Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-28

One of the most important activities of woman in war time, an activity for which she is peculiarly fitted, is the care and protection Of the nations children, according to Miss Caroline RuutZ-Rees, chairman of the commit tee on woman's activities of the Con- necticut council Of defense and head mistress of Rosemary Hall. Miss Ruutz- -Rees said:
 ''Why must our nation conserve its children? That is question which inspires in most women the same sort of embarrassment that geometrical problems cause in minds without apti tude for distractions. Why attempt to prove what anyone can see? What reasons can one find for what anyone i would take for granted9
 By instinct we women feel that children's welfare i.as profound inn for our own, but are uneasy that chil- aran should be ill cared for anywhere within our ken.-And this instinct has been fostered into sentiment and con- viction by all sorts of movements in which women have taken an active part and lively interest, such as the ] kindergarten and Montesserin move ments, the movements for free school i lunches, for day nurseries. for homes or for placement in truer homes, and so on.
 l "The recent establishment of the children's bureau 1Eas proof that the welfare Of children was, even before i the war, in the category of things wor- ! thy of political consideration. It had 1 become evident even then that, if the ! n fn Ian 1aJpilf ysfa ioa1 1l5y and morally, it's children must be cared for: but what then gave anxiety ! to the thoughtful student of social ; conditions is now & problem, forced 1 upon the attention of every intelligent 1 citizen.
 "All the belligerents in this great war are faced with the question of re- population. They; have dangerously lowered their resources because they
 have had to draw off from the poPula,
 tion it's best and nobiest youth.
 ] The nation that takes the lead 1T
 the future will be the nation with ths most vigorous young generations com. ing up to replace the present genera ton, so narrowed and broken and ray. ished of it's best.
 "The Germans feel this, and are al
 ready taking means to strengthen their nunbers-means characteristieal ly thorough, cfaraeteristically laekins
 in fine feeling. Quite early, when i
 became evident that the population
 question would be instant, German |. women began to protest that wanan'l : dignity and right to her own persel
 must be respected. They knew wei
 what they had to be afraid of. An.
 now we learn that they were justifiabl.
 on their guard, The papers tell us tha
 the German government is encouraging lateral marriages urging marriei couples to obtain the consent of thei partners to contract temporary union with others, unions which are to com , to an end when children have beei born. Women are especially exhorte' !. to do this, those in particular, on l supposes, whose husbands are in tn r trenches. And who has not bee; 5 herrified to learn of the carrying oi of children born of German fathers i 5 the occupied territoriss?- And asaiI
 of the carrying away of French chil
 dren, of girls and of women? Thi
 has not been purely wanton cruelty:
 has been part of deliberate policy 3 the same policy which made Bismare 7 encourage. easy legitimatizipg of chil f dren. What would become of m l afmies?' he is said to have ex . claimed in reply to the advocates of ] stricter morality. Well! England an = France also have their popuiatie = problem and we in turn shall hay r ours.
 "Our. coming generation must b VI numerically. sufficient: it must4 be 8