Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-28
TRAVELS IN PHILADELPHIA
By Christopher Morley

the Child Federation. BY the kindness OF
the Federation, and Miss O'Neill, the super
visor of public school Fairgrounds, Il was
privileged to visit four of these classes the
other afternoon. In three of the schools
the children were learning how to put the
baby to bed; in one they were sitting around
small bathtub studying the technique of
the baby's bath. Some of the girls had
brought babies with them, for almost all of
them are at least partly responsible for the
care of one or more children. There was
n moving pathos in the gravity with which
these matrons before their time discussed the
problems of their craft and yet it was also
the finest kind of game and they evidently
enjoyed it heartily. Many of them come from
ignorant homes where the parents know next
to nothing of hygiene. Their teachers tell
of the valiant efforts of these children to
convert their mothers to more sanitary ways
efforts which are happily often successful.
In one home, where the father was tailor,
the baby was kept in room where the press
ing was done, the air was hot and heavy
with steam. The small daughter, who vas
a member of the Little Mothers League, in
sisted on the baby being removed to another
room. Two children in another school, who
had been told of the Importance of keeping
the baby's milk on ice, tried to make home.
made ice boxes, which their fathers, be-
coming interested, promised to finish for
them.
ONE wishes that all this might be only an
~ enchanting game for these children, and
that it would not be necessary for them to
put it into practice every day, with
tired little arms and aching backs. He must
be stiff hearted indeed who can watch these
gatherings, their tousled little heads and
bare legs, their passionate intentness, their
professional enthusiasm, without something
of a pang. They know so much of the
problems, and they are so pathetically small.
There is a touching truth in the comment
of one teacher in her report: ''The girls
who had no babies at home seemed to take
greater interest than those that did have"
But this is not always so, for nothing could
be more enthusiastic than the little essays
written by the children themselves, describ-
ing what they have learnt. l cannot resist
u few quotations:
No one can be healthy unless she is
extremely clean. Baby will want his bath
daily, with soap and warmish water. You
should not put to much soap on the baby's
face as it get in the babys eyes. They
likes to kick the water as long as sup
port his head. Before starting this
swimming expedition, you should have all,
her or him clothes warm, by you, and he
expects a warm flannel on your knees to
lie You must carefully dry all the
creases in his fat body for him, with
soft towel (Ruth Higgins, Fifth Grade.)
The Little Mothers League has helped
me a good bit in dressing my little baby
sister and / have enjoyed it very much
and / think it Is very sencible society.
I have learnt how to dress the baby in
winter and summer. And after it is done
with the bottle it should be boiled. (Helen
POTTERY
baby is not to be made to walk to
soon because he might become bolegged..
Some mothers think 1t is nice to see the
baby walk soop. You should never listen
to what your neighbor says when your
baby is sick, but take him to doctor
(Anna Mack, Sixth Grade.)
In washing baby you should have a
little tub to bath 1t in and when you hear
the doorbell ring you should never let
your baby in the tub while you go because
many of them get drowned, and you should
use castial soap because that is the best
marie Donahue, Seventh Grade, age l2.)
But perhaps most eloquent of all is what
little Mary Roberts says. Mary is in the
Sixth Grade at the Boxer School:
'The melancholy days are come
The saddest of the year."
Is what we all think when the time comes
when The Little Mothers League has TO
break up for the year. For seven weeks
we have listened eagerly to what Miss Ford
has told us. We all hope Mss Ford will
come back 10 Bsker Schooig1,ext fall and
teach US how TO care for infsats