The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-12-10
BY ALLAN ROY DAFOE
 M. D.. Q. B. E,

We Os1 Os Ds Gs
 Copyright, 1936, NEA Service, Inc.)
 Callander, Ont, Dec. 10-Perhaps the most interesting room in the Dionne children's nursery today is "the quiet room"
 Thanks to the fact that the nursery eias been enlarged to the point where 1t is quite 8 large plant, we have been able to re- serve an entire room for discipli- nary purposes. That is why we call 1t "the quiet room"
 The Dionne girls, as I have said before, are never punished. physi- cally. Our only form of punish ment has been to segregate the girl who has "been bad from the others.
 At first, when the girls were younger, we simply set the bad one" apart and did not allow her to take part in the play of her sisters. But now that they are larger, 1t is necessary to put the one who is being admonished in separate TOOHl.
 So "the quiet room" developed. It is 8 feet by 6, light and airy, and in every way equal to any other room in the house. There is a table, a single chair. On the table we keep picture books, and the large window provides plenty of light.
 LONELINESS IS PENALTY
 Everything is entirely comfort able. But note two things: there is absolutely nothing in the room with which the child can hurt her. self, and the only element of pun ishment is that she must be alone, and separated from her sisters.
 I can't say enough against the custom of some parents of looking their children in a dark closet or in the cellar or some other cramped or uncomfortable place.
 That is barbarous and cruel. It brings in fright as part of the punishment, and that may have very bad effects on the childs nervous system, immediately or later on.
 In our "quiet room" there is nothing like this. The child has every comfort and amusement her sisters, have, except their com- pany. That has proved punish ment enough.
 We always make it clear to the children exactly why they are sent to the quiet room," and explain that when they are in the mood to be good girls" again, they may resume their normal relations with their sisters.
 NURSERY GROWING PLANT"
 It is facilities like this, the abil- ity to devote one room entirely to this disciplinary purpose, that makes our nursery plant" quite an institution.
 Naturally, it doesn't seem like an institution" to the children. Most of 1t they have never even seen. The part actually used by the children themselves is kept in every way as much like a home as pOSSlDle.
 But the nursery has been grow ing almost as fast as the little girls themselves. Today, with the newly completed staff house, the buildings and equipment would represent a value of more than $40,000 all paid for with money earned by the quintuplets them- selves, and held in trust for them.
 Before next summer we hope that the group of buildings will be entirely enclosed by a long fence that will run back into the wooded area behind the house.
 This will make an enclosure of several acres, and will enable the children to play among the trees and flowers of the natural Cana dian woodland without leaving their own enclosure.
 SIZE IS DOUBLED
 Even now the group of build ings makes quite an impressive plant" much more adequate than the original nursery.
 The nursery itself has been ex- tended to more than twice its size in those days, and the staff house. a separate building some 50 yards away on the rocky hillside ad- joining the nursery yard, com chairman, and numerous other