Arizona republican., 1918-04-02
CHILD WELFARE CLINIC OPENS WITH BIG
 ATTENDANCE: MOTHERS MUCH INTERESTED

If the following five days of the clinic are as well attended as today Arizona will have set an enviable rec ord. Promptly at o'clock the work was begun and more babies were en- rolled than could be examined. The overflow was held for the afternoon. More floor space has been added and more nurses have been engaged for the remainder of the week.
 At 10:30 o'clock enrolment was sus- pended. the babies sent to the nursery, and the next 30 minutes was given over to the mothers. Prenatal Care and the Hygiene of Pregnancy was the subject considered. Mothers were told that in order to become good mothers they must know something about babies before the time of their confine- ment It was shown that 73 per cent of all babies born in the registration area of the United States who die dur ing their first month die because of conditions neglected before birth; 39 per cent of all babies in registration area who die during their first year die from the same cause. These figures are given out by the Children's Bureau and should convince mothers and pros pectiVe mothers that medical advice
 while she is carrying her child is just as important as medical attention at the time of her confinement The only sure way to save babies is by educating 1 those who expect to become mothers. To stumble along blindly, trusting to mother instinct" is like climbing the hill with the brakes on.
 After discussing carefully some of the things mothers usually regard as too insignificant to tell their physician Dr. Tarr closed his remarks by em- physiZing the following;
 First: To be the strong and healthy mother of a strong and healthy babe is one of the most beautiful and gratify- ing services a woman can offer to her country. This woman is more a pa triot than the man who goes over the top"
 Second: It is better, safer and cheaper to put a fence at the top of a precipice than an ambulance at the l bottom. In other words it is better safer and cheaner to keep babies well than to get them well.
 Third: Being a good mother is cas- fer than being any other kind of a mother. All that must be remembered is that because it is a physical possi- bility for a woman to be a mother does not mean that she knows anything about babes. She must put nerSelr Tn a receptive mood and actually admit that to be a good mother she must educate herself along the lines suggested in the folder Motherhood" There are enough of these folders to supply every mother in. Phoenix.
 The afternoon session was heavier
 than the morning session but all babies
 present were examined and at 3: 90 o'clock Dr. Earl McCollum addressed the audience of mothers.
 Never before in history has woman reached such a pinacle of importance; socially, politically and economically n her we look not only the preserva- tion of the race but for the improve ment of each succeeding generation
 Since the outbreak of the war mater nity has become a rational problem and England, Fr nee, Belgium and the United States have all turned their at tention to this great issue. Obstetrics is coming out of the realm of mystery and ignorance and must be placed fore most among the sciences, for upon it depends the development of the race.
 "A short time ago we were startled