The Republican journal., 1921-02-24
The Public Health Cause

Four afternoons of the past week were
publicly observed by the local board with
the primary object of raising funds to
| support the public health nurse, Miss
Sadie NJ Nickerson, and also to more
extensively advertise the good work she
Is doing and the necessity for it. Miss
Nickerson's popularity and efficiency is
increasing with every call she answers
and the good results of her work in the
past are also becoming more apparent.
The three afternoons, Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, in Memorial hall, under
the direction of the committee with Mrs.
Essie Pierce Carle presiding, were not
only profitable, but socially successful.
All ages were present with all in very
receptive mood to take and retain the
thoughts presented by the speakers.
Thursday the attendance was unusually
large and the address by Mrs. Ruth M.
Thompson of Portland, Field Secretary
of the Y. W. C. A , was given the closest
attention as she told what her Depart
/ lH6nL was uOluS III SOhJohSeio1 WIN SiiS
Public Health movement She gave
special stress on the style of shoes wom-
en- and girls should wear if they cared to
observe one of the first natural laws of
health. One young High school girl, Miss
Ruth Dinsmore, completely unconscious
of conditions, fully met the approval of
all requirements mentioned The ladies
of the Unitarian Alliance and of the Bap-
tist Sewing Circle, with Miss Charlotte
w. Colburn and Mrs. William Holt in
charge, sold homemade cooking, while
Mrs. Irving T. Dinsmore and Mrs.
Allen M. Howes, assisted by Misses
Helen Wescott, Katherine Brown, Char
lotte Knowlton and Ruth Dinsmore, served
/ tea from small tables, adding to the pleas
George A. Quimby, Mrs. Ben Hazeltine,
Mrs. C. w. Wescott and Mrs. Charles S.
Bickford. Scout Master George H.
Robertson and several of his scouts, Har-
old Kelley, David Hoxie, Ralph Taylor,
Marion Rhoades, Russell Peavey, gave
demonstrations of first aid work,
pleasing revelation to many in the audi
ence.
Friday was children's day and the ad-
dress by Miss Edith M. Soule, R. N, of
the State department at Augusta, while
principally of interest to mothers and
those in care of children, was very enter
tanning to all. Under the direction of
Mrs. Thompson, assisted by the teachers,
the pupils of the Pelrce school gave a
play and dance to illustrate food proper
ties in we'll balanced meal contrasted
with one more to the taste of the victim,
which was impersonated by Horace Wes-
colt. This, with the dance program pre-
sented by Mrs. Sumner G. Pattee and
Mrs Arthur E. Wilson, was received with
rounds of applause Elana B. Shute did
nature dance Butterflies" in costume;
Helen Foster, :Mignon," an aesthetic
dance in costume; Eugene Hammons sang
a solo, "I'm Lonesome Little Raindrop,"
with chorus of little girls with umbrel-
las, Elena Shute, Helen Foster, Alice
Banks, Doris Collins, Emily Rackliffe;
Swedish Folk dance by large number of
Mrs. Pattee's pupils. The Travellers
| Club were hostesses for the afternc on
/ and served tea, cake and waters. Mrs.
/ Charles S. Bickford and Miss Grace H.
Hail, assisted by Misses Louise R. Glenn
j ent, Mabel A. Craig, Margaret Rogers
! and Elizabeth kittredge, served. The
! hostesses were Mrs. John K. Dunton,
Mrs. Charles M. Craig, Miss Charlotte
! w. Colburn and Mrs. E. A. Sherman.
Saturday afternoon the North Church
Guild served tea, cake and waters and
the Methodist Ladies' Aid, under the
direction of Mrs. Alice C. Bramhall, sold
homemade food. Mrs. Morris L. Slugg
and Miss Grace H. Hall poured while
Elizabeth Kittredge and Katherine
Brown served. Mrs. Fred w aldo Brown,
Mrs. C. B. Holmes, Mrs. Raymond R.
Sherman and Miss Anne M. Kittredge
were nOSCeSSeS. l he d QQIeSS on public
health work, particularly in the preven-
ton of the spread of diseases, was given
by Mrs. Thompson. She has been for
several years in public work and is both
helpful and efficient.
The program closed with public meet
ing in the Colonial Theatre at 4 D. m.
Sunday with Mayor C. W. Wescott pre-
siding. In his brief Introductory re-
marks, at the request of the local COM
mittee, he thanked all who had assisted
in making the first public health drive
the unqualified success it had proved not
only financially but socially The first
speaker was Miss Myra V. Parker, r. N,
assistant State -irector for this district.
Her subject was "Venereal Diseases" and
her address W as the first of the kind ever
given before a Belfast audience. While
delicate in the extreme it was handled in
manner that need not give offence to
the most fastidious or prudish. Her
knowledge is the result of private work,
augmented by the broader experience
fhrouol, yuhich he Dou paSSipn Tho