TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 77, 27 September 1924, Page 15

TOPICS OF THE DAY

(By "M.H.0.")

The statement by a reputable medical authority that fruit eating would be largely a preventive of the terrible **,ourge of cancer is well worth consideration. Those who eat fruit are well aware oi its virtues, as well as its pleasantness. Not that it is suggested that virtues are unpleasant; far from it. But the tragic part of it is the question, how many can afford a fruit diet of at all .a generous description? With apples at about twopence apiece, more for the more delicate sorts; bananas in the same ratio, for the penny bananas may usually he said " to have seen their best days"; oranges at from twopence to fourpence each; and grape fruit at sixpence apiece, the' standard fruits are not for family use of the middle class, who form the majority of the people, with the poorer ones, of course, right " out of it." So what is to be done? It would be a good idea if Government put forth a brochure on the subject, concluding with the voids, " Suggestions gladly welcomed."

Just now and then very sordid and terrible tragedies are brought forward l;y some newspaper or other by means of headings which make the public' take special notice of them. A recent one comes from Hobart—not a, city of immonee size, .but one which might be supposed not to have slums of great extent difficult for the social worker to penetrate. But the story from Hobart says that a widow waa committed for the manslaughter of one of her children, the poor mite of Iwo and a half years being brought to hospital dead, while another of six'subsequently died also. The children were terribly neglected, and swarming with 'vermin, though their bodies were well nourished. The mother gave evidence that she had seven children to look after and keep, and was too poor to consult a. doctor about them. The Coroner, in giving' his "verdict, said: "The whole community is responsible, for these deaths. It reflects on us that such conditions are allowed to exist. We are •'•our brother's keepers,' but here are Lrothers-iwe have not kept." Unfortunately in. every city , there are both pothers and, sisters who " are not kept" in the Scriptural sense, and it is a fine tning when a man in a public position, eucli as a Coroner, brings attention to the fact, for there are many who are kindly enough ■ and yet who go even to the jargest cities in the world,' and come sway saying: "There is no poverty there, or very little"; and yet those who know are appalled at such a sayiiv It is well for every city to have £ t'ark places uncovered and brought to J'ght regularly till they are cleansed and lighted properly. "Where ignorance is J>liss is all very well, but bliss may bo too dearly bought.

v £ {'"SSeatum that a Commission should be appointed to inquire into the causes of the falling birth rate, made recently, is a very good one, for the reasons are many and various, when one 3oraes out into the world of women of all classes. But the personnel of such a Commission should not be composed ct any professionals immediately concerned, or only sufficient to bring out the necessary evidence and check the value of it. So many1 things besides selfishness—which is usually the first accusat; ,n hurled—are involved in this difficult matter. The standard of life at present is quite a different one from that -pi even twenty-five years ago. Then most. mothers and children stayed at home in the evenings, though the fathers, a great many of them at least, had chibs or "urgent business at the office" winch took them out and away from home at night, and amusements were according to the times;- Most- people could afford at least one reliable domestic help, and when the young ones were jn bed, and the others doing homework for school, could gather up some work, and go and visit a neighbouring friend—this being a common recreation For women. That it led to a gossiping state of things which does not"exist in nearly such a large degree now there are so_ many more .interests outside the home is a fact; and a number of evils accrued, for gossip, quite unlike the proverbial "rolling stone," undoubtedly gathers a great deal as it rolls alon", and much harm is done by it. So the wider interests have their uses in broadening the mind, and taking the attention from the concerns of other people, which only matter jto themselves, andare better left alone by outsiders.

The cost of childbirth is being discussed with a certain amount of acrimony in some Northern papers, and a Commission would settle the vexed question of how much is paid for professional attendance at such times, and how much is allowable. It was stated in one of these papers that six guineas a week was charged for nursing at home, with the necessity of having someone to wait on the nurse. Another said that seven guineas per week at a hospital •was an average charge—these statements bringing out denials, but, as all the correspondents were anonymous, the value of the statements .was less. Then comes the cost of living, and for -anything like comfort the price is heavy, while those little luxuries which mean so much to an overwrought mother are fairly prohibitive. Again, comes housing—and the fact that no one likes to let a house to people with children—that being largely the fault of those who bring up their children without the slightest sense nf the value of any kind of property, either their own or that of other people; but the careful ones have to suffer with tlio rest.' Then, when holiday time arrives (if ever), travelling with children is a really dreadful thing, owing to lack "at conveniences of all kinds, and the dislike which_ hotels and boarding-houses have to an incursion of children make another difficulty for parents. Then, when education conies along, those who value religious instruction send their shildren to denominational schools, and 'with the school equipment of books, etc., vr:ih. oft^utimes uniform dress, expenses ksou«' u _ ■&£ Amusements, which iil children expect, or else they are quite out of touch with their companions, make another charge, so the consequence is that if families are to be kept going in their own position they must •be expensive luxuries; another fact being that most quite young people do not in the least realise the privilege and joy of parenthood till too late, perhaps, and the race suicide goes on, with its lamentable consequences. The whole matter needs ventilation; and perhaps an understanding public, which is assured of assistance in the burdens of the day, inseparable to parenthood, with special provision of safeguards to mothers, will come to a right mind in the matter. But it is a most unfair thing to place all the Ddium of the lack.of population on the women of the race. The burden should be shared out among those who contribute to the making heavj» expenses of the necessities of lif £.