St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-06-15
Not Contest, as Many Supposed,
But to Ascertain Average Of
Americas Growing Generation
LESS THAN FOUR HUNDRED
BROUGHT CHILDREN HERE
Work win Continue Until Beginning
Of Next Week, says COMMITTEES
Having Matter In Charge,
as Many Failed to Come

This was baby weighing and meas
uring week at the federal court and
poatoffice building Monday and
Tuesday were devoted to white chill
tdren under the age OF five years and
Wednesday the colored children had
their inning Owing to the fact that
the fundamental idea Of the affair had
not been thoroughly understood by
the parents the great majority failed
to show up with their offspring. bes
lieVing that It was more Of baby
contest than anything else. There
was no such thing as contest I'M
volved, however, and the committee
wishes to stress that point. Ii wss
simply census Of the babies 81 t1a
country and to find out their weights
and sizes and apparent phy ysical cdnd
ton and was simply Following nut the
wishes of the goYernment tos asesg
tain exactly the status Of the comtn
generation
Monday one hundred white childfan
were Weighed aud rpe asuFed while
the 1sr "
four. wednesday,, the Id. seyeted IA
the negro children, one hundred ana
sisty-three were weighed and meas
ured, and one white child, whose par
ents failed to come ID the day before
was also examined.
The registration merely brought ont
the name, height and weight of the
child and noted il the children were
apparently healthy and sound phys
ically and free from serious defects
Mrs. Alex Watkins was chairman q
the parish committee while Miss Ger
trude sandoz held q similar position
with the city committee, and both
these ladies' and their co.workers e1
erted themselves to the utmost to
make the entire registration d sue
cess. Other chairmen we're appoints
ed throughout the parish but UP 70
the present time all but two have
failed to report. Their reports are
expected later on. The Opelousas
committee was ably assisted by Mrs.
Frank shute and Misses Daisy Thornl
sen, Helen sandoz, Evelyn Stays and
Gertrude Sanders. The work VIII
continue throughout next Monday az
the COMMITTEES feels that there were
more children of that age who we're
not present and It hopes to see this
city go over the top IN the work y
hand.
The first white child weighed was
Willie May Barnett, aged year and
10 months. The first white male
was Mortimer Douglas Cain They
were splendid specimens as were
many other brought up for the occa.
sion, and st. Landrians can rest as-
sured that the babies Of this parrish
are not degenerating at all. Later o11
the committee win make full and
complete report announcement of its
work and 1t should be interesting
reading.
The first outside stations to report
are Euuice and Route Of Opelousas
and the ladies' in charge are 70 he
congratulated on the creditable show
ing made by their respective conamu.
mites.
MRS. Warren Berwick OF Euuice re-
ports that two hundred and eighteen
children were weighed and measured
there, of which number one hundred
and sixty.eight were whites and fifty
colored.
Miss Martha Lavergne Of Route
out Of this city reports the Weighing
and measuring Of eighteen whites and
seventeen colored children.
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