Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1918-01-11

tliN Dr. John W. Duke, state Health
commits iOncr)
Conserving the Health ~ Children
We are apt to think Of war and
war problems as sometime" princi
pally affecting adults. and having
60 'lnarativclv little to do with the
children. To n certain extent this IL
true. and concerns the direct con
duct of the war: nevertheless, one
Of the most important and difficult
problems which nation must face
in modern war conditions is to con
| nrNc the health of its children As
the war comes nearer to the homes
of this country more or less tens
nervous condition is created. which
| probably Is felt more by the chill
drcn than by the adults. In addi-
| tion. the taking away OF heads of
| families for the army. the greater
employment Of women In industrial
pursuits result in economic and So
cial conditions detrimental to the
children.
II is the opinion of investigators
who have made n careful study Of
conditions. not only In the United
States. but in Canada and England.
whcrc conditions are somewhat sim
| liar. but where war has mad" itself
felt to Il greater degree. that thcr"
will be need for more play and for
wholesome recreation for our chill
drcn, particularly for school chill
drrn. In fact il is generally held
that in England Il marked drmoral
i2ation has resulted form neglect
Of play activities. due To the de-
mands of tn" war. This is Il mis-
take which this country should Ger
tainly avoid
Nrcd for Pla, grounds.
This l. Il good time to remind our
selves. says Miss Julia &. lathrop.
chief of the childrcn'S bureau at
| Washington. that the continuanc"
and development Of all types of in
noccnt and hcnlthful recreation in
every community offer patriotic
call to service for many who cannot
go to the front The strain and
anxiety which are certain to grow in
this country for an indefinite period
ahead of us need to be- connlcrhal-
anced by greater community effort
To provid" for greater play
Child and Woman Labor.
There has been "A demand in Ger
tain States for the temporary abro-
cation of III" laws limiting tn" hours
of labor for women. and oth"rwiS"
defining conditions under which
they shall work. There has been a
similar though less extensive de
| .t,i.,
tions upon child labor. OF course,
all such questions NUT b" settled ~
cording to actual conditions and the
needs OF the country. Nevertheless
this is a matter which should he
handled with the greatest car"
There is danger that tn" doing away
with such restrictions may hay" II
: serious and permanent aud adverse
effect upon the health of both wO
men and children.
Hundreds of thousands oi women
are employed in tn" munitions fac
tories oi England. rs well aS in 9th
rr lines of effort which before th'
war W"r" confined to men Win
proper management ana America :
great human resources il is 10 ht
hoped thar We will rot hay" Ia ~
such emergency methods. But il
women are "mpluv"d, instead of do
iu" away with VII" re-. tIl,tluuE. "
should iucr"as" them IN" greatest
rur. should h" exercised that hour
are rot % long as tn iui"lv" strains
~ their hHilth, thut ventilation,
lI"hi. vest facilities and other con
, diiiunS which Cou@"rv" h"aith ar'
maintained not ~ - lower, hut n
, hirhrr standard rh" fu'ur" Of \m
, erica viii rest upnn Tho hral'h Of il:
women aud children lust ~ truly Il
II viii upon n" bravery aud effort
! of our men who will tiGht for II
, | ',Onrw here in France.