The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-01-28
Uncle Sam To Find
Out Why Babies Die

history of the child throughout the
first year of its life, IL 1t lives so
long; or, IL not, to find out why 1t
died. The information obtained from
each family will be recorded on care.
fully prepared schedules, the ques-
tons on which cover the general
family conditions the children have
been born into as well as the gen.
eral neighborhood conditions in
which the family lives.
The kind of housing afforded the
baby, the clothing 1t wears, the man
ner of feeding, If bottle fed, the kind
of milk given it, the milk supply Of
the district, the local sanitation, the
family income and the manner OF its
expenditure, the occupations and a
general history of the parents, are a
few of the questions to be asked.
Limited Area First
The inquiry will be Democratic to
the last degree, for no family, high
or low, will be left unvisited in any
city which the bureaus investigators
may decide to study.
While the cities in which the bu.
reau's experts will go have not been
definitely selected as yet, neverthe-
less they are restricted to very def
mite sections of the country. These
sections are the census bureaus so
called registration areas" or those
which have compulsory birth regis
least 80 per cent of the births are
properly reported.
A Practical Census
The census of the babies is eX-
pected to be of practical benefit in
many ways. In the first place, it
will demonstrate finally the relation
ship between poverty and the birth
rate as well as the death rate among
babies. 1t will show precisely what
features of civilized life make for
| death and what make for health
among the little ones, as well as to
what degree each circumstance is re
| sponsible for the generai result. II
will settle, once and for all, the long
mooted question, whether working
women can have as many babies
and as healthy ones, as women who
are employed only in homework. Ant
finally, it will allow of some fina
conclusions as to the proper diet 10
young infants.
Indirectly, also, much is anticipat
ed from the coming Investigations o
the children's bureau, by focusing at
tention upon what has already beel
done to stop the slaughter of the in
nocents Thus the birth rate of New
Zealand for children under one yea
of age is but bS per thousand, Will
the corresponding figure for Fal
River, Mass, is 1870, and 70
Lawrence, 172.
Registration Laws Essential
A further result of the baby Ger
sus which will be undertaken by tn
children's bureau within the mex
few days, il is considered certain Wi
be ultimately to secure the passag
of compulsory registration Of a
births and deaths in every stat
which does not now require this II
, formation. At present no states poi
sess satisfactory birth registratio
laws except the handful already gi'
en-, while the necessity for an exteI
sion Of death registration laws
brought out by Miss Lathrop with tn
statement that today only 5S.3 pc
cent of the population of the cont
mental United States live under sue
requirement.
There are. of course, reasons VIII
America lags behind European coul
tries in the matter of noting tn
births of children" said Miss Latl
rop. "One reason is that the Unite
States has not resorted to one e!
pedient. the sternest, most hateful
the world, by which, faultles
, birth registration might be secured
that is, to the establishment of col
scription and great standing arm
God forbid that this country shoul
ever count its children to the cru
and wasteful end of war!
, But has peace no reasons for knoN
: ing authoritatively the advent of e
cry citizen? Are not human lives
| civilization of peace worth enoue
, each in turn to be dignified by sue
public record as shall preserve eat
! link in the human chain?
: Certainly property rights can {
+ ten be economically and justly pr
served only by the registration
: births. Picturesque and tragic insti
e ces of the loss of property RICH
v due to lack Of birth registration a
/, | Oh hand. hut rnooihlv n hnp,prnua 4