Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1908-08-13

whether he is an addition or Q tax to the
community, whether he stands to the left
or to the right of the decimal point,
whether he gives or adds his quota to
the nations strength, or whether he be-
comes an element of weakness depends
on his early management, particularly on
his early nutrition.
l have come in contact with a great
many young women OF the class just re-
fered to and you may be surprised to
know how largely ill-cooked cereals,
boxed breakfast foods with the energy
largely in the name on the label, bakers
bread, grocery or condensed milk, tea,
coffee and canned vegetables enter into
their children's diet. The above food,
supplemented by cheap cake and pastry
from the bakery around the corner, are
what the average so-called poor child in
our large cities is being brought up on.
An equal expenditure of money in good
milk, wheat or rye -four, dried beans,
peas, oatmeal, potatoes, fresh meat,
would furnish food of much greater value
and produce adults of far better de-
velopment and intrinsic worth.
Fortunately for the human race, in
small villages, and in the country
generally, the family is better fed, not
because of greater knowledge, but be-
cause of the distance to the corner gro
Gerry and the habit of the country house
wife OF doing her own cooking and
baking.
This same young mother, who has
attended the public schools, who can read
and write and is interested in the current
/ topics of the day, has never been taught
and does not know the value of fresh air
and sunshine. Her rooms are closed and
i'll ventilated. Neither do the great ma
jority of them know the necessity of
cleanliness. Their rooms are usually
dirty. Heredity unquestionably plays a
part in the child's development, but an
insignificant part as compared with nu-
triton and environment. Faulty nutri-
ton produces lack OF resistance to dis
ease; it makes susceptible bodies. The
large mortality among infants is due
directly or indirectly to nutritional errors
more than to anything else. Scarlet
fever, diphtheria, measles, pneumonia,
tuberculosis, the intestinal diseases OF
summer, claim most OF their victims
among those who have not sufficient
stamina to resist the infection.
The struggle for existence is gradually
becoming more acute-a struggle in
which the strongest win and the weak
nation is now required in many walks
of life. Railroad corporations are estab-
fishing physical standard for their en-
ployes. Motormen, elevator men, fire.
men, boat captains, engineers, all are re-
quired to be physically sound, and the
public has a right to demand that only
sound men shall be employed in those
positions. Recently an engineer of New
York ferry boat, an engineer of New
| York & New Haven railway train and a
motor man on Brooklyn trolley car fell
dead at their posts, imperilling the lives
of many. An employer of q competitive
industry cannot afford to employ a man
or men who cannot work to the standard
set by the well and vigorous. Machinery
must be manned by men tho are equal to
the task as estimated by the standard set
| by the strong. To be admitted to the
army or navy, or the police service, rigid
physical examinations are required.
| II success is life, happiness and useful
ness depend to so great degree on a
normal body, surely the child has right
to demand sufficient consideration that
this be furnished.
| 1t is known to all that mental and
physical degeneracy go hand in hand.
The mentally defective who come under
1 DOsests
gross physical defects. That q sound
mind requires sound body is a maxim
that will be disputed by none who have
had to do with children. That portion
of the rising generation who will do the
nations work, fight the nations battles,
do the nations thinking are those who
are now this day receiving what we all
admit the child has right to demand.
They are getting food suited to the devel-
opment of their bodies; they have the
| benefit of fresh air and cleanliness and a
life devoid of care; they are having the
benefits of secular and religious instruc-
tion. Those who are treated otherwise
are to furnish large portion Of the flu
ture dependents, criminals and degener-
ates.
The state devotes surprisingly little at
tention to the care of the young child I'M
til he becomes a nuisance or source OF
danger to the community. When the state
takes hold, the damage has already been
done.
Through neglect of the children in
their earliest years, we make our Grimm
ais, and then we establish courts of law,
reformatories and prisons to take care of
them when they are few years older.
Every child under 16 years of age
should be known to the state and should
be under the supervision of q state
official, each for a given district, whose
duty it shall be to see to it that the child
receives proper instruction, decent food
and decent care. When it is shown that
this is not feasible in the family, then the
child should become the ward of the
state. Mothers should be taught in re-
gard to injurious habits and practices OF
childhood. The simple act of rocking an
infant is q matter of habit. A baby
should under no circumstances be rocked.
Cradles are as disturbing to child as
small boat in the open sea is to an adult.
These children become poor sleepers and
often toss and roll about or have the
: mig htmare.
Mothers should know that young chill
dren may have other ills than reething
and worms. I purposely mention teeth
! ing because infants are disturbed very
little by teething and 95 per cent of the
cases in which symptoms are present are
due to some other cause than dentition.
I also make mention of it because some
neighbor always recommends Mrs. So