THE BABY'S BIRTHRIGHT.

Otago Daily Times, Volume 17147, Issue 17147, 29 October 1917, Page 3

THE BABY'S BIRTHRIGHT.

THOUGHTS FOR BABY WEEK. My bafcy has a mottled list, My baby has a nook in crcascs, My baby" kisses and is kissed For lie's tho very thiny for kisses. Christina Rossetti. It is the Baby's right to be well born; it is his privilege to to well bred; it is essential to tho progress and prosperity of tho nation that the Baby bo fed and clothed and cared for according to the most approved plan, and in keeping with hygienic and scientific principles. Lovo is tho greatest thing in tho world, and every child who comes into tho world at tho call of true and constant love is endowed with an invaluable birthright. To bring a child into tho world as tho result of unhallowed passion or of ruthless luist is coming to bo recognised as ono of tho most heinous sins against society. Since all Empires aro built of Babies, it follows that the value of child-life, always of immense importaneo, is doubled during the great war, when millions of men aro giving their lives for their country. The dead young poet, Rupert Brooke, eloquently - expressed what after all constitutes the greatest agony and tho cxtremest anguish of the war, when speaking of those fallen in battle, ho writes: " Theso . . . gavo up the yearts to bo of work and joy . . . and those who would have been their sons, they gave their immortality." Tho continuance of the war inevitably means that thousands of children that would otherwise have been callcd to come into this world will never bo born. The war must mean that thousands of healthy young women will be denied tho privilege and joy of motherhood. An increasing responsibility is thus cast upon tho shoulders of all men and women ■who are the potential parents of tho future. This responsibility presses still more heavily upon the fathers and mothers of this dominion, since the development of New Zealand hinges almost entirely upon an increasing population.

All experience goes to ishow that tho prosperity and progress of any nation depend, first of all, on the possession of eucli a social environment as will encourage the bringing into the world of healthy, well-bred, Babies; and. secondly, on provision that -will ensure that the Babies, once born, 6hall bo adequately and properly cared for.

This is the idea that has led to the organisation by tho Royal Society for tho Health of Women and Children of Baby Week, which is designed as the foundation of a permanent work in tho best interests of the babies. In tho old world it is authoritatively stated that the risk to child lifo in the cities is greater than that which confronts tho soldier on the battlefield. Thanks partly to the work of the Royal Society for the Health of Women and Children, conditions in this dominion are much better, but the way of perfection is still far off.

Everybody can help to make Baby Week a success, and it is a matter which concerns everybody. Encourage the promotels by attending the lectures and demonstrations. Talk about it to your friends and acquaintances. Do what you can to help. Above all, if you are a parent or hope to be one, determine to profit -by the hints and instruction given.

REFERENCES IN" CHURCHES

Daring the present week a series of_ demonstrations and lectures wiH be pivon in connection with the Dominion Baby Week movement, and in several of tho churches of tho city yesterday reference was made from the pulpits to the importance of seeing that every baby was given a chance to become a healthy and useful citizen. FIRST GETUftCH. There was a large congregation at First Church last night when the R_ev. Graham H. Balfour preached on the isuoject " Christ and the Child." His text was taken from Luke xviii, 16: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is tho Kingdom of God." The preacher said that Jesus was ever a lover of little children, and tho children were at home with Him. There was surely some defect in the person who did not love little children. To Jesus children were a leminder of home. The parents who brought their children to Jesus, no doubt felt the spirit of holiness and love radiating from His person and felt that His touch would be a blessing. Jesus was moved w:th indignation" at the interference of the disciples, and said: " Let tho children alone, hinder them not to come unto Me." The first point wais the Kingdom of God belonged to such. It was theirs. Its privileges, blessings, joys, glories, and honours belonged to such little children as these, and death meant for them life everlasting. There was no need that children should ever wander from the Good Shepherd, but that they should always be tho children of God. The second point was, the Christian spirit was tho child spirit. Jesus taught this specially by another incident. When Jesus knew that the disciples had been disputing as to who should be tho greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, He took a child and set him in the midst ai.d said: "Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter iiito the Kingdom of Heaven." The third point was the value and sacredness of Christ's little ones and tho doom of those who causo them to stumble. The child and tho childlike are trustful, woo to him who betrays«="tho trust; they were simple, woe to him who took advantage of their simplicity ; they were sincere, woe to him who showed them insincerity and brought them deception. Woe to those who' polluted childlike innocence! Those who despised the child and injured him may look for a fearful doom. "Who so shall cause to stumble one of these little ones wftich believe in Me it were better for him that a great millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in tho depths of sea." DUNDAS STREET METHODIST CHURCH. At the Dundas Street Methodist: Church in the morning tho Rev. S. Griffith preached a special sermon on tho "Claims of the Child.' 1 ■ Taking as texts Matt, xxi, 16: "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou has perfected praise," together with Matt, xxv, 40: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto tho least of these ye have done it unto Me." Ho said it was a happy coincidence that on that Sunday they were asked to consider both the claims of their orphanage work (it being the Methodist Orphanage Sunday) as well as the valuable work of the Plunket Society against needless infant mortality and in favour of the hygienic nurture of children. Both these institutions had much in common, and were warranted by sacred sanction. The sacredness of infancy in relation to the Divine plan wes indicated in tho Scripture records, and prominently in tho Holy Child Jesus, aa well as by the indignation of Christ with those who would havo driven from them tho mothers of Salem and their children, and who said. "Whose so receiveth ono such child receiveth Me." It had been truly said, "To-day, in the cradles of England, lio tho sages, the seers, nnd saints of to-morrow; its statesmen who will sway man with their inbight or elocfuence; its prophets, with voices of comfort or command; its authentic singers of the old immortal song." Tho claim of tho child was the claim of Godliness, humanity, and nationhood. Healthiness and holiness were closely allied,' and everything that wouid preserve and ennoble life would glorify God. enrich the nation and the world, nnd hasten the coming of the kingdom of God. CHURCH OF CHRIST. At tho Tabernacle reference was made to Baby Week in the ovoning service. In the couree of his remarks the minister (Mr S. G. Griffith) said: New Zealand has led, and is still leading, tho world in several economic measures. It was truo that in some of our plans other nations had studied our efforts and improved upon them. Others had advanced fur tiler. To our new country, however, still belonged much praiso in the pioneer work done. In nothing which we had attempted was there greater promise of good than that of oaring for tho helpless and Uiu often neglected baby. No praiso was too great in speaking of the commendable and sacrificdnff endeavours of those who were striving to bring about better conditions for oar own little ones. This week was to be used to emphasise the needs and tho benefits of "his majesty tho baby." It was good that it should bo so. £oibo dOf shall see aaoro than

seven days in tho year sot apart for special consideration of tho rights of tho weak and helpless infant, who was tho hopo of tho nation. Much had been done, and wo owed lasting than lis to tjjoso who had douo tho work; but thoro still remained much room for now effort in tho direction toward which wo aimed. It would be a happy day for tlio Stato when every baby born in the land was assured a good, clean homo and n fair ohanco to livo and bo healthy. Mr Griffith spoke of the benefits ho had seen; accrue from tho work of "Homo Finding Societies," and ho hoped that such a movement would soon be inaugurated in connection with tho work already being- done in Now Zealand. Thero were, and probably always would be, poor innoccnts, who, hccauso of the faults of others, would never roceivo a. welcome from their natural, or, rather, unnatural., guardians, and for such it was a national obligation to make up so far as possible tho deficiency. SOUTH DUNEDTN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Professor Hcwitson prcached at South Dunedin Presbyterian Church in tho forenoon on tho subject of the Christian child, taking as his text: "They brought unto Him their babes." He pointed out that there wero three ways in which parents may train their children to be Christian—namely, talking- to them about religion and love, praying for them and with them, and setting them a good example. As soon as Ruskin was old enough to carc for pictures his father never allowed him to see a cruel one. The preacher said most pai-cnts found it a difficult thing to talk to their children about religion and love, and they kept the Mosaic Commandment: " Thou s-halt teach them diligently unto their children, and shalt talk to them." V<\ry few parents had the courage to perform the difficult and delicate task of speaking to their children about tho laws of Nature, as well as of morals and religion. In this connection Professor Hewitson quoted the Bishop of London, who was reported some years ago to have said: "I am now convinced that the uplifting of the morality of our people lies above everything else in educating the children rationally and morally. I believe that more evil has been done by the foolishness of parents who are afraid to instruct their children in tho vital facts of love than by all the other agencies of vice put- together." ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH At tho evening service at St. Andrews Presbyterian -Church Professor Hewitson occupied tho pulpit, and preached on tho Fatherhood of God. In the course of his sermon the professor remarked that from tho national point of view many important things had been said recently, and will bo said this -week, concerning the sacredness and importance of infant life. From tho religious point of view tho important one was that God taught men when they prayed to say: " Our Father." The father is the interpreter of God to the child and tho child to the father. "I have learned more," said the preacher, " about sacrificial longing love of God for man from my own parental feelings than from all my books on theology." ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. Preaching in tho evening, Canon Nevill took ajs his text "And Jesus called a little child." The central fact of all life was the mother and the child;" a fact sanctified by responsibility, true parenthood and love, degraded to the level of the animal by lust. It was eternally true that tho race marched forward on the feet of little children. Our forefathers, ignorant and hard as they were, knew this. Every other picture in Italy was a picture of the Eternal Mother and Child. The instinct of the painters was a true one. They and they alono meant national greatness and efficiency; nothing else did. Our doctors bewailed an unjustifiable infantile mortality, the decay of teeth, adenoids, consumption, the terribly low birthrate of New Zealand. It meant ignoranco for one thing, but it meant laziness ana what was tho root of all evil, selfishness. Wo never stopped to reflect that even if " wo had a goodly heritage" there were races outside, and not far off, waiting to swamp us utterly with their huge birthrate and industry. Baby Week meant that wo asked: "Do the women of New Zealand want race suicide, or do they care so much for clothes,.and pleasure, and comfort that they do not want healthy children round them—After me the Deluge.". Wo should ask ourselve® as Christians, what docs Christ say about it? Christ sanctified childhood, ho saifctified motherhood, but he never sanctified lust. To-day Germany is legitimising every child born in war time to increaiso the man power—that is sanctifying lust; that is no foundation for a great people. We in the British Empire up to this time have treated a large family as a folly, if not a crime, we have penalised the parents by committing them to a losing fight with insufficient means, we have made the healthy upbringing of a large family almost an impossibility. The nation did not really want children, it wanted money to spend on an unloved old ago nnd nothing more. One of the most terrible satires on this race selfishness has come out in the casualty lists of the war. How many "only sons" have been in those dreadful lists. In England many well known families have become extinct, because the " only son" had gone and left his homo desolate. The family was tho one vital thing in the nation, the one thing that mattered, _and nothing else mattered like it, spiritual health for our children, room to live, and a chance to live healthily and morally clean.

HANOVER STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. At the Hanover Street Baptist Church the Rev. R. S. Gray preached to a large audicnce on the child, the hope of the nation anrl the kingdom of God, from the text: "He took a little child and stood him in the midst." The preacher pointed out that the child was really the basis of all civilisation; that the care of the child had rendered marriage sacred, and created home; given woman her proper place, and constituted the family. The materialism of the most highly civilised nation had ignored this fact, and treated the child simply as so much machinery, with which to add to its wealth. .-Christian principles and philanthropists were altering that, but there was still grave negligence of the most serious phase which disregarded the higher obligations of necessary sacrifice entailed by motherhood. The e.lu<?ation of the mother was of primary importanoe to the nation. A nation's well-being was ordinarily measured by its products and industry, but the chief industry of the nation was mothercraft. He emphasised the valuable educational work done by the Plunkct Society, and quoted statistics-to show that the death rate synchronised with its operation, and urged that there should be more careful education of girls in State schools and all secondary schools. He feared that motherhood was being sacrificed to mentality, and that the opportunities for earning a livelihood which were opening in increasing numbers to girls were erasing to be mere temporary expedients and becoming the end and the main object of their being. Ho urged that the Church should take its part in the building of healthy bodies, in order that they should be fitting temples of God. The Son of God had made motherhood sacred for ever. He concluded by urging his congregation to avail themselves of the opportunities of the demonstrations and lectures to be hold in the city during tho week.