TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 146, 21 June 1924, Page 15

TOPICS OF THE DAY

(By "M.H.C.")

A great many' women have been thinking deeply about the pronouncements of those in authority in the Dominion, made at Palmereton North recently, concerning the subject of maternal mortality. "Going back to Nature" sounds a very fine slogan; but .there are several points to consider. One is that, unfurtunately, we eanuot "go back to Nature" in the way of finding -ourselves equipped with the strength 'and perfect health of the original inhabitants of the world. .There is no doubt that the Creator meant birth to :be a reasonably easy process, as it is in aboriginal races to this day. But, in the course of centuries, wrong conditions, depreciation of the races, prevalence of diseases—which it is hoped may be placed among the notifiable ones—and a number of lesser causes, make motherhood a very terrible trial to a very large number of women. Therefore it hardly seems a reasonable suggestion that in these cases only shall the discoveries of science in the lessening of pain be taken advantage of; and that women* shall, perforce,' be obliged to bear the burden of the-mistakes and wrong-living of centuries,'.and have no mitigation of their suffering. It would be very to find a person who had bovne a child to support such a suggestion. In fact, the declining birth rate, which also is becoming a. slogan with some people, would decline a great deal more rapidly. Mere lay women are of opinion that the cause of puerperal sepsis in many cases is carelessness and dirty conditions which should never be permitted to exist. There has yet -to be brought forward evidence that sucti is not the case. This could be done in simple language which would be obvious to even small intelligence, and it must be done before women will be willing to :"go back to Nature" in one way, when they cannot possibly do so in another.

' A very illuminating speech was made at a banquet of about one hundred and fifty- university .students in America by Alexander Irvine, a man who was invited to speak partly as a joke, as he .was known not to speak in public on any occasion, and the young men had had a surfeit of "dignified drivel" during the four years of college life. To the surprise of all the invitation to speak was accepted, and .a remarkable lesson on the "nobility of handicraft" waa the result. The speaker took the tablecloth as an object lesson first. What did any of them .know about weaving, designing, bleaching, etc. ? Then the glass and china; the cutting of glass, the digging of clay, fashioning, painting, burning, and finishing. The flowers : Who knew anything _ practical about horticulture 1 The subject was followed up to the bitter end; and the question waa asked : "Does the -university educate?" The speaker then said that he was one of them, and had never experienced the joy of fashioning articles with his own hands—nor anything useful for that miatter, he added. Most of the men present were destined to be masters of men; they would mobilise their work and oversee it. When they saw men creating beautiful fcrid useful lihings with their hands he asked them, to remember that he had said it was a far finer thing to labour in actual arts and traits than to clip coupons and live on the sweat of other men's brows. The whole argument of the speaker was against the anomaly in Nature of the Anglo-Saxon fashion of considering that a university education made a "gentleman," while the producing of the beautiiul things of the world by the labour of the hands shut out those producers from the name, at least. There was much food for thought in the speech, specially when he drew aside the cloth, and, pointing to the table, reminded them of the Master Builder who could have made that'if it had been necessary. '

It has been suggested that there is room for a very. desirable and kindly social work in the visiting of patients m mental ; hospitals. Where there are as many as 1200 patients, there certainly are not half that number of visitors which means that visiting'day after visiting day passes by, and some who would be much benefited by a. kindly remembrance and change of society, look wistfully on at the fortunate ones who have friends to come and see them. If a number of men and women would band together, to "adopt" each a patient after consultation with the right authority, and make a visit once a month, or in two months, carrying a book or magazine or some such remembrance it would be a great-help to some of the saddest people in the world. The fact o the Mental Hospital being so far out or sight means that it is largely out of mind, and it is to be hoped that s\ie will slV e the above suggestion a favourable thought.

Some remarks of Dr. Milson. representing the B.M.A. before tho Commission- of Inquiry into proDlems connected with mental defectives and sexual offenders are very" interesting He is reported as saying that "sentimental sympathy with sexual offenders should not prevent society from taking stern disciplinary measures. .. . Segregation would depend on the expense :to the CT - ry *- •• If the offenders were of sufficient numbers to bo a serious burden then some more Sparton method would eventually evolve itself." These sentiments cause some thought In whom does "sentimental sympathy" towards the worst offenders of all exist? A strange warning has been given over and over again to women's societies who press for _ really drastic measures to cut opt this growing evil f rom the midst of society, that if the law. is increased in severity "that juries will not convict no matter how certain it is that the oftence has'been committed." Most women quite decline to believe such an alienation aeainst the respectable, decent men of their own country—thht practically, they have a sort of concealed sympathy with the offenders against decency and innocence which would prevent them from recording a conviction when the facts against the prisoner were clear.1 It is quite unthinkable and unbelievablo, and the statements may be relegated to the shades of the pnst, where lie over so many imaginary bogies which have, been met and faced with the light of day in the form ot common-sense and reason, these causing their satisfactory destruction. Dr. J. C. Johnson, speaking before the same Commission, treated the matter biologically, and remarked that it was nrcessiiry to have ;> fearless analysis of the facts, without false shame or" sentiment, before deterioration- of the race rould be eliminated or minimised. . Everything considered, segregation seemed to be the line of least resistance!."