WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 20 June 1925, Page 14

WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

WORK IN U.S.A. N.Z. VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS. .Miss .’Lyra. Ta Ivor, LL.B, one of the New Zealand delegates to the qinquennial conference of the International. Council of Women, held at Washington from May 4 to May 14, writes:During the period of the conference the assembled delegates have been privileged to see a number of well-chosen and carefully prepared exhibits illustrative of various aspects of child welfare 'work, public health work, and community work, as carried on in America. Most of these exhibits were on view in the Exhibition. ITall of the Auditorium (where the conference was held), and every day wore visited by hundreds of interested men and women. The United States Children’s Bureau (director. Aliss Grace Abbott) had a large and most instructive exhibit on view. The chief. feature of this exhibit, and its greatest attraction for most of the visitors, was a model of a. “maternity and child health centre.” This model showed three earefully-thought-out and well-fitted rooms, complete in their furnishing and equipment to the last detail. In the centre was the reception room, where mothers and their children coming for advice and treatment might wait their turn. Leading from this room on one side was the maternity examination room, where expectant mothers needing care and advice might be attended to; and On the other side was the children’s examining room. No single item was omitted from this minature “maternity and child health centre,” since it was intended to serve as a pattern to all communities throughout America wishing to establish such a desirable, indeed almost necessary, aid to public health.

- The United States Children’s Bureau also showed, in minature, two models of suitable public playgrounds for children, one of these mothers particularly adapted to cities, the other for rural f districts. '• WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS. Various one s of the huge number of women’s societies and organisations of America took advantage of the presence in Washington of such, large numbers of foreign women to display on long tables in the Exhibition Hal] immense quantities of their literature, pamphlets, and publications. In a prominent place was displayed literature of every sort and kind dealing with the League of Nations Union, j and its many kindred societies devoted to securing peace throughout the world. r The Federation of Business and Pro- • fessional Women (a powerful and i wealthy body) had a. representative in ! the hall, displaying and pushing the ! sale of their excellent little monthly ! magazine, The Independent Woman. Another well-known monthly magazine devoted to the interests of women, which was prominently displayed in the Exhibition Hall was The Woman Citizen. It boasts of being the only national and independent magazine in America which is owned, published, edited and controlled by women. It numbers amongst its contributors and has on its governing body some of the rinest- women in the world. The name of Carrie Chapman Catt, for instance, is know n the world, over, as is that of Dorothy Canfield, the* novelist. The National Motion Picture League had a large display of posters and literature, descriptive of its attempts j to see that America is provided with better films. The National Committee on Prisons and Prisons Labour was also well represented in the same way. CHILD HEALTH EXHIBIT. The exhibit appearing under the name of the American Child Health Association was particularly fine. One of its best features was an original and delightful “picture map” showing the ideal land Avliere happy, healthy children grow up to strong and useful manhood and womanhood; Not far from Orange Valley (for your bappv, healthy child must have fruit every day) was shown Bath Tub Vile with the Drink Water Springs just outside its gates. Oatmeal Town was surrounded by Baked Potato Hills, and the children, of that town play on. Spin-' ach Greens. Hot Soup .Springs made i up the thermal district, and the Milky Way appeared, not in the sky, hut as one of the high roads leading to health. One passed on to Bookland, where in the idea] land every child will linger, but not too long; then out to Play Meadows, and so to the Long Sleep Mountains. And attention is especially drawn to the fact that, in this ideal land of the happy and healthy child, no room can be found for theatre or motion picture palace. Space would not permit one to tell in detail of the exhibit arranged by the American Women’s Hospitals, by the National Committee on Equal Moral Standards, and bv various social hygiene societies. It should be mentioned, however,- that in all the exhibits, throughout the entire display in the hall, lavish use was made of splendidly designed and finely executed pictures and posters. The lesson of respect for the body, the duty of physical fitness, the economic Waste brought about by j 11-health, al] were emphasised and driven home to visitors by these striking means. Particular mention should be made in this connection of the educational panels shown by the National Child! "Welfare Association.

Who coii.Vl fail to be arrested by this picture of a chubby child waving a tooth brush and shouting (we hope, ill musical tones) — “Sing a song of toot]) paste At morning, noon, and night; Twenty healthy little teeth. Strong, and shining white. Every day I brush them, To keep them pice and clean. Are they not a set of pearls. Fit for any queen?” Here is another one. a “revised version” of an old friend, appearing under a gai\v coloured picture—- “ The scales in the corner, And little Jack Horner Is taking his weekly weight. Just now for his height He’s too thin and light, But soon he’ll be looking first rate.” Another aspect of the exhibition was revealed as the .'png tables where the National Councils of Women of Bulgaria, Poland, Czeoho-Slovakia, and Finland displayed samples of the arts and crafts of tli'bir different countries. Here was line weaving, filmy .handmade lace, and delicate enibrodiory. Some of the exhibits wore old and priceless, and were watched over with eagle eyes by those in charge. Other exhibits, however, were for sale, and were quickly bought up by enthusiastic American women. By the kindness of Miss Mary Anderson. chief of the United States Women’s Bureau, delegates to the conference were invited to attend a. kinema film illustrating the conditions of women’s labour. In graphic fashion, this film showed the great change which the development of machinery has

wrought in women’s work., since the old days when everything was done by hand, in the house. It pictured the evil effects on the health and morals of the entire nation of had factory conditions, and emphasised in no uncertain fashion the absolute necessity of limited working hours and of healthful surroundings .for the worker. Delegates to this great conference have enjoyed much- hospitality,' and have been -received, with the greatest kindness, hut their thanks were, they felt, in special measure due to those who had taken such infinite pains to arrange the wonders of jtfie E'-b ;1 . Hall for their delight and instruction.