The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1943-07-15
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
Bell Syndicate.-wNU Features.

1915, 1Or thousands VI
L households is whether
mother or wife has a right to
60 into defense or hospital or
canteen or Red Cross activi-
ties to a point that inconven-
fences the family.
And the answer, of course,
is like the answer to most
other problems: lit all de-
pends." Like "shall 1 get mar
ried?" or "shall we adopt a
baby?" a thousand consid-
erations, little and big, affect
the decision, and unless all
those conditions are known
and con weighed, how can
anyone advise?
But Punch" gave advice to young
men about to marry, many years
ago. His advice was Don't" And
my advice, generally speaking. to
women considering war work of any
sort is exactly the opposite. DO"
Brush aside all the superficial OBJ
jections of the conservative old
mother-in-law who thinks your place
is to make Jim's home happy, and
the neighbors who audibly comment
that they think it is perfectly ter
rible that you can plan to desert
your little boys three days a week
and 60 off to do nurses aid work
in the hospital. If Jim can't get
into uniform for any reason. at least
he can make it possible for you to
help. And if you hired completely
inefficient nurse for your boys, and
vert gaily off to movies and bridge
three days a week, the neighbors
would consider it quite a normal
procedure, and would have no criti-
cism at all.
Children Happy at Nurseries.
There is much too much talk to-
day about the mothers who leave
their children in the charge of baby
schools or wartime nurseries and
take defense jobs. The usual thing
is to gather the children up at night;
they sleep at home. And if, in the
daytime, they are placed in reason
ably safe custody, the chances are
they are much happier playing about
with their contemporaries than alone
at home.
I say reasonably safe" custody.
There is no really safe custody for
child. Children are active. deli
cate, ignorant, impulsive. Pills and
pins and dirty objects go confidently
into their little mouths; they step in
front Of trucks or down into man.
holes; they back off cliffs and play
with matches with total disregard
for that priceless possession called
life.
But it isn't always when they are
with hired custodians that the acct
dents occur. Some of you were
stricken to the heart as I was few
weeks ago when you saw a picture
of a long stretch of ocean beach,
framed by the waves on one side
and the lonely dunes on the other.
And between the two, hand in hand,
wandered the despairing father and
mother whose small child had been
safe on the shore only a few min
utes earlier, and who was gone for
ever now.
Years ago l knew a woman so
fearful for the safety of her child
that she hired plain-clothes man
to watch him. When she went from
the city to the country place she
took little "stand-in' for her boy,
who Travelled less conspicuously
with nurse and tutor.
Child Killed Despite Family's Care.
When the boy was about seven he
begged to ride just once on a street
car. Grandma, Mother, nurse and
detective saw him safely aboard,
his governess in charge. But the
little boy. elated at this excited ad.
venture. stepped across the plat.