The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-09-28
Mrs. Lee Monroe Rises to De-
Tense of Child Hygiene.
Asks Secretary State if He
Knows Language of Love.
DO NOT DEPEND ON GRANDMA
When Child's Life Hangs in
Balance, Cost Is No Item.
Suggests Political Board to
swatch Office Seekers"

piled to the charges OF j. l. Dun
secretary of state, who claimed the oe
partment was in the useless cia $50 az
should be abolished. Inc lopez
woman declares that the mothers o.
Kansas would commit nuruerou !,
failure" if they observed bothl ~
idea of following the old rules 1Oi
raising babies. -.
In the Judgment of Mrs. Monroe the
secretary of state shows undue con
Germ regarding the board Wh!ch she
says has for its purpose the rdISlIie %
better babies. Mrs. Monroe was oIle
of the women who devoted muSh llIlle
in securing the passage OF the Iesls-
lative appropriations for the supp e.
of the bureau of child hygiene. oo
when Secretary BOtkin a Few Gays dSO
declared that the state was gov
erned, inspected, supervised regu-
lated and controlled from the craule
to the grave" Mrs. Monroe came TO
the defense of the baby board. II was
against this new state department. '1ih'
Botkin aimed his shaft
Replying to the BOtkin assertion
that babies should be raised In the
good old fashioned way and not &C
cording to book rules, Mrs. Monroe TO-
day said:
Mrs. Monroe's Ideas.
1--WE are governed, inspected,
supervised, regulated and con-
trolIed from the cradle 10 the
grave" Iaments Mr.. Botk1n, sec
lie uttcranccS.
Mr.. Botkin arra1gEs the present
state administration as fostering ana
harboring too many boards ana ne
much desires the growing eV1l checked
before it is too late. This IS a gen
eral condemnation, then he specializes
on the division of child hygiene
1t is rather peculiar. that IS the
women of the state OF Kansas VIII
think it peculiar. that Mr. Botkin,
who has been in position for many
MANY years to know all about this
growing number of boards, should not
have raised his voice against some
other useless board, since he says
there are many, but should center his
wrath upon the only board that has
had for its purpose the betterment OF
the condition of women and children
And will you bear in mind that this
new division is not a newly created
board. after all. 1t ought to have sat
isfied Mr. Botkin, for it is a new
duty added to an old board, the board !
of health.
Mother Knows.
Unconsciously sometimes we are
selfish in what we think ought to be
done for the people. The woman who
is herself a mother can in her SYM
pathy put herself in the place of
every other mother
She knows just how that mother
feels if baby does not grow and thrive
as he ought.
She knows the terror of sleepless
nights for the mother in the country |
with the doctor many miles away and |
baby feverish and in an agony which |
even grandma has not alleViated.
Mr.. Botkin has never had any chill !
dren so he does not direct the mother |
to rely upon the language of love of
father
But even relying on the language of
love of the mother has lost many hum !
dreds of little lives to the state every |
year. There is a language of love, |
but unfortunately it does not speak in |
medical terms either to the mother |
or the child
Now About Grandma.
Mr. Botkin says, IF the young |
mother is in doubt as to the proper
care of her baby, grandma should be
consulted.
eff the baby is so unfortunate as to
have no grandma, then some other
in the neighborhood who has raised
half dozen children will be glad to
furnish the necessary information and
advice free OF cost
Suppose that the baby is very sick,
that grandma, though ever so capable,
lives miles away and that the nearest
neighbor was Mr.. Botkin, the poor
mother is going to have some trouble
in getting this free expert advice.
The mothers and fathers are not
their children. With a little life
hanging in the balance cost is not
thought of. While free advice is TAX
en- many times ir an emergency it is
often worth no more than it costs
IND has yet cost many life. And
while this poor mother is Industrious
y looking over her neighborhood for
he kind mother with six. what is hap
oening to the sick baby, or does she
AXE It with her?
What About Father?
Mr.. Botkin makes the very general
mistake of laying all the stress of the
pond between mother and child. Is
he father deaf to this language of
owe?
Mans Love of Live Stock.
There is a mighty insistent bond be-
ween the man and his domestic ami
nails; they are the money end often of
he farm, and they speak a language
hat the prosperous farmer can write
nut in his check book
But he does not rely upon this
language of love and finance when the
3erkshires are off feed. He consults
state inspector even by wire and de-
hands that he not onIy have consulta-
ion but a personal visit from the de-
)artment.
Why didn't the secretary of state in
list that the man go and hunt up his
or some other large hog
,wner instead of invoking state aid.
wen unto hog cholera serum made by
special plant.
This division of child hygiene was
lot formed to meet n theory or to try
Tut experiments in rearing children by
,ook-rule. However, if we go back on
,ook-rule we are repudiating all civil /
cation, for it is through books and 4
he reducing of precepts to writing
hat we move forward. This division
$ to meet this condition. Statistics
how that one out of every five babies /
'orn, die before it reaches the age of
ne year.
A Murdcrol=s Failure.
Sunnose the stockman met this fact