The Washington times., 1914-11-06
Day Nursery Cut
Babies Death Rate
DispensaryAssociation ofSouth-
west Has Grown To Be a
Successful Social Service,
Says Leader.

Sepen years ago there WaS eS'
talished in southwest Washington q
dispenSary which has today become
the hub around which has grOWn
an important social service center.
A day nursery Wds added to the
dispensary. 1t Was conducted upon
a strictly cooperative basis.
Around the nursery there Sprdng
up a mothers club, whose pOrk
during the coming pinter will treat
of every phase of domestic science.
As a result of this cooperation
between the mothers of southwest
Washington, the baby death-toH of
more than 100 within a radius of
five blocks, e1acted by summer
complaint the year before the asso-
citation took up its work, has been
reduced nearly 100 per cent.
BY KENDRICK SCOFIELD.
and a little child shall lead them"
has long been a potent axiom in the
churches. But now a group Of Wash
ington women have invested the
-;
practical, humanitarian value, and
around this principal have builded
one of the most successful social ser
vice Organization of the city.
1t is known as "The Day Nursery
and Dispensary Association" of which
Mrs. w. E. Endrews is president; Mrs.
@. L. Peckham, first vice president;
Mrs. w. p. Sterns, second vice presi-
dent; Mrs. Z. c. Rogers secretary,
and Mrs. William J. French treas
urer. The association itself consists
Of 200 women members.
Something more than seven years
ago the nercleus of the association
came into being. and a dispensary
was established in southwest Wash
lngton for campaign among moth
ers. DIR. William ]. French, Of this
city, undertook the work.
The summer before the dispensary
was established there were more than
one hundred deaths among the children
residing In a radius of five square
blocks about the locality where DR..
French later established his service.
The first summer that the dispensary
operated, the precedent of one hundred
dead babies to pay the toll of summer
and the ordinary hot weather
ills to which youngsters are subject,
was cut to six. And since that time,
through the efforts Of the association,
that neighborhood is one Of the most
healthful in the entire Southwest.
Mothers Became Interested.
The success which the association at
tained in saving the children by a sim
pie course OF instruction interested the
mothers Of southwest Washington. and
their enthusiasm for the work impress
ed upon the associations members that
the children of that locality offered a
held through which a much greater and
cooperative system of self-help could
be inaugurated. So il was that the dis
pensary became the hub Of a wheel
which today embraces a mothers club.
a day nursery. campaign Of general
education along lines of health, SANTA
ion. and good government, as well as
the original object for which the asso-
cation was formed.
The establishment of the day nursery
eaturc at 466 n street southwest was
he second step in the DEVELOPMENT Of
ne association as an important factor
n the social service work of Washing
on, ana 1t was in the nursery that the
principle Of cooperation was first ap-
1lied to the work the association had
Its members knew that frequently
women were kept from earning a live