The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-14
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFO R M ALTON
Blu AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director.
Washington. D. c.
CHILDREN AND THE WAR.
uI-Child Conservation.
Washington. D. C

providing adequate protection for the
juvenile part of the nation becom.s,
in time of war, a most vital and
urgent one. Victory will not mean
much if it is bought at the cost of
an ernaciated young, and even defeat
may be redeemed if the ground work
for a timely reconstruction has been
placed among the growing genera
ton.
The government of the United
States is alive to this fact, and the
governments of our allies have also
awakened to it. In almost all of the
countries now engaged in the world
struggle the work of child conserva-
ton is proceeding on a scale almost
as extensive as the work of producing
soldiers, ships or munitions. Every
where measures are being taken to
lower the rates of infant mortality,
and the fallacies which led to the
closing of the schools and recreation
grounds as g necessary economy are
being corrected. 81
In the United States this work
has been centralized in the Children's
Bureau of the Department. of Labor.
headed by Miss Julia c. Lathrop,
eminent as a sociologist and former
associate of Miss Jane Adams of Chi
cago Hull House. While the COM
plete program for child reclamation
has not yet teen launched by the Chill
dren's Bureau, an extensive study of
conditions affecting children is being
made in an endeavor to determine
which of them may menace the de-
velopment of American boys and girls.
OF course, an immense quantity of de-
tail accumulated in years of research
of social workers has been placed at
the disposal of the bureau. but much
of this cannot be applied to the abnor-
NAL conditions which have grown out
of the war.
A large portion of the study of the
Federal Children's Bureau was direct
ed toward the problem of infant NOR
tality, and Investigations were con-
Quoted in communities where a high
death rate among babies seemed due
to social, economic and civic factors.
Reports of some OF the Investigations
have been previously detailed in this
column.
It was realized that infant mortality
could only be curtailed thru proper
provision for mothers, and relative to
this a great deal of legislation has
been introduced at the behalf of the
children bureau. The most recent,
and perhaps the most adequate of
these. was the bill presented Jointly
by Miss jeanette Rankin of Montana,
and Senator Robinson of Arkansas. to
extend to the mothers of the United
States the measures of protection now
N effect in England. where many sue
cessful inroads have been made into
the rates of infant mortality.
In 1915, England succeeded in
bringing the infant death rate to a
lower ebb than ever before, and to a
much lower ebb than in the birth reg
istratien areas of the United, States.
The belief is that this was due to the
subsidies. which in England are grant,
ed to such local welfare work as-pub-
lie health nursing and consultation
centers., The amount of money spent
for this purpose has been increased
each year since the beginning of the
war ana in the budget of 1918 totals
more than s1,15O, 600, for England
and Wales. A still further expansion
of this work is being discussed by par
Lament.
1t is the belief of the children's bu-
reau that the present alarming death
rate among mothers and young chill
oil en- in this country can be reduced
only when the same measures are
adopted here HE Rankin Robinson
bill provides that federal aid be grant
ed to state activities among mothers
and children of the rural districts.
Provision is made, however, that such
state work shall conform to standards
set by the children's bureau. For the
first year each state would receive an
appropriation of $4,000. This allow
ance, under certain conditions, might
be considerably increased.
In rural districts, where physicians
and hospitals are not accessible, and
there is an almost complete lack of
trained nurses, many mothers and
babies die of ills which might easily
have been prevented. The public
health nurse is even more needed in
such districts than in the large cities.
Another phase of the child conser-
xyof lon fe nf a.
ing suitable means of recreation for
growing children Considerable head
way has been made in this
regard by the esta blishment of
Children's year. The Children,s year,
which began in April of this year, and
will extend until April. 1919, has been
known as recreation drive for
having its objective the increase of
physical vigor and adeptness among
the boys and girls of America. 1t has
been given a patriotic aspect, because
an effort has been made to implant
in the minds of the children that by
developing their own health and
strength they are performing an in
valuable service to the country.
This work has been aided in a great
measure by the cooperation of chill
dren's organizations enga ged in war
time activities. Among these might
be mentioned the Boy Scouts, the
SaAAP II SlIlSs Ills WdE BdIueHeTS
of the United States bureau of educa-
ton, the Junior Red Cross, the boys
and girls clubs of the department of
agriculture, and various orga nizations
sanctioned or supervised by the gov
eminent.
AS part of this the bureau pro-
poses to set aside a week for the pur-
pose of athletic competition between
or among the various organizations
which have taken part in the Chill
drens year campaign. This will be
known as Patriotic Play Week. The
first week in September has been
suggested for play week, but Wherever
another date may be better fitted to
the needs of a community. the change
Is recommended. Whenever possible
play week will be held in connection
with county fair, a grange meeting
or other gathering.
Sucn activities as the chifdren's
year campaign will be supplemented