The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-06-01

10 Sct ~ II tIdll ue.N NC p1O-
tected and nouriShed and the fearful
death-rate be diminished.
One of the main causes Of the large !
death-rate among the poorer classes
of society is due to the fact that so
many mothers have to labor for the !
sustenance Of their families in fac
tories and workshops.
This is not so bad in our own State
as in New England, and especially in
the Old World, but manufacturing is
on such rapid increase in the South
land that the question Of children
and their proper care has become
serious one and our lawmakers don't
seem to realize the fact.
The poor mother neglects her IN
fant, often unwillingly. and the new
born is sacrificed for the rest Of the
family. The same thing is done, how
ever, in the higher walks of society
by some who have no sacred regard
for the duty Of motherhood. "A
mothers breast is the infant s BIRTH
right and sucking a sacred duty.'
These poor, helpless and innoncent
ones are put under the care Of others
and in our section generally the lg-
norant and careless negro nurse
with arti6cially prepared food, and
the chances of their growing and de-
veloping and maturing into strong
children are indeed few. Any moth
er in the higher ranks Of life who
may deny her infant its natural food
because nursing interferes with the
claims of "society' and with the
pursuit Of pleasure is grossly guilty
of criminal neglect and should suf-
fer it's consequences.
In a certain town in England an
interesting experiment was made by
the new mayor when he went into
office. He was astonished at the fear
full death rate among the infants In
his town. He offered a prize Of one
pound to the mother of every child
born during his mayoralty, who pro-
duced it alive and well at the town
hall, one year from his going into Of
flee. A committee Of ladies was at
the same time, formed to visit and
advise the mothers. The first year
the death-rate of infants sank from
134 to "a in the thousand. How cas-
lily can the cooperation of the rich
and the poor reduce infant mortali-
ty!
No factor is more responsible for
infant mortality than that Of artif-
cial feeding. The ignorance preva-
lent on this subject, not confined by
any means to the poorest classes is
>deplorable.
"a little bit Of what we eat our
selves''. is the commonest expression
Of those whose infants should have
nothing but human milk. A know
ledge Of how infants should be prop
erly artifcially fed should be widely
,, diffused among the people. Physi-
clans, when they are called to see a
sick infant and find one that has been
improperly nourished OF not nourlsh-
ed at all, know they have not only the
disease to combat, but the i'll effects
Of ignorance to overcome and correct
If possible.
Where is this instruction to begin?
Some say teach the children Of today
in our schools who are to become the
future parents the laws Of health and
hygiene that they may not be as 1g-
norant as their parents We're. In
some of our schools a little physiolo-
gy is read to the pupils but a practl-
cal knowledge of the human body
and the laws of health is never at
tained. I once read of an examina-
ton held in certain Grammar school
on two subjects in the same day;
viz, "English Grammar" and can
imal Physiology A girl asked in
the examination to describe the hu-
man body, said: "The human body
consists of three parts. the head, the
chest and the 'stummiek.' The head
contains the eyes and the brain (lf
ANY,. The chest contains the heart,
lungs and a bit Of the liver, and the
'stummick' contains the vowels,
which are a, e,'i, O, and u and some
times W and y"
A knowledge Of the proper care OF
infants can be only effectively spread
by the supervision of Young children
in their homes, and practical teaching
of young mothers there. Such sys-
tenn would save thousands Of lives.
if it could be established. Of all