Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-07
To Educate Mothers
b. Frederic J. Haskin

| children ! opped out, followed hy The
/ mother With q twelye-months old baby
| After automatically adrniring the baby,
j the visitor ventuted to ask:
And what do you feed hinnY'
Well" said the mother, II always
begin feeding my babies 10y giving them
taste of everything on the table can
whether it is good for them"
Further conversation showed that this
particular housewife, a foreign er, liked
| highly seasoned foods, aud had for months
tested the baby's appetite on meat, cheese,
and cabbage.
This mother was typical Of millions of
| American mothers. She had no idea how to
| feed and care for a child. She was not
| fiji qua dian for future American citizen.
The existence Of millions Of ignorant
| mothers has led TO the introduction OF a
| bill in the house and senate, with admins
trativc backing, which has for its purpose
to create a federal system of educating
mothers in the care Of their children.
Two million dollars would be appropria-
ted by the federal government for the
| first year, and the states would put up q
similarsum, the amount being apportioncd
according TO population. | atcr the fund
would be inGi Gicased until It became 2
100000 appropriation from The govern
ment, to be doubled by the staiea
This money would be used 10 pay public
health nurgcs tn instruct mothers in
hygiene and care Of infants, for consuI.a
ton ccnters, and for medical and nursing
care for mothers ard children, al home Or
To hospitals.
NEED FOR FEDERAL AID.
The Chiltlrcn's Bureau Of the Labor
ss tv4r - ~
bill. The bureau has kept 81 closely IL
touch with records Of infant mortality
and disease that it understands better
than any other organization The need for
federal aid OF sixteen important coun-
tries, says the Childrens Bureau. thirteen
have lower maternal death rate than the
United States, while six have lower IN
fant death rate About 5000 mothers
and 250, 600 babies die every year in this
country A large percentage Of these
deaths are preventable.
4 woman will use directions to cut her
chllflrens clothes. She will follow recipe
20 make cake. But when II cornee 10
feeding, bathing, and doctorDg n baby,
she is inclined 10 fall back on the custons
Of her ancestors and Trust 10 instinct
This - true, the Chlldren's s Bureau has
foutrl, not only in poor, illiterate houso-
holds, but IN the homes of the wealthy
as we'll
grandmother raised family by tile
old fashioned ds, says the young
mother, never stopping n consider that
out Of grandrnothers eleven children only
FIVE grew up, and all that lived long
enough had every disease known to
childhood.
These mothers Of the better class usual /
ka4 vayYkI4f. mat - tSf srn
visits Of q public health nurse IS 4 form
Of charity To get them % understand
that government aid IN child welfare IS
10 more 8 matter Of charity than the /
public school system ls one of the problems /
confronting the ChildTen's Bureau and .
health officials Of states engaged IN chIld /
welfare work.
The states find that once The mothers
are interested aid learn the difference be- i
tween sciencc and the results % instructive /
care they are rapidly converted and are
anxious 70 learn all they can about the
care Of their children The main trouble ls
that the service rendered Is slight ii COM
parlson with the need Even the proposed
federal and state appropriation will only
begin to pay for the doctors, nurses,
hospitals. and clinics necessary 10 save
the thousands Of lives lost yearly through
ignorance and lack Of care.
t,s.tl the funds provided are large
enough the specIai It tention 0l the govern
nent IS necessarily turned toward fami-
hes IN rural districts and others who can
not Obtain adequate medical atten ton
from private physicians aDd nurses.
uARDsHIPs IN REMOTE DISTRICTS.
We are more or less familiar with the
stores Of city babies dying from heat q
crowded eenemeLts, or freezing % death
from exposure We know less of the har,.-
ships which babies ard mothers have 10
bear in remote districts Forty five miles
TO the nearest Doctor IS no uncommon
IN our boundlesS west Often
the roads are 50 poor that ) doctor can
not reach a patient at all
In one case, the doctor Travelled twelve
miles through drifting eno" 10 see child
n oonvulsitns. Alter riding several hour,
he lost his way IN the night and had 10
-eturn 20 town The next morning be
4et out again and reached the home by
three clock. but the BABY was dead.
In homes ike these, several miles from
telephone or post Office, the family Is
shut off from assistance through the
winter. One mother on a northwestern
-anch sent &c the nearest town Tor = pre-
scriptiou foI her baby. II Was two months
before it came, for the roads we're IN sucn
4 condition that no mail could be sent over
5hen.. In such districts a public health
1urse IS 8 vital necessity
Nurses selected 10 care for mothers
.nd infants. according to standards o. the
Shildren's Bureau should not only ne
graduates NTH hospital training, bus
hoald have bad practical experience n
public health work 4 poor nurse Is worse
haa none at all, IN the opinion oi the
1ureaus experts. They cite IL this con
lec1ion the incident OF AZ inexperienced
mother who engaged nurse ior her first
}aby The girl had had only q corrtsnon-
ience course in nursing and no practical
experience The lirst three days the nurse
ed the haby COWS milk and swcetened
water. Then she tried various patent
Gods She kept the baby asleep with dope
iearly an the tune, and when il was ten
lays old it died.
The public health nurse approved by
he Chi lrens Bureau Is thoroughly
grounded ID hygiene, proper feeding Tor
labies Of various ages, emergency rem
dies. care Of newborn babies and their
mothers. She cannot stop IN 8 home 70
axe care Of case Tor several days, as
he has too many patients IN her charge
,ut she does give as much attention 70
ach family as possible, and she leaves
he mother with definite idea Of what 10
10.
Besides visiting the families Of her
Isv4r5ef Fha nurse conducts roaafID,es