The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1911-06-01
To Save The Babies.

The death rate among infants and
young children has been one OF the
CRYING disgraces of civilization. Her.
DDS slaughter of the innocents,the
story of which has served to horrl-
fy the world for twenty centuries,
merely fastened the death of many
of these babies, as probably the
greater part of those whom his ruth
less order condemned would have
died within a few years from lnfan-
tile ailments and zymotic diseases.
Through the middle ages and up
to the present day, the death rate
of infants has had an unknown, but
undoubtedly an enormous influence
in keeping down the average, while
the infant mortality among the saw
ages and barbarous nations is too
dreadful to contemplate. 1t has
remained for the present generation
to realize that race suicide, as
national peril is not to be compared
to "child murder" by removable so
cial and economic causes.
One of the most important prob
lens confronting us is that OF child
conservation. A movement for the
salvation of the child is of far great
er importance than the efforts to
save our forests, rivers and miner
al deposits from spoilation. This
is so evident that it is necessary on
ly to demonstrate the facts to Sc
cure instant public response. Learn
ing from previous efforts that pub
lie education and the arousing OF
popular interest must precede all
attempts to improve conditions, those
behind this most important crusade
have wisely inaugurated system
of public exhibits in the larger cities
The Child Welfare Exhibit held
in New York was open to the public
for a month and was visited by
quarter of a million people,an av-
erage of 5000 per day. The second
Child Welfare Exhibit, just held in
Chicago, was viewed, during the
first ten days in which it was open,
by over 265,00O people, or about
$4,000 per day. This enormous at
tendance is attributed by the local
papers to the energy of the Chicago
managers and to the activity of
school teachers and others in
spreading the news of the exhibit
throughout the entire city. Yet
these methods would have been flu
tile had it not been that the public
was ready to take an interest in the
subject. In no other way is 1t
possible to account for the spon-
taneous outpouring of people of all
classes.
An account of some of the more
~-.-sa-ing- features of the exhibit -ap-
peared In The Journal last week. 1t
is difficult. however, to convey an
adequate idea of the graphic char
acter of this exposition, while it is
impossible for any description to do
justice to the crowds of eager peo-
pie who poured through the Colise-
UNI which contained the exhibit. Mo-
theirs from the slums with babies in
their arms and with numerous off
spring trailing behind, wealthy wo-
men of well-known families, eager
to acquire information, business men,
workingmen, physicians, scientists,
politicians, clergymen, trained nur-
ses-an visited the exhibit and all
came away impressed with the enor-
nous and objectionable waste OF
child life and with the crying need
for better methods of prevention. Ut
il impossible to overestimate the
value of such educational exhibits.
Steps should be taken to render
such collections permanent for use
in other cities, or at least to utl-
lie some of the valuable material
for further education. Since the
one educational shortening of such
an exposition-if the paradox may
by pardoned-is that it is too vast
and complex to be readily grasped
and understood in all it's parts, it
would be of great value if single
features could be placed on display
% as to enforce single lesson at
. time. If these special exhibits
-Ara shown in much freQuonted
places, such as public libraries, the
waiting rooms of railway stations,
and the rest rooms of department
stores. they would be viewed by
thousands who never enter a muse
um or exposition. The presentation
of the Child Welfare Exhibit, adj
mirable as it is in itself, should be
regarded merely as a starting point
In the education of the public along
these ines.-Journal of the Ameri-