NEARLY FOUR YEARS OLD

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 100, 30 April 1938, Page 19

NEARLY FOUR YEARS OLD

The following article about the Dionne ' quintuplets, written by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe for the London "Daily Telegraph," 'is'particularly, Interesting, in view of the recent report from the Ottawa correspondent of the "New York Daily News," which stated that Mr. Dionne, through his counsel, has asked the provincial Attorney-General to conduct a judicial investigation into Dr. Dafoe's supervision of the quintuplets and their guardians' management of their financial affairs.

Mr. Dionne's charges include schemes to divorce- the affections of the quintuplets from their parents, careless and improper management of the nursery, thus jeopardising the quintuplets' health, through pandering to the curiosity of tourists, and wastage of the quintuplets' trust funds.. The Dionne quintuplets are getting along towards lour now, and as they approach their birthday, May 28, they deport themselves as well as any other girls their age, writes Dr. Dafoe. The past winter was good to the quins. Apart Irom a few minor sniffles their health was perfect. They continue their steady and consistent gains both, in height and weight—and they continue to look so much alike that only a very few of us can tell them apart. ■ At times during the cold weather the quins lost a little weight. Any mother, however, knows that such losses are not unusual, and are quickly regained.

Scientists have found that the quins are "identical" children. That word "identical" shouldn't be taken at its lace value. No two people are ever really identical. What the scientists mean is that the Dionne quintuplets come closer to being alike—all five of them—than any pair or group of children ever studied by science.

An elaborate study of the quins showed that they are identical in hands and feet, and, most of all, their faces. Several similarities of the babies are readily apparent to anyone who is wij:h them for-any length of time. I know, of course, that their eyes are all the same, a medium brown mixed with grey. Their eyelashes are long, dark brown, and curly. The contours of the hairlines are the same.

The only difference is that while me hair whorls on the crowns of four of the quins' heads go counter-clockwise, Marie's goes the reverse way.

All five have fair, clear, and rosy skin textures. . They tan easily and deeply—but they don't freckle.

Ears are supposed to be foolproof means of identification. Even identical twins usually have different ears. But the quins' ears are all as nearly alike as is possible. DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES. The scientists declared that: "One thing is certain —and that is that these children do not fit into a similar mould of personality development and that the variation manifest at this age, 3i, is showing signs of wider divergence."

They classified Yvonne as the motherly type; Annette as a social climber; Emilie as a happy-go-lucky little girl and the most self-sufficient of the five; Cecile as the unknown quantity; and Marie as the "baby" of the family.

Now I wouldn't agree entirely with these descriptions, but they do serve to emphasise the fact that the quins are developing the way they should; as five little girls all with their own individual personalities.

The children's schooling started before they were three. They have singing

DIONNE "QUINS" NOT SPOILED

i and music lessons and dancing lessons. They draw with coloured crayons. ' They listen to stories and look at picture books. Before long they'll be '■; learning to read. 1 Almost, all the people round Callan- ' der speak French, and that is the lan- ; guage on which the quins are concen--1 trating. But at their noon dinner they ■ speak—or speak at—English, and so 1 they are already learning two lan- • guages. s NEVER BEEN "SPANKED." No—the quins have never been ' "spanked." I hope they never will be. But they aren't spoiled by any ' means. And they are subject to strict discipline. They are well-behaved and well-mannered young ladies—for they ' learned early that they can get what they want only by behaving. When one, of them disobeys, she is 1 placed alone in the "bad room" and stays there until she decides she can return to her play with the others and behave. We don't expect—or ' want— the babies never to disobey. But we do like a happy balance. Play is the big thing round the nursery, of course, and the quins are outi doors almost every day of the year. It ! gets mighty cold here—once in a while round 30 below zero. Only in extremely inclement weather are the quins kept inside—and they don't like that restraint one bit. This past winter they have become surprisingly adept at winter sports. Tobogganing and. skiing are their favourite cold-weather pastimes. HEALTHY APPETITES. On what do we feed our sturdy quins? - Well, as you might imagine, they have pretty healthy appetites— and there's seldom a meal when anything is left on their little plates. Breakfast time is 7.45. First thing on the menu in the morning—and also at supper-time-yis a teaspoonful of codliver oil in a little orange juice. After this comes a helping of cereal with milk, then an egg either scrambled, soft-boiled, or poached. With the egg we usually serve one or two strips of bacon, brown bread toast, and whole wheat biscuits, and at least one cup of milk. That's a rather hearty breakfast for a 33-years-old, don't you think? A typical lunch would be: A first course of soup. Then specially-pre-pared liver and potatoes, with French beans and raw carrots. For, dessert, perhaps chocolate pudding and biscuits. Chocolate pudding, by the way, is the babies' favourite dessert, although they've never yet been known to refuse any sweet dessert. Lunch comes at about 11.45. Supper is simple. Usually a bowl of porridge, a biscuit, and plenty of milk. Sometimes tomato and lettuce sandwiches, and very often fruit 8f some kind. PLENTY OF SLEEP. Sleeping is one of the things the quins do best. Soon after they finish their supper they are bundled away to bed. Breakfast, as I have noted, is at 7.45 —so there is no oversleeping. The midday nap lasts an hour and a half. They have an invested fortune of £104,000, which comes from twentyfour contracts signed since their birth. Dr. Dafoe receives £40 a month. Their parents,' Who with their six other children live across the road from the quins' £15,000 model home, get £20 a month.

Mr. and Mrs. Dionne are allowed to ace the quins at any timt.