Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-04-01
Patriotism is Part
Of Our Daily Life
In All Activities

Many things are done nowadays in
the name of patriotism that, on care
| full inspection, will not bear the test.
War profiting takes many forms and
is responsible for many camouflaged
schemes, all in the name of patriot
ism. All is not gold that glitters:
and our observations and experiences
in these war times are calculated to
arouse our suspicious against propo-
sitions coming to the community
without credentials, worthy and well
vouched for. Some of them promise
great things and express much solici-
tude for suffering humanity, offer
ing antidotes and preventiyes for all
the ills we are heir to, physical,
moral and financial. Some of them
insist that the mothers of our chill
dren are not qualified properly to
look out for their babies and an ex.
pert asks to be placed in charge.
They have advocates, too, who point
out the fact that we employ experts
to look out for our hogs, sheep and
fruit trees and, in an expression of
holy solicitude, ask: "Are not our
children of as much Importance as
our hogs and cattle?" and advise that
an expert Miss be placed in charge
of the babies and the mothers rele-
gated to a secondary place in the
nursery.
The world has continued for loi
these many years and billions of peo-
pie have come and gone and plenty
of them still are here who have
reached manhood and old age, have
filled their place in the world to its
benefit, the greatest of them giving
to the mother that bore them the
credit for their success and longev-
ity. How many expert Misses"
know Of the feelings, sentiments and
solicitude of glorified motherhood?
Would you, simply because farmers
employ experts to help them improve
the breed Of hogs for commercial
purposes, place your babies in the
same category?
Go into the social realm Of so-called
"high life" where babies scarcely
Know their mothers, or the mothers
their babies, because as soon as 1t is
possible, baby is turned over to an
expert nurse and has no place in the
life of its parents. Do our great men
and women come, as rule, from this
class?
The greatest expert in the care Of
children the world has known or can
know has, by the Almighty, been de-
creed to be the mother.
Children should be taken away
from the mother who ceases to love
or care for them, but no proper
mother should be deprived Of one
scintilla Of her divine right to care
for her offspring.
1t is said that for the three or four
first months the salary and expenses
of the nurse are to be paid by an
association at Portland, but after that
time the taxpayers of the county will
be asked to supply the sinews-and
the nurse to be made permanent
institution. We are Hooverizing
along the line, but are asked to make
this an exception.
Are not the fathers and mothers
able to call nurse when in their
judgment they need one? In the
event that an epidemic should come
we have our county and city ply
sicians whose duty is to prescribe.
Who is the best nurse in case of
measles, whooping cough and kindred
troubles, if not Mother? Of course,
those who want public nurse have
the right to employ and pay one, but
those who do not are free-born
American citizens and should not be
forced either to employ one or to
help pay for the services rendered to
some one else.