The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-06-02

and barbarOus nations 1s too dreadful
to contemplate. 1t has remained for
the present generation to realize
that trace suicide" as q national
peril is not to be compared to achild
murder" by removable social and
enonomic causes. .z
One of the most important pro-
blems 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 mineral
deposits from spoliation. This is so
evident that it is necessary only to
demonstrate the facts to secure in
slant public response. Learning
from previous efforts that public
education and the arousing of popu-
lar interest must precede all at
tempts to improve conditions, those
behind this most important crusade
have wisely inaugurated a system
of public exhibits in the larger cities.
The Child Welfare Exhibit held in
New York was open to the public for
month and was visited by quarter
of million people, an average of
5000 per, day. The second Child
Welfare Exhibit, just held in Chi
cago, was viewed, during the first
ten days in which it was open, by
over 265,o0o people, or about 49,
900 per day.
This enormous attendance is at
tributed 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 futile had it not been that the
public was ready to take an interest
in the subject. In no other way is
it possible to account for the spon-
taneous outpouring of people of all
classes.
An account of some of the more
striking features of the exhibit APP
peared in THE JOURNAL last week.
1t is difficult, however, to convey an
adequate idea of the graphic
character of this exposition, while
it is impossible for any. description
to do justice to the crowds of eager
people who poured through the
Coliseum which contained the ex-
hibit.
Mothers from the slums with
babies in their arms and with num-
erous offspring trailing behind,
wealthy women of well-known fami-
lies, eager to acquire information,
business men,, workingmen, ply
sicans, scientists, politicians, clergy
men, trained nurses-all visited the
exhibit and all came away impress
sed with the enormous and UNI
pardonable waste of child life and
with the crying need for better
methods of prevention.
1t is impossible to overestimate
the value of such educational ex-
hibits. Steps should be taken to
render such collections permanent
for use in other cities, or at least
to utilize some of the valuable
material for further education.
Since the one educational short
coming of such an exposition-is
that it is too vast and complex to
be readily grasped and understood
in all parts, it would be of great
value if single features could be
placed on display so as to enforce a
single lesson at time. "
If these special exhibits were
shown in much-frequented places,
such as public libraries, the waiting
rooms of railway stations and the
rest-rooms of department. stores,
they would be viewd by thousands
who never enter museum or ex-
position. =s.
The presentation of the Child We'll
fare Exhibit, admirable as it is in
itself, should be regarded merely as
a starting-point in the education of
the public along these lines.