New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-03

/ Il enemies! And Of these three
ST. the worst are mothers, because
N& they can do more things to the
MA[ children and do them more OF
S.xe1n. the time"
The recklessly truthful iconoclast who made
this remark was not Worse luck!-but Mrs.
Florence Kelley. Had l said it, should have
added grandmothers and other well-meaning
friends, especially those fatally kind people
who seem to regard child as hole into which
something TO eat or drink must perpetually be
poured.
Sometimes YOU see in the park or on the street
the child Of an especially sensible mother pla-
carded with please don't kiss this baby" 1t
would be even more to the point if the placard
read please don't feed this baby" for about a
kiss there is at least the element of chance,
but indscriminate feeding means sure trouble.
knowledge of a mothers duties and respon-
sibilities is still regarded as being largely in
spirational Motherhood is supposed to bring
with il a food Of enlightenment regarding the
proper care of the child. When inspiration
fails. grandmother, auntie and every married
woman on the visiting list do their best to NIL
in the gaps.
The result is hard luck for the poor little
victim of misplaced tenderness. AS John
Spargo says: Ignorance plays an important
role in the great problems of childhood's sut-
fering and misery The tragedy Of the infants
position is its helplessness; not only must ne
suffer on account of the misfortunes OF his
parents, but he must suffer from their vices
and their ignorance as WE'LL
VICTIMS OF IGNORANCE
Children are the victims Of almost incredible
ignorance. Educated or uneducated, what low
ing mothers can do to their children in the way
of feeding is astonishing!
A college woman whom know admits that
she lost her first baby entirely through igno-
rance. At the other end Of the social scale is
the mother Of baby barely six weeks old
found by district nurse in Boston IN the
family clothes basket-which served as its
crade-with a bottle Of beer by its side and
sucking long strip Of greasy bacon. Thanks
to the nurse, the child was rescued from i'm
mediate death, but the chances are that it will
never recover from the severe intestinal dis
order induced by this extraordinary diet for
infants-and the net result is one more ineff-
cient-possibly criminal-citizen.
The difference that proper care makes in hui
man life is not merely one of vital statistics.
1t Is question Of cultivation, and the contrast
is as great as that between the wild aster and
the gorgeous velvety beauties of our flower
shows. It Is the difference between the human
being who barely scrapes through life and the
developed man or woman who realizes TO the
full the possibilities which are the endowment
Of every normal child.
II Is largely a matter Of feeding. Intelligent
feeding Of any kind is comparatively new AL
though analyses Of food materials have been
generally available since 1899, 1t is only within
the last five years that women have begun to
fake any active interest In the subject Of nu-
triton.
From early days until about a generation
ago the feeding of children was largely mat
ter Of tradition and superstition. Not until
1s47 did we find the first serious study Of sub
stitutes for breast milk. At that time cows
milk was recommended by one Michael Under
wood, who also outlined the care of milk re-
ceptacles. horn feeding bottle was intro
duced shortly afterward but the mortality of
artihciaIly fed babies was fearfully high-not
a surprising thing under the circumstances.
The introduction of modern methods of caring
for milk and feeding the babies has done won
ders, as is proved each year by the reports of
the Department of Child Hygiene.
TRAIN PARENTS AND CHILDREN
The first step in training children to eat is
TO learn that there are well-defned limitations
in the matter Of their diet, TO master these
and respect them and TO acquire proper stand
ards as 10 what a well child ought TO be. Many
people have not the faintest idea of any stand
ard in health-especialy the health Of the
child. If it can run about and is not too
troublesome, il is well enough.
Nevertheless, parents as well as children,
are being trained, though slowly. Baby health
contests and medical inspection in schools have
done much to reveal the deficiencies Of children
and to inform people as 70 causes and RENE
dies. And nothing is so fundamentally impor-
tant TO strength, beauty, good temper, intelli-
gence and resistance TO disease as good feed
ing.
But the feeding problem is neither easy nor
simple. When we are dealing with complex
human beings, many factors must be taken
into consideration, some physical, some mental,
others social and economic General principles
have to be applied with tact and common sense
10 particular cases.
The problem of proper nourishment begins
before child Is born. The newborn baby is
n l. Il