San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-26
Child Hygiene
By I'll. Arlington Bruce.

Often | wonder why official and
semi-official guardians of the health
of the yOung-boa rds of health, chill
drens bureaus. child hygiene organi-
cations, etc.-pay so little attention,
comparatively speaking, TO the mental
hygiene of childhood.
To safeguard children from becom-
ing nervously, mentally and morally
i'll is: at least as important as to care
for their teeth and their eyes, to i'm
prove their bodily nutrition. and TO
protect them from diphtheria, tuber-
culosis. and other infectious diseases.
Indeed. it may be argued-as DIR.
David Mitchell. for example, argues
that it is by far the most important
of all tasks incumbent on child by
gieniSts:
The existence of fears, of feelings
of inferiority. of selfconsciouSness, of
abnormal attitudes toward the sex
life. is, 10 my notion, much more sig
nificant in considering the welfare of
the individual and the community
than the physical condition of those
suffering from colds, fevers or other
physical disabilities.
Our legislation today provides pen
allies for doing physical harm. But
our legal codes still ignore the effect
of those actions which do not result
in visible bodily injury. Yet | am con-
WINGED that frequently the results of
these latter actions are much more
calamitous for the individual and for
his functioning as a member of the
group.
Society today is suffering more
through undesirable mental habits
than through any physical harm done
to any group of individuals"
To appreciate the force of these
statements one has only to bethink
ones self of insanity, crime. divorce,
vice. pauperism, and economic ineffi-
cheney, outstanding social evils the
seeds of which, the best authorities
are agreed are usually sOwn in neg
iected childhood. And, from the point
of view of mental hygiene, a childhood
may be neglected" even when spent
amid every comfort and refinement.
1t is neglected. whenever. for ex-
ample, selfish trends are permitted &c
be established in the growing child. II
is neglected when care is not taken
to foster emotional control. when the
fear instinct is over-developed, when
sentiments. of inferiority or undue
superiority take possession of the
mind. when love of knowledge is not
kept alive or kindlcd. when the pleas
ure-craving is promoted at the expense
of the productive instinct,
Errors such as these. vital errors
in collaborating, form the groundwork
for the faulty mental habits DIR,
Mitchell rightly deplores. From these
IA n hito hn conduct .ttSntvl
variously labeled vice. crime, pauper-
ism. neuroticism, mental disease and
so forth. Can their harmful effects on
the individual and on society be cas-
lily overestimated?
Some day. it may be, concerted Ell
forts, similar to the efforts now made
for the physical well-bcing of children
will be undertaken to insure for all
children the benefits of sound
mental hygiene. In the mean time,
obviously. it is the duty of all par
ents. duty as yet overlooked by
many. TO familiarize themselves with
mental hygiene's findings as regards
preventive and protective factors in
the upbringing of the young.
Fortunately these findings are
available in books written primarily
for parent readers. and written IN
language any parent can understand.
A list of such books / have prepared,
and will send to all who write to me
in the care of this newspaper. inclos-
ing with their letters stamped and
sclf-addressed envelope.
1t will take only a few minutes TO
apply for the list. None of the books
named in it will be found abstrusc or
.a,nf,,t etn nf
them may mean much as regards the
future of children who otherwise might
he unwittingly denied their natural
brthright to happiness and success.
Copyright. 1928, by The Associated
Newspa pers.)