The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-05-22
Child Culture the Theme.

Mrs. Alice K. St. Martin, OF
New Orleans, addressed a large
and appreciative audience in the
court house last night on the SUBJ
iect of "Child Hygiene. The
meeting was held under the aus
pices of the Board of Health.
Mrs st. Martin representing the
National Congress of Mothers and
the Delineator Mothers Confer
epce, urged the formation of a
local organization to study and
better conditions surrounding the
children. She explained at length
the advantage of such an asso-
citation, showing how it may be-
come power for good and an
uplifting force in the community
by uniting the mothers, fathers,
teachers and physicians in COM
mon effort for the welfare of the
child.
"The child is the greatest asset
of the nation," said Mrs. St. Mar
tin, "our National government is
beginning to realize this truth,
for since the conference called by
ex-President Roosevelt, few
months ago, when eminent au-
thorities on the subject of child
welfare, many new ideas have
been adopted and steps taken to
assist the mothers of the land to
care for their little ones, also to
help motherless children and
those needing a chance for growth
and development"
Mrs. st. Martin spoke of the
statewide campaign instituted by
DR.. D. Harvey Dillon to educate
the people along sanitary and hy-
geinic lines, and her own particu-
lar mission of educating mothers
to care for. little babies. She said
that more than one-half OF the
babies who die in infancy might
have been saved by intelligent
care. All the subjects, she said
are made the special study of the
mothers circle which compose the
Congress OF Mothers. She also
mentioned a number of ways in
which such organizations seeks to
benefit the child, working for the
improvement of home, school and
church. She said she knew very
little of the especial local needs of
Franklin, but supposed that it
was not different from other cities
which she had visited, and that,
no doubt there were many things
much desired by the people which
no one ever thought of demanding.
If body of influential men and
women united to get what they
wanted, whether ic was new
schools. kifdergartens, circula-
ting libraries, or other things,
their combined efforts were more
likely to bring some definite re-
suits than if they just drifted
along. depending upon the men
in power to give them what they
wanted.
After her talk, Mrs. St Martin
called for volunteers to lead in the |
work of organization and several
of the ladies present expressed |
themselves in hearty sympathy |
with the movement and willing to |
in the work.
Among those who offered to
lead in the good work were: DR..
and Mrs. Beverly Smith, Mr.. and
Mrs. John r. ParkersOn. Mes.
danes Walter S. Berwick, E.
Bodin, 7. F. Frere, Don. Gallery,
IT,, John Bonino, j. Feske, Chas.
A. O'Niell, r. E. O'Niell, B. Haw-
kins, Ida .DeGeneres, g. w. Abel.
A. S. Achee, w. Y. 'Kemper, w.
T. Peterman, G. S. Campbell, j. A.
)'Nielj, ST., c. N. Frost, Gordon
ZONES, and Prof. Chas. Colt.
Misses E. }. Malone, l.. Bouligny,
ella Johnson, G. We'll, Minnie
Nice Achee, Louise Able,
ella Bachelor and others.
Mrs. V. E. Smith volunteered
o lead in organizing the new
,ody and will call a meeting of
Ter committee on organization in
few days, when measures will be
.dopted and q mass meeting
allied to complete organization.
Dr.. Beverly Smiths explained
hat DR.. Dillon, who was expected
ere last night, was prevented from
oming by the very serious illness
I his wife.