The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-30
MAY DAY TO OPEN
RENEWED WORK
FOR LITTLE ONES
Child Health Advocates
Seek To Sponsor Ma
tional celebration Il.

| ~ : i.
tional Celebration 4.
Generally speaking, May Day is Just
the first day of May, but plans an
nounced yesterday by the American
Child Health association indicate that
next May Day is to be Al day Of de-
light for youngsters all over the Unitet
States, day Of self-searching and goot
resolutions ons the part of their elders
and day of awakening on the par
Of the public to it's responsibility fol
the health Of the nations children.
The American Child Health associa
ton, which numbers among its officers
and directors many Of the leading
American authorities on social prob
lens, has just completed the outline Of
a movement, which it win organize ant
sponsor, to enlist the entire machinery
OF, the country in a demonstration OF
May 1 that shall bring the situation
and its needs clearly before the people
$4,000 600 Children
The plan was laid. before President
Coolidge last week IN letter from
Herbert Hoover, president of the asso
citation, in which he pointed out thai
scientific Investigations and survey
have shown that America is behint
what the national conscience should de
mand for the public protection of thu
well-being of children. isss
We have in America upward of S5,
000,0 600 children" Mr.. Hoover wrote
"the great majority of whom are ths
object of the utmost solicitude upor
the part of their parents, but no amount
of individual solicitude can correct til,
dangers to which they are subject In
many communities by failure of com
munity safeguards. Z
With all the enlightenment and al
the prosperity of our great people, W.
fil.d that in five other nations Their,
lis a lower death rate among infants
we find in is other nations a lowe
rate OF fatality among mothers at child
births the great national draft indi
Gated that something like 80 per cen
Of the men examined were. deficient il
some particular or another.
1--WE find in many of our communi
ties impure sources Of water and i'm
pure supplies of milk and in man,
Insufficient consumption Of milk; Ii
others we find inadequate provision
for health inspection and Fairgrounds
we find archaic, systems and incompe
tent administration of public health ii
many cities and towns; we still hay,
large numbers, Of children at work il
factories when they should be in school
Not An Dark 49,
"The picture is not all dark. In tn,
Ia CD On H. - -
FAINT mortality has been reduced by one
half. In no other nation of the worlt
is there such solicitude for i'll ant
crippled children. This shows wha
can be done. - There is no countr,
where children are, held in such tender
ness as in America. Our delinquenc,
is not in individual regard, but il
community effort that will surronn,
our children as a whole with such safe
guards as to bring them to healthy ma
tufity. =
Z "Thist is a problem of maintaining
health, rather than curing disease
Therefore, / lay before you the pro
posed effort to secure more concen
trated public attention in establishing
community conditions by which chill
dren may have the assurance of full
opportunity to reach maturity lin full
health and strength
The plan laid before the Presiden
by Mr.. Hoover included asking COVER
norsr of states, commissioners of healtl
and education, mayors of cities, organ
izations Of various kinds, the press, til,
motion picture industry, radio stations
and other agencies to join in grea
celebration on May Day to arouse con
structive and concentrated thought OF
behalf Of community action for Ameri
can children. Is :
Local celebrations are to includ,
hanging Of May baskets, scattering o
flowers from airplanes, pageants, fes
rivals, and whatever form of; demon
stration the local community finds mos
effective. * 49,;
Announcement was made yesterda,
by the Poets Guild, Christodora House
No. III Avenue B, that it will pay
5000, the gift Of an anonymous donor
for the best poem submitted to it be
fore April 10 on the subject of Ma,
Day. The poem, which is to be NO
more than 49 lines in length, must Elm
body the idea of childhood as the spring
time of the earth. 4.
President Coolidge, in cordial let
ter, gave his hearty approval to tn,
plan and praised the services of asso
Citations working to solve the problems
presented by present-day conditions. :
The headquarters of the American
Child Health association in, New York
where the work will center; are bur
zing with preliminary activity. Letter
are being sent to officials and organiza
tionss all over the country, and re
sponses are already beginning to, com,
In, it was said yesterday, which indi
cate that the idea is arousing much in
terest. ~ ~ IS
Associations Officers
& The American Child Health associ
alton has its headquarters at No. ,.13l
Seventh avenue, New York. Its off
GERS are Herbert Hoover, .president
general secretary, Gourtenay Dinwid
die associate general executive, Mis-
Ella Phillips CRandall. ~,
Among the directors are George Bar.
Baker, formerly director of the Ameri
can relief administration DR.. s.. Jose
phine Baker of the Children's bureau
Washington, formerly director of th,
division of child hygiene of the New
York city department of health: DR.
John H. Finley, formerly president q
the College of the City Of Ney York;
Mrs. Maud Wood Park, president o
the National League of Women Voters
DIR. Tahaferro Clark, head of the tdiyi
sion of child hygiene of the Unite,
States public health service DIR. Eiy
ingstone Ferrand, president Of Cornell
university. @G ~
DIR. Victor George Heiser of the Rock
falar infafrnakioua1 haaI4k L = 49,