Putnam patriot., 1917-05-11
Baby Week Drawing Near

The observance of Baby week Is be- coming nation wide movemen Sun dny, May 2Oth, it will begin it's vari. ous branches of activity in our city.
 Tuesday evening, May 22, the enter tainment will be furnished by the pu- pills oi the Israel Putnam and Smith Street schools, under the direction of the Misses Hall, McGarry and Ballard. IL will include the playlet, "Mrs. Didn't Know, and her Daughter, Don't Care.n
 Friday evening, the 25th, Miss Whit ing will have charge of the entertain ment, the numbers being given by the children of her grade, including "The Theft of Thistledown," a short play prepared by Prof. George NJ. P. Baird University of Pittsburgh, for use dur ing the Pittsburgh Baby week.
 The Trade school sewing department will make an exhibit of the best out. fit for baby's comfort, produced at the least expenditure.
 E. National Baby week was observed the first week in May. The importance of a special week being set apart for the consideration of the welfare of little children has been proven by the success of it's recent observance in New York and Boston.
 In New York in ten years the death rate of children under five years of age, has been reduced from 13 to ,; in nine teen years from r to ,; A statement which ought to spur Putnam toa like conservation system.
 During the past year 2l00 commIni. ties of America reported the details of Babyday or Baby week and there was agreat saving of baby life.
 A Providence paper Is printing a series of six articles on the scientific care of baby, which are most commend, able, often helpful, yet there are, many mothers incapable of reading these valuable health hints and that is where the value of instruction through practical demonstration comes in, such as is afforded by Baby week, which should be supplemented by the continued presence of trained, dis trtet nurse, the need of whish iS ire. quently felt. We are told that fully 10 per cent. of the babies annually born in the United States, l25,000 babies, are unnecessarily sacrificed through ignorance et ihe laws Of health and general unsanitary con dltions.
 "kvery home should be health centre, and that can only be made possible through realization of ex- istent facts and boosting and booming the health cause in regard to the pres enee ot a trained district nurse. In the words Of Dr. Terry, Health Officer Jacksonville, Floridaai Coercion must give place 10 cooperation and to ac- complish this we must carry our pre- ventive activities 10 the kitchens and nurseries-to the firesides of our peo- ple-to motherhood, and we must do this through the nurse"
 Dr. Clinton P. MeCord, Health Di. rector Albany Public schools, says: "The nurse stands today as the most helpful, single agent In any campaign, for the improvement Of health condi tions in the schools, of our country.n
 pr. Robert C. Paterson, Ohio State Board of Health, ,tells us: "Each day il is becoming clearer to health author ities that the public health nurse pre- sents the key 10 practically every one of their so called problems in prevent i've medicine and hygiene.
 And it Is all summed up in the words of Dr. Charles Hastings, Presi- dent Canadian Public Health sssocia-