OUR BABIES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15496, 27 April 1918, Page 8

OUR BABIES.

BEAUTIFUL BABIES. The following article was written by Dr. Truby King and was published in Christchurch last June. As it ought to interest all parents with young babies we are printing it in this column. WHAT BECOMES OF THE BEAUTIFUL BABIES? Many years ago Professor Patrick Geddes, the great biologist and humanitarian and joint author of our most noted book on Sex, paused to ask himself this question: What becomes of all the beautiful babies? He had steeped himself in a profound study of the origins and destinies of baby-plants and baby-animals, but what struck him as the most extraordinary and disappointing of the mysteries was the failure of the little human beings all around him to come up to the splendid possibilities with which they nearly all seemed to start.

As he wandered along the streets or by-ways of cities, or even in the open country, he found himself confronted everywhere with the same thing—boys and girls, men and women, young and old, had fallen infinitely abort of what they might have been. This was perhaps twenty years ago, but can the most optimistic of us say that matters are now appreciably better than they were then, or that we have paid one particle of heed to the clear-sighted and commonsense warnings of men such as Herbert Spencer and Grddcs? Could anything be more amazingly significant or prophetic than the following passage from Herbert Spencer? PHYSICAL FITNESS. “To be a nation of 'good animals’ is the first condition to national prosperity. Not only is it that the event of a war often turns on the strength and hardiness of soldiers, but it is that the contests of commerce are in part determined by the bodily endurance of producers. Thus far we have found no reaeon to Par trials of strength with other races in cither of the.-:* fields. But there are not wanting signs that our powers will presently be taxed to the uttermost.” And this was written half a century before G orge V, became King! Going along our own streets to-day what is it that strikes us, if we trouble to observe and think whether we are doing justice to our race? As the crowd passes up and down the strert before us how many youths or adults of either sex could we pick out who would compare favourably, as samples of human perfection, with the beautiful babies who are fo comparatively common. The vast majority are out of the running altogether

The failure to develop and grow up aoording to early promise causes no surprise or protest—we have got out of the way of expecting the average man or woman to have trie shapely feet, good limbs, broad hips, deep chest, square shoulders, good muscles, graceful, easy carriage, and aspect of radiant health and perfection which would be the prevalent type if man took as muen trouble about the rearing and care of his own species, as he does about the rearing of cattle and horses. Deformed and crippled feet, spindley calves, indifferent bodies, shallow chests, ronnd shoulders, and slouching gait characterise trie majority.

THE ELECT FEW. Even among the elect few, where can we find the individual who, however, well be may look, would be fairly entitled to 75 per cent, of marks as an ideal specimen of manhood and womanhood. if the five following points were given the place they ought to have in standards of reasonable bodily pcrfec* tion; 1. Well-developed jaws and sound. good teeth. 2. Fully-developed nose and throat, free from all restrictions and obstructions, 3. Fully-developed chest with ample breathing capacity. 4. Sound digestive organs and freedom from indigestion. 5. Shapely, well-developed calves and feet, free from distortions and deformities. Onr shortcomings are ohvions even to the casual observer, yet for the most part people regard the present state of matters as normal. There is no general protest against human unfitness. So long as people can manage to struggle through their daily work with the help of occasional patchings-up by the doctor and tne dentist, it does hot occur to them that any higher standard than this is to be expected. Yet it is quite safe to say that, with very few exceptions indeed, the great majority of those who drag along with indifferent health and who hardly ever feel perfectly well, strong and fit, could have grown up excellent specimens of humanity had they been properly and sensibly reared. For t'ne most part, men and women do not suffer from inevitable illhealth or unfitness, but from the results of a few easily avoidable daily transgressions of the laws of life. The main cause of modern bodily unfitness and inefficiency hes with our women, and is due not to indifference on their part, but to lack of necessary knowledge and consequent failure to put in practice the Jaws of healthy living as regards themselves and their offspring.