The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1923-01-17

welfare WORK Ia rI8mluSuduls mdSS'
The problems of girls and mothers
were continually before Miss. Dickin-
SON. They led to a conviction of the
Importance of health training for the
girls of this generation and of the
education of the future mothers of the
race in the care of babies. Then came
an opportunity a little later to do
public health work for the Common
wealth of Massachusetts. Later came
the formation, under the auspices of
the Massachusetts, State Federation of
Women's Clubs, of experimental class
es in smothercraft in two or three citi-
es. The success of this demonstration
was immediate. The girls were en-
thusiastic about the lessons. School
officials and medical men saw posi-
bilities in this form of instruction.
The social value of the mothercrafr
work as thus experimentally initiated
was so evident that the Massachusetts
State Federation Of Women's Clubs
organized a mothercraft committee Of
which the eight district directors were
members and Miss Dickinson chair
man, for the purpose of creating
throughout the state an atmosphere
favorable to introducing this form of
instruction into the public schools and
elsewhere. This committee met with
marked success and found many school
officials ready to cooperate with them.
Meantime outside of Massachusetts
solve the problem Of teaching the older
sister the care of the little baby in the
home. Of such sort were the little
mother classes in New York city start
ed several years ago.
E. C. Hartley, M. D., Director. of
the Minnesota State Board of Health,
gives the following interesting account
of Mothercraft as it is being taught
in the schools of Chisholm.
"Work of this kind is being carried
out in schools with girls in the seventh
and eighth grades, either directly as
part of the school curriculum or in
conjunction with it. In Chisholm il
our own state, such work has been
done for the past two years. AS /
recall it, the work is now a regular
part of the seventh and eighth grades
courses of study. 1t is given weekly
by the school nurse and is called
"Home Health" In the beginning, it
was given to small group of girls
coming from homes which, it was
thought, would profit most by such in
struction. In very short time, how
ever, such a demand arose from the
remaining girls and their parents, as
well, for this work that it became a
regular part of the curriculum.
"The work there is based on book
of May Bliss Dickinson Children Well
and Happy" 1t includes a series of
simple lessons on such topics as, "Per-
sonal Hygiene, "Home Sanitation" /,
"The Newborn Baby, Breast Feed
ing", Bottle Feeding, "Care of the
Baby's Food, "Care of the Baby's
Body, "The Baby's Clothing, "Ha-
bits and Training, "The Baby's
ditional material on the Organization
of the Mothercraft Classes, "Recip-
es", and "Mothercraft Information"
"Not only the girls themselves, but
educators and parents generally, have
been pleased with the success of this
work wherever it has been begun. 1t
satisfies intelligently and correctly an
instructive desire among girls of this
age for information on these subjects.
"The Division of Child Hygiene is
working, at present, on s6nie material
which may be used for such work in
conjunction with the book we have
mentioned of May Bliss Dickinson,
which will bring the chapter on Feed
ing more into conformity with the
teachings on this subject of the Medi-
cal School of the University of Min
nesota. We hope very much to see
work of this kind become regular
part of the seventh and eighth grades
courses of study for girls in this
state"
Mrs. John Cussons, President of the
First District, states that in her home
town of Stewartville the work is being.
done as follows: Our Domestic
Science teacher is going to make the
twelve lessons as outlined by Miss
Dickinson a part of her work during
the spring term and Club Women have
promised to present the members OF
the class with diplomas which are
secured from the General Federation
for small sum. To make it more
impressive we plan to frame them
and have special program when we
present them.
Mrs. Bayliss, State Chairman of
the Child Welfare Department of the
M. F. w. c., in her report at Deer
River last June, made the following
statement concerning this work.
GAS part of this health program,
we hope that MOTHERCRAFT" will
be made part of every girls educa-
ton. This is course of instruction
taught to 7th or 9Th grade girls in
personal health and the care of babies.
1t prepares girl for intelligent moth
erhood and reduces the high rate of
infant mortality. 1t increases a sense
of responsibility among girls and wO-
men for their own health and the
health and happiness of babies. 1t
supplements but does not duplicate