The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-07-28

DR.. Clendening will answer
questions Of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
lieved implicitly in Kipling's Nov
gil and Romulus and Remus in n.
earlier days but / wore that belle
out, along with some others, and
felt il was a little too much Of .
strain on my credulity to believe
in this one.
Now comes a book from the
Yale University Press, "Wo1
Child and Human Child" in which
such an unimpeachable authority
as DR.. Arnold Gesell confirms thu
story, relates all the details ant
throws in some actual photo
graphs for full measure.
Startling Facts
The bare facts certainly need
no embellishing to startle one,
Imagination to its depths. In 1920
the Rev. ]. A. L. Singh, a native
Christian missionary in the parish
Of Midnapore near Calcutta, In
dia, heard that a Man-Ghost had
been seer in the jungle. The mis-
sionary and his wife with some Of
the villagers who had seen it went
to the spot.
At dusk they saw an adult wolf
come out Of a hole followed by
another of the same size and then
by some cubs, and then came the
ghost-"a hideous looking being,
hand, foot and body like a human
being but the head was a big ball
Of something covering the shoul-
ders, leaving only-a sharp contour
Of a face visible and it was human.
Close at its heels came another
similar creature"
Two Children Found
The wolf den was broken into
and the two human children taken
back to the mission. They we're
both girls. One o died. The
other, christened Kamala, lived
nine years. 1t was estimated she
was eight years old when found.
The supposition is that when
tiny babies they were left by their
mother to play in the forest and ]
a wolf mother whose cubs had
died came along, lifted them gent
ly in her mouth and took them to
her den. Many such occurrences
are known in India.
For a long time Kamala main
tanned her wolf-like ways. She
progressed on all tours, either
knees or toes and hands and ell
bows and had such callouses on
the knees that she could not
straighten her legs to stand up-
right. 1t was two years before she
even stood on her knees to reach |
for something high.
Wolflike Habits
At three regular intervals dur.
ing the night-ten in the evening.
n ard three in the morning
the wolf family howied to an
nounce their whereabouts to dis
tant packs-s language cry, not
an expression Of rage or fear. The
human children Joined in the ecrie
cry, and for years Kamala at the
mission at ten, one and thre,
Though she knew nothing of how
to tell the time by the clock) would
arise and give the wolf cry.
She growled il anyone came
near her dish while eating. She
came upon a dead chicken, de-
voured it completely, entrails and
all.
Gradually she changed to hu-
nan ways. First she accented
food and drink from human hands.
She stood erect in 1928. Seven
years after she came to the mis-
sion she spoke human words. The
story Of those changes is one of
the most astounding human rec
ords ever made. 1t gives us. con-
cludes DR.. Gesell, new faith in
the stamina Of human nature
and the potentialities Of human
growth"
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Grandfather: I'VE have a new
baby at u house and an argu-
ment came up regarding how old a
baby is before it can see or distin-
guish any object or person. The
parents claim it has to be three
months before it can see. Will
you kindly answer this through
your column"
Answer: The newborn infant
evades the light during the first
few weeks; the infant indicates bv
every sign that excessive light is
too bright, but about the first week
the eyes will somewhat follow a
light in the room, and the child
may turn the head for this pur-
pose. The muscles of the eye do
not coordinate until about the end
Of the third month. Recognition of
objects is not usually in evidence
until six months. II is important
that the o in which the new
born infant is placed should be
darkened.
as on the Russian front. II MAJ,
Veiop into a conv.ri.-S"ey