The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-04-04
WEIGH YOUR CHILD FOR THE
GOVERNMENT

The instructions for carrying out
the Weighing and Measuring Test Of
American children under years Of
age were sent today by the Child We'll
fare Department of the Domains Com
mittee of the Council of National De-
tense to its State and local childwel-
fare chairmen who will be responsible
for the test in each community. The
record cards will follow after word Is
received of the exact number required
by each committee.
The test is the first feature of Chill
dren's Year which begins on April 6.
The plans for Children's Year pre-
pared by the Children's Bureau of the
U. s. Department of Labor include &C
tivities designed to protect all chill
dren from the special dangers of war
time and to save the lives Of 100000
little children before April 6, 1919.
Many of the physical defects which
caused the rejection of one-third of
the men coming up for examination
in the first draft are believed to date
from some slight trouble neglected in
early childhood. And the Children's
Bureau emphasizes the fact that
higher standar dof physical fitness in
the rising generation can be assured
only by greater attention to the physi-
cal condition Of children.
According to the Bureau, height
and weight and their relation to each
other are rough index Of young
child's health and development. For
instance, when a child is strikingly
below the average weight for his
height or Is strikingly small for his
age, it indicates that expert advice
about diet and daily care Is needed
In so far as the test makes it plain to
parents that the physical condition of
their children needs special attention,
and in so far as 1t leads to community
provision for public health nurses and
consultation centers for babies and
young children, to safeguarding of
the milk supply, and to other mea-
sures for the protection of children,
1t will aid in conserving their health
and in reaching the goal of 100000
lives saved during Children's Year.
The record. card which the Chill
drens Bureau has prepared for this
test gives table of average heights
and weights for boys and girls at
birth, at every month of age from the
9Th to the 4Sth and at every year from
the 9Th to the 10th. One-half of the
card will be rtained by the parents. |
1t includes the table the table of |
heights and weights and has blanks |
for subsequent records so that par
ents can watch the child's growth; for
while single examination Is valuable
a series Of examinations Is far more
valuable.
The other half of the card provides
also for recording the height and
weight Of the child at the time of the
national test Il will be used by the
ocal committee in Analysing the facts
ibout Its own community and then it
will be forwardeded to the Children's
Bureau at Washington.
Parents who wish to enter their
in the national test should
with the local chair
nan of the child-welfare committee
4 their State Council of National De- {
ense, or II no such chirman has yet {
een appointed, with the county or, ;
tate child-welfare chairman of the I
ouncil. Local chairmen who have I
lot received Instructions about the {
est or the detailed program Of which [
he test Is the first feature should
at once with the child I
lelfare chairman Of their State Coun- I
II Of Defense. [