The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-23
BY ALLAN II. DAFOE,
q. r. F. MD

". ID W. Ds
Copyright. 1886. by NEA Service. Incl
THEY aren't babies any
more, those Dionne
quintuplets. They are be-
coming children now, little
girls, young ladies, you
might almost say. From
now on we must and will
recognize this fact.
1t seems strange to me to re-
feet that this is so. Every par
ent will know what 1 mean. /
have known it, when my own
child passed the baby stage.
But in the case of the ouin-
tuplets, It seems stranger than in
the ordinary case. Their baby
hood was SO precarious, the fight
for their lives so long and so un-
ending, so much attention from
all of. us was focused on their
habyhood, that it seemed as
though it would always go on
that way
Now the end of all that has
come. For most of two years it
has been all take" OH their part.
Now they are beginning to give
back" in return.
They are beginning to return
to those about them all those
little smiles, chuckles, and en-
dearments given by affectionate
children to those who love them
We have not only the physical
side to contend with now. Perhaps
the most critical battle in that
field has been won. We hope so.
But now we have no less difficult
problems of the mind, the spirit,
the soul.
If you could hear the babies!
I've always called them the babies,
and it's hard to break the habit
-prattling and talking among
themselves on the nursery floor
you would know what I mean. The
mind, the spirit, the soul if you
will, is definitely emerging.
A ND they do talk. They carry
L A on the peppiest conversations
you can imagine, necessarily. Of
course, we can't understand much
of what they say as yet, but per-
haps that's our fault.
This second year has seen re-
markable progress along this line,
and we're sure that by midsum-
mer we'll be better able TO I'M
derstand what's being said in the
nursery.
But when they say "a'ver" we
know that it's an intelligent effort
to say "au revoir," and when we
her a distinct "bjou" we know
that within a few weeks that will
have become bon jour"
Naturally, these first words they
are learning to form are all
French. 1t is their native Ian
guage, and the only one they hear
from the nurses. I speak to them
in English, for just between our
selves, my French isn't very good.
l speak enough to get along all
right with the fine French Cana
dian farmers hereaboutS. I I'M
derStand it and write it, but of
course my accent isn't good, and
it's probably just as we'll not to
let the children hear it.
We want them to learn their
native language in its purest
form, and have chosen their
nurses and attendants from this
point of view. So when I'm in the
hospital 1 speak my own English.
1t will accustom their ears to the
sound of the English speech with
out really standing in the way of
their learning French as their
primary language.
The routine instructions of the
nurses are all given them in
French, and they understand and
obey them perfectly.
T HAVE been very appreciative,
Il especially since my most re-
cent visit to the United States,
of the kindly interest that has
been taken in the problems aris-
ing out of the fact that the
babies are now thinking, con-
sciouS children, and that their
characters and lives, the future
of their souls. are being shaped.
Of course these considerations
have been in the front of our
minds almost nom the very start.
Recognizing the very special cir
cumStances that surround the
quintuplets. any sensible person
knows that no matter what might
be desirable in theory, the chill
dren can never be reared exactly
as single children would be.
Even if there were not the
slightest public interest in them,
the very attitude of neighbors,
friends, other children with whom
they played, would mark them
out as somehow different from
the others.
You have only to recall how
even ordinary twins are constant
ly reminded of it. Human nature
is what it is, not what it ought
to be.
So we accept the fact that here
are five little sisters, born togeth-