has it in hand; the work extends over
all Nancy, where the infant mortality
has fallen to three and one-half per
cent--lower than in the rich wards
of Paris, where five per cent. was con
Sidered phenomenal
Paris Takes Up Work.
In Paris the work has been taken
up by the Abatement Maternel-'-The
Mothers Nursing"-to which in. the
last ten years of his life Casimir
Perier gave much of his energies and
considerable sums of money and
which Senator Plot would possibly Sc
1ect as a nucleus for his great system
in which the state is to pay cash fol
the babies.
You have doubtless heard of French
depopulation; but only figures car
bring home to you the long-gatherine
result of concentrated French civiliza
tion-mingling stresses of economy