The Indianapolis times., 1931-05-01
The Two Nav DAYS

The American Child Health Association has pro-
claimed May day. 1881, national child health day"
It's general purpose is to fulfill the aims Of President
Hoovers White House conference on child health and
protection as expressed in the chdrens charter and
Intended for the benefit Of every child regardless Of
race or color situation wherever he may live under
protection of the American flag"
This movement for child health and protection
ers four broad felds-medcal service public health
and child hygiene education and training, and care
Of handicapped children.
Representative statistics indicate the great need
for such work More than 100000 children are i'll
each year from easily preventable diseases Fifteen
per cent Of our total deaths are caused by these dis
eases
From so to IS per cent Of our crippled children
owe their deplorable condition to tuberculosis or in
fantie paralysis Mental and nervous diseases among
children are recognized or cared for very inadequatey
Home conditions now leave much to be desired.
Reading and recreation for children are developed
very inperfectly
We may wish the American Child Health Asso-
,iation the best of good fortune with its plan We
never can have nation of vigorous, intsigent and
urbane adults unless we safeguard the period Of child
hood AS recently stated in an editorial in the New
York World Telegram, every day should be ma
But the child health movement will not be fully
significant unless it is definitely linked up with that
other May day, consecrated by the radicals OF the
world to protest against intoerabe working conol-
tions under irresponsible capitalism.
No honest and informed can we'll deny the
validity of their protest on May l, 1881
There is little to be gained in producing healthy
and we-bred children if they can not get work under
hacor adult
orous and we-trained children must rot and starve
in idleness and want, it is far better ana more hu-
name to let them die early.
What does it profit America to spend millions to
improve the condition of its children they are to
come to condition like that described by Louis
Adanic which now prevails among the industrial
population of New England:
In Lowell saw shabby men leaning against walls
and lamp posts and stancsng on street corners Sgy
Or in twos and threes pathetic, silent, midde-agea
noen in torn frayed overcoats or without over
coats broken shoes on their feet Gin town manu-
featuring shoes) sluped in postures OF hopeless DIS
content their faces sunken and their eyes Shtty ana
bevdldered-men who WINGED and jerked queerly Wheh
thew noticed me looking at them and shuffled OIL IN
certainly wringng their hands in minghng OF vague
desneration and of resentment at my gaze
@1 spoke or tried to speak with some OF them, and
I went into a few OF Ine uHehpAoSeUS 40l-E0o -
Lowell and heard and things, which, II descfloeo
Them would make very melancholy reading"
such is the condition of some 100000 or more
adult Americans on May l, 1881 Was it humane TO
let them live past childhood? What does it avail TO
guide children safely through childhood and set them
down in circumstances like these?
Moreover, unless something fundamental IS ur-
dertaken soon the condition of workers IN LoWel III
1881 is likely to appear close to Utopia compared Win
the life of aborers in the United States in 1945.
The Presidents White House conference on child
welfare was all very fine, but it's possible advantages
never can be realized so long as chief executive
refuses TO 90 even so far as to sign the Wagner bill