Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-15

/
| of vital statistics of the bureau of the
/ census. has just called
mortality public attention to the
.e reduci Ion in infant
Va AAAAsS' mortality in recent
1911, which have just been completed by
the census bureau, show that the death
rate of infants under one year of age de-
creased nearly one-fifth, or to be exact
10 per cent. in the group of registration
states during the eleven and one-half
years since the taking of the census of
1900 Even after giving full Importance
to the great decfease in the infant NOR
tally rate. however it is found that still
there are very large numbers of babies
who die before reaching one year of age.
DR.. Wilbur's latest figures show that
among the babies in the country's popu-
latiOn under one year of age the annual
death rate is more than 112 in every 900,
which is ten times as many children as
die between the ages of one to four years
The new infant mortality tables show.
however. that in practically all, places
Where efforts have been made to decrease
the high death rate of babies considera BILE
progress has been made. In explaining
the figures which have just been COM
piled by the bureau Of the census Dr.
Wilbur says:
In all the large cities. excepting Min
neapolls. St. Paul. Syracuse and Portland,
the infant death rate was lower in 1911
than IN the census year of 1900. The larg-
est relative decrease in death rate was in
Atlanta. with % per cent: followed by
Los Angeles, with IS per cent decrease
indianapolis, with 80 per cent decrease.
and Washington, Paterson. n. j.. and
memphis. Tenn, each with IS per cent
decrease 1t must be remembered. how
ever, that this comparison relates only
to two individual years, 1910 and 1911,
ana that the data might be vitiated, in
certain cases, by failure to return all the
deaths of infants under one year of
age
Dr Wilbur says that it is unfortunate
mat the registration of births in the
onlted states is generally incomplete and
that 1t is impossible to present satisfac-
tory rates of infantile mortality for a
great majority of states and cities Both
Uf wilbur. as head of the Office of vital
statistics of the bureau of the census
ana Miss Julia c. Lathrop, director of
the children's bureau, are urging that
everything possible be done in the states
to improve methods of birth registration
so that more be known about rates of in
rant mortality, in order that more can
he done to protect the lives of infants
Inc efforts made in man? cities and
states to lessen infant morality rates by
better care for The infant at birth and
during the first years of it's life are sure
e,
cordlng to experts. Much has been done,
1T is said, through the educational cam
paigns to teach mothers on the proper
care and feeding o: young infants, and it
cation have been III large part the cause
of the 10 per cent decreaS, IN the rate of
infant mortality during the last eleven
and one-half years
x !:
afn~
work of popuarizing put LEGATIONS Of the
Department of Agri-
Agricultural culture and to do
prh1;oo+;o,. everything possible to
place the mass of in
formation gathered by the various bu-
reaus before the public in the best form
promises to prove one of the most inter-
esting experiments in publicity inaugu-
rated by any branch of the government.
Various bureaus of a number of the
departments have from time to time en-
ployed practical newspaper men to popu-
larize the work connected with the SCI
entific researches and statistical investi-
cations, but up to the present time little
has been done in working out eompre-
hensive scheme for any department as a
whole George Wilson Wharton a news
appointed to organize the work in the
Department of Agriculture, will for q
time be located in the bureau of chenis-
try. After he has had opportunity to be-
come thoroughly acquainted with the
work of all the bureaus of the depart
ment he will assist the Secretary and as
sistant secretary of agriculture In the
movement to improve all publications of
the department by making them more
interesting for the general reader, and
also to perfect methods of getting at the
vast store of information which is gath
cred by the hundreds of noted scientists
and investigators employed In the de-
partment.
Publicity work has been established in
different bureaus with varying success.
At times the work has been opposed by
some members of Congress who have not
understood its purposes and who have
tried to attach an odium to the word pub
licty. In a number of cases the men
doing the writing have been dubbed press
agents and the idea has gone out that
their duties have been solely to boost the
chiefs and the bureaus for whom they
were working. The publicity work which
has been carried on most successfully In
the bureaus has been conducted by men
who have had practical newspaper ex
perience and who know that puffs or I'M
due praise either of their superiors of
the bureaus themselves would hinder
rather than help the effectiveness of their
work.
Among the bureaus which have accom-
plshed much in the dissemination of pub
lie information after the work was placed
in the hands of practical newspaper men
are included the United States bureau of
the census, whose publicity work three
years ago was directed by Whitman Os-
good: the United States bureau of mines.
where the work is in charge of John J..
Cochrane; the United States bureau of
education, whose ''pOpularizer" is w.
Carson Ryan; the United States recama-
ton service, where publicity is handled
by the statsticiaD, c. j. Blanchard. and
the United States forest service.
The members of the Washington corps
of correspondents have found usually that
the nearest approach to theatrical press
agenting' coming from any of the de-
partments has usually been traced back
to men who have had no experience In
stand that boosts of persons or of bu
reaus will not be printed by managing ed
itors of various papers over the country.
An instance of the kind was shown dur
ing one of the recent administrations
when a cabinet officer directed that
either his name or the name of the de-
partment be placed in the first line or
first paragraph of every press notice given
to the newspapers The result of this
policy was that little or none of the copy
written along this line ever got into
print.
Mr. Wharton whose work in the
popularize the information gathered by
the various bureaus of the department,
and to show the difference between crude
press agenting and legitimate publicity,
comes to Washington after a SucceSsIul
newspaper experience in New York. The