The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-04-29
BETTER BABIES CAM
PAIGN is NOW ON

Enthusiasm for the cause of better
babies is rapidly growing. Recently
il received a strong impetus from the
visit of Mrs. Aristene Felts. Better
babies is the catch word, but better
mothers is the real heart Of the move
ment. Better babies, better boys and
girls, better citizens cannot help re-
sulting from better mothers.
Mrs. Felts, as president Of the Ore
gon Congress of Mothers, has had a
wide experience in this line Of work,
and her talk was most interesting.
She said that one day a week is de-
voted to the testing Of babies at their
regular bureau of babies at the court
house. No prizes are awarded, no ad-
vertisement Of perfect physical speci-
ments is made in the papers or else
where. The real prize is given each
mother. Ii is a better understanding
Of her child and his needs. The adver-
tisement gets abroad in the most effec-
tive manner possible, one mother
preaching the benefits received to an
other who may receive them if she
will. A waiting list OF over 200 babies
always confronting them sttests the
effectiveness of this form of advertise
ment. Its gospel is evidently preached
in many languages, for babies Of over
a score of different natlOnalities have
been examined. including those from
even such remote parts as China, Rus
sia and Iceland. In consequence moth
eTs have to register early ard await
their summons considerably later.
Mrs. Felts told how simply and east
ly the test is made; how that capable
and willing public servants in the form
Of doctors and nurses connected with
the bureau of better babies donate
their time and the benefit of their
kno owledge and experience to eager
mothers. Mrs. Felts went on to say
that they were, moreover, willing to
give days services in different parts
of the state for the furtherance of this
cause. The matter of securing them
for Hood River is now in the hands of
our secretary, Mrs. G. D. Hoyt.
1t is hoped that preliminary test
may be arranged in about a month s
time. The exact date. together with a
list of the visiting committees to whom
to apply, will be announced later.
Mothers are advised to register early
either in person or by phone. as it will
have TO be case of first come first
served.
In describing the examination of the
babies, Mrs. Felts laid stress upon the
fact of its privacy. She said. 1--WE do
not flaunt our babies to the public as
we do our prize stock Each doctor
and attendant is screened off in a sort
of little booth. making the whole test
as comfortable and agreeable as pOss-
ible for both child and mother"
The spirit of the Mothers Congress
is very much opposed to prize giving.
The only exceptions that they suggest
to this rule is occasionally in the case
of two tests at six or IL month inter-
walls in which mothers are awarded
prizes for babies not having the high
est score, but those showing the great
est amount of improvement in the in
terval. As a rule, however, nO.other
prize is needed than the mothers own
qualification. This. system gives a
weak baby even greater chance for a
prize than robust one.
Mrs. Fets concluded by saying. "To
show that the whole system of baby
testing is developing, each year it is
being revised and improved"
Hood River eagerly awaits its OPP
portunity to get in touch with this line
of progress as all others. 1t will be
particularly interesting for those
mothers who are able to get their ba-
bIes into the first test to see their de-
velopment by the.time of the second,
which will take place as originally
planned, at the time of the school chill
dren's industrial fair in September.
Committee.