The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-26
Conservation of Child Life.
By Frederic J. Haslin.
V.-.Ths Little Moiksrs

Many of the little mothers are dwarf.
 ed. or misshapen. or sometimes physi- cally weakened by the heavy liftina and carrying they must do. and ths association is doing all it can through It's physical directors to cure when possible. and to prevent further de-
 fects by teaching the girls how best to lift and carry the babies They are taught how to treat the childish ail- ments from which all babies suffer
 how to prepare the milk. and other food, how to bathe and dress babies and how to ventilate their sleeping a. | partments when 1t is possible. When rewards are made for neatness, attention and obedience in the various classes, they take the form of toilet articles in order that the spirit of pride 1 in personal cleanliness and personal appearance may be awakened. Brush- es for the hair. nails and teeth. combs. | soap. towels and wash cloths are the 1 leading prizes. and to these are added vaseline. borax and court plaster that the family medicine chest may offer I help in time of need. The fact that over, 1000 little girls have attended the health talks given by the physi- clan connected with the work. shows | the good that Is being done. She tells them how to hold themselves when walking or sitting. how to take care of the skin, the hair and the teeth, how l to dress so as not to compress the
 waist or tilt the body with heels thar are too high. She breaches over and over again the gospel of plenty of wa ter, fresh air and sunshine. This may | to the average reader. seem super 1 fluous lesson. but more often than not the whole thing Is new to the child of | the slums.
 l Every summer the little mothers who can be spared for short while are given an outing in the country. over 6.000 having been taken last year. During the summer, the New York City Department of Education opens nineteen of its thirty-six vacation schools and playgrounds exclusively for the little mothers and their charges, and while some of the babies swing In hammocks and the others play in sand piles. these old-faced children are taught games and songs and physical and industrial arts. It is like a new world to them.
 The work being done bv the Little Mothers Aid Association is a potent factor in the making of good American citizens. for many of their charges are alien born. Last year about 10000 children under fourteen came into this country. almost all going to New York. and the year before that over 100. 900 came. Many of these. having the care of younger children. eventually find i their way to one of the association headquarters. Not long ago Mrs. Clar
 ence Burns. founder of this unique association. visited one of these houses. She found nine girls at work in the sewing class. The matron had just finished a big copy of "old Glory" for the use of the club.
 T wonder how many nationalities you little maidens represent? asked Mrs. Burns, seeing that Slav. Irish, Italan, Armenian. Lithunian and possi l bly, others sat before her. The census developed seven nationalities among the nine girls. "I wonder how many 1 Americans are here?" she next asked Nine excited little hands went ur Good" she said. and now. how many can salute the flag?" Down went the 1 sewing to the, floor. Up springs nfnc little girls. nine pairs of heels clicked together. nine little hands went rigidly to the forhead. and while the eyes of blue and black and brown glowed. nine little voices recited in unison "I pledge my allegiance to the flag" Led by the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution in several cities. so- called scholarships have been estab- lished for the benefit of the little mothers. This Is a sum of money paid l to the parents or little girl so they can hire some one to take her place and let her go to school. This allows l girl beyond the compulsory school attendance law to get further training 1 that will help her to make her own way in the world. In cities not having such laws 1t allows her to get the ru- ailments of common school education that she might otherwise never have.
 There are a half dozen of these clubs that are placing scholarships. There is opportunity for hundreds of them to do good work.
 The life of the little mother is al. ways hard one. Defrauded of child [ hood. with hard work and great res possibility always her portion. she is easy prey to disease. A few years ago such a little girl lay dying in New ] York. Her life had been so full of drud- l gery that she had never known the ad- vantaEes of education or the comfort of religion. A well-meaning neighbor came and asked: You have never been to church. What will you say to your Maker when you face Him?" The child l spread her little hands out on the patched quilt of her bed. They were scanned with burns. crossed with scars. shrunken from long immersions in hot suds. misshapen from close acQuain- tance with mops and coal hods. "I 1 won't need to tell Him nothin'" she said. "I'll just show Him my hands. and I think He will understand" There is no need for SO great a sacri- ! flee of child life. and if more people of this altruistic nation would fall in ! line with the various organizations 1 that have so far offered aid to the lit tie mothers. part of childhood, anyway, would not miss it's heritage.
 i Copyright, 1909. by Frederic J. Has kin.)