The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-07


success made by Miss Ned Griffith,
head of the infants department at
Pelletier's store in Topeka, is taken
from The Price Current of Wichita.
official organ of the Kansas Retailers
association:
To one who, for years, has been
preaching service as a basis for mer-
chandising the infants department,
this story of Miss Ned Griffith is q de-
hghtful one to tell. For in her depart
ment in Pelietier's store, Topeka. a
tually is written in the lives of thou
sands of mothers and babies in that,
the capital city of the state.
Some way, one looks to Kansas to
do things Few states have had so
rapid a rise to a Place in the Sun.
They breathe progress in the air. 1t
was natural, then, that Miss Griffith,
when she surveyed the field several
years ago. decided to establish her
department on a service basis; just
as natural as it was for her store to
back her to the limit in her progress
sive ideas. The result has been all
that the far-visioned young lady and
her hackers expected, and perhaps
little more. For vision, after all,
sometimes is behind actualities.
Need of Education.
When her department was launched
Miss Griffith found that infant well
fare work, as it was developed in some
communities, was thing unknown in
hers. She saw that infant welfare
eventually would come to Topeka. She
determined that it should come thru
her efforts in the store. There was
the great need of education of moth
ers and children along welfare lines.
She has made her department the log
ical source thru which the education
came.
First, she formed a Mothers League
to promote the welfare of the babies
of Topeka. Then she made her own
department the meeting place of this
club of mothers intent upon learning
more about the care of their babies.
1t started in a small way, but today,
still using the store as its center,
this League of Mothers is one of the
vital forces for good in that city.
Infant welfare is a matter of edu-
eating mothers to the needs of better
babies. Education can be accom-
plished by two methods, actual demon
stration and lectures. and thru books.
This fact Miss Griffith appreciated
STATIONS and lectures and for the
books.
Mothers Club Meets Every Week.
The Mothers Club meets every
Friday afternoon in the department,
I from 4 to o'clock. Each week, Miss
Griffith arranges for a lecture by
doctor, a nurse, a baby specialist. This
talk is always filled with real infor-
nation for the mothers. They attend
in numbers to learn. The talk is al
ways followed by discussion. Often
times special features are arranged
for in addition, but the club every
week during its life, is eager for the
weekly sessions.
Membership in the club is deter
mined by the fact that every mother
who has n child in kindergarten in
any of the schools, public or private.
is eligible. They are elected without
application, automatically. Other
mothers who desire TO join are ad-
mitted only on application. But any
mother who wants to join is admitted
Library For Mothers.
The other, and an important fea-
ture, is the library established for
Topeka mothers and their children
"Pelletier's Free Library for Mothers
and Children" is quite the most ex-
tensive and useful thing of its kind
in any store in the country, so far
as we know. It is a decided factor
in improving the literary tastes of the
children and in educating the mothers
in the care and development of their
children published as a Foreword to
catalog of the books in the Ii
brary:
This library is operated by Pei
letters for the purpose of assisting
mothers in the care and training of
their children, and for the purpose of
| supplying children with well-selected
books that will arouse and hold their
interest.
"All of the books in this library
have been chosen with extreme care.
Many of them were added to the
library on the recommendation of edu-
Gators and physicians and others in
terested in mothers and their children
THE library is for the unrestricted
use of everyone. We invite you to
make use of it. If there is any book
on mother or child subject the
library does not contain. we will be
glad to add it provided the subject
cred in the books already listed mere"
The finding lists are arranged in
groups. There are books expressly for
mothers and others for children of
varying ages. In the space allotted to
this article it is not possible to list
these books. A wide range of subjects
| is covered. The mothers books treat
of the care and feeding of the baby,
/ the care of the mother, the care of the
home. books covering the difficult
growing age of the child. books which
tell what stories to tell the children
and how to tell them-in fact the
widest range of subjects in which all
mothers are interested. Some $50
| titles are included in the books for