The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-03-06
The Experiment.

~ NE-THIRD OF all the babies borr
J into the world do not live tt
reach maturity. Lack of proper
knowledge before the baby comes along
rack or proper care afterward and genera
ana specific ignorance upon the one sub
Ject OF first Importance to the race are
the chief causes of the mortality, fol
which the traditional mock modesty OF
the Anglo-SaXon is mainly to blame.
Suppose one-third of all the inhablt.
ants of the world were to be destroyed
In some dreadful natural cataclysm -
one-third of the Caucasian race: one.
third of the Monaghan. one-third Of the
Malay. one third of the Indian and one
third Of the black-would not that cause
a sensation? But year by year the ba.
bies go on dying for want Of the right
kind of care and only a few pause t.
think Of it and try to remedy it,
The University of Missouri has deter
mined to be pioneer in the right d.
rection and to lessen the deaths. IT is
teaching the co-eds before they become
mothers what to do after they have be-
come mothers The class in Baby Tending
is part of the course in Domestic Science.
has thirty-five members. all wholesome.
normal girls between sixteen and twenty,
and is the idea of Professor Edna D.
Day. who teaches It.
A real live baby Is used as the OBJ
tect lesson-that is when a real live
baby can be decoyed from its mother
long enough to act as laboratory
subject 1t must be admitted hat this
part of the cou, . so far has cen
largely theoretical. although there
have been a number of golden days
when a chubby infant has been washed
and dressed and handled by the class
which has then tucked away in its
memory. and note books practical de-
tails not to be gained from mere text
boc..s.
In the meantime while waiting for
babies the co-eds are taught how 20
make the baby clothes in the right
way; how to prepare the bath md
the things to battle baby with; what
to do for Group, etc, etc, etc. all along
the line of scientific baby tending.
Professor Day cogitated o. tt,
idea # teaching the goods by means
of a real live infant long before she
decided to put her plans into effect
When she started to find the baby sub
ject she ran against ho first OBSTACLE
lave you ever had a baby?" the
mother would ask her. NO., Pro-
Day would be forced to confess
Then I'm not going to have my child
handled by a professor and lot OF
school girls who don't know anythl"-
about one would say the mother OF the
coveted object lesson.
Besides" said the mothers, there Is
only one sure thing hat can tell NY
one how to take care of baby, ana
that Is mot. stinct.'
Absurd" argued Professor Day. III
a mothers love is a sufficient guide
in the care of Il ants why this terrible
"!
So she formed her class. The ear
nest thirty-fve began TO absorb nrst
principles in the course. but still the
mothers held out Professor Day be-
came depressed. SO Mrs. w. II. Pyles.
the wife OF the Assistant Professor OF
Psychology of the University, decided
that she would place her BABY son,
William, on the altar OF science ior
few times. Papa Pyles was willing,
Being a psychologist he could see no
rational motive for not letting MISS
Pay and her assistants battle the
Youthful Bill on that eventful day
looked a bit puzzled as the girls gath
cred about him. The water for the
bath was carefully tested; everything
was done with truly clinical neatness.
William stood the washing well. only
because perhaps he is an embryo psy-
cologist he chuckled nightly. sud
denly another thought seemed to strike
him and he began to wall. 80.
That" said Professor Day. lis the
temper cry. A baby has three cries
the temper cry, The pain cry and
mother. rushing up from the back OF
the
ut IL not the temper cry" said Biils