OUR BABIES

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 71, 26 March 1910, Page 15

OUR BABIES

(By Hygeia.) PttMUhed under the *uspicc. of tha Society tor t&T Promotion ol the Health of Women and Children "It U wiser to put up a fence ;>t the ton of a precipice than to maintain an ambnlance »t the bottom." ADDRESS OF PLUNKET NURSE AND | SECRETARY. Wellington — Plunket Nurse M 'Donald, 73, Aro-»treet. Tel. E42p. Hon. sec., Mro. M'Vicar. 45. Majoribankg-street, City. TeL 2642. Plunket Nurses services free. HEALTH OP WOMEN AND CHILDREN. At the second annual conference of the "j Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children, the president gave an interesting address, of which the following is a part: — There is a general consensus of opinion that the time has come for carrying out tho systematic visiting of country centres by the society's nurses, as foreshadowed In the recommendations regarding travelling Plunket nurses made at tho Wellington conference. It is also hoped that something practical may be dona in the direction of extending the benefits of the systematic care of babies to infanta coming under the direct care of the State, or looked after by general hospital authorities, either as inmates or out-patients. It is strongly felt that co-operation with hospital physician* in this connection would do much to prevent tbe relapse which is so often induced by the ignorance of the mother when a baby returns homo restored to health, but still delicate, and needing df all things, a continuance of proper care and attention. This the society can ensure through its visiting nurses not only to ex-hospital inmates, but also to thoso treated in connection with outpatient departments. Obviously, however, some mutual arrangement would have to be made to Tender work of this kind timely and effective. Among the matters of ipecial importance that will come before tho conference, there is tho question of ways and means. The public has been very good to us, end we rely confidently on its continued help and support; but we feel, also, as members ot cominitteo charged witb very extensive practical issues toucb- . ing almost every family in the Dominion, that it would be a great help and satisfaction if we could feel assured of regular financial support from the Government bearing some definite proportion to the scope of public work we have taken upon ourselves to do in tho broadest interests of the Dominion. When our society was formed, some difficulty in regard to breadtb of view was experienced by those who foresaw the wide extent of reform that would have to be effected before the full rights of motherhood and babyhood could be established. The public saw in tho new movement merely the last ephemeral fad, which would -be dropped as soon as its authors were tired or disillusioned, or both— a fad for tempting mothers to fiva up breast-feeding by showing them ow to prepare and use humanised milk ! There is a general assumption that all philanthropy and charity tends to be harmful and to render idleness and vice easier to the indolent and thriftless — all this oblivious to the fact that ours was no charity and no mere frothy philanthropy, but a quiet, consistent, determined effort by us women to arrive at the best means of materially helping one another and the whole community in matters pertaining to our particular realm of motherhood and babyhood, on the basis of common sense and common humanity, irrespective of creed or convictions, poverty or wealth We recognised, in a word that there was no greater need of a health mission to the poor and ignorant than to the ignorant and well-to-do. Wo wanted to learn ourselves, and we felt sure that there were many others throughout the length and breadtb of New Zealand also ar.xious to learn, and to improve the common lot as well. Tho result has cert«?iilv shown that we were not mistaken. Tnere are still a few ignorant cavillers left who persistently distort the aims of the society and belittle all that it takes in hand, but these are now practically, a negligible quantity, and wo can continue in general to pursue the simple policy of doing tho thinp that's nearest, in the hope and belief that misunderstanding and misrepresentation must eventually die a natural death. There is one direction in which the wish for the society's death has seemed to bo so much tho father of tho thought, and has played no important a part in the attitude assumed towards us, that I think, with certain of the branches, that we ought to take some cognisance of it, lest persistent reiteration of the prophecy of our impending decease should, in fact, induce a lack of confidence in the value and permanence of our work, where it has not yet been taken in hand or where it has not become firmly established. The special dies irae named has been tho depurturo of Her Excellency Lady Plunket, whose gracious patronago and keen practical interest in tho society we nil so highly appreciate. However, we do not think (and we know that Lady Plunket thinks and belie vea least of all) that the work depended, or should depend at any time, on patronago. If our health mission was not worth doing for its own sake, then I }-, xtas not worth doing at all, and it did not deserve to live. We havq been clad that the society should have beon honoured by vice-regal patronage, but we felt more honoured by the fact that Lady Plunket was a co-worker, and that her confidence in tho pormanencv and importance, of the scheme was such that aho would have preferred wheu she first associated herself with our work to havo the society placed under direct Royal patronage. (To bo continued.)