The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 15, 1918, Page 18

L it Pk . o ot AT £ ot mrmer e e b, 58 DR AR — 7" Z 7 U v F L’ / // Eyes and Teeth of Young America BY MRS. MAX WEST . 2 HAT of our_ children’s eyes? Recent investi- gations into the condi- tion of American school children reveal that about one-fifth—20 per cent—are handxcapped by defective vision, and in a considerable number of cases these defects are serious. How gravely this affects the nation’s welfare is demonstrated by the find- ings in the recent examination of re- cruits for the new army. More than 730,000 men called in the first draft were rejected for physical disqualifi- cations. Of the 10,000 cases which were analyzed in detail, more than one-fifth had been rejected for de- fects of the eye. This single cause was responsible for more than twice as many rejections as the next highest cause, namely, defects of the teeth, and for three or four times as many as most of the other defects. It is, therefore, plain that American par- ents should take much more thought as to the condition of their children’s eyes during the years when the harm is most likely to be done and when trouble can most readily be prevented .or cured. Babies are often allowed to lie in their carriages with the sun shining directly into their eyes, or are permit- ted to look straight into a bright ar- tificial light, thus working harm to_ the delicate nerves of the eye. As children grow they often strain their eyes by reading or doing other close work in a poor light, or too soon after illness, when the eyes are partlcularly -subject to injury. IT’S BEST TO SEE A DENTIST For years we have known that the children in our public schools have bad teeth. It is true that many mothers live at an inconvenient, even prohibitive distance from dentists; and many more feel unable to bear the expense of dental work; but one ‘of the greatest sources of danger to- the children is the fact that so many mothers do not realize the serious and far-reaching effect of neglected teeth and do not understand how to prevent the need of expensive dental work, ) The quality of every child’s teeth is partly -determined before .he ‘is born, when the embryomc teeth are growing. .This.is one of the many urgent reasons. why the mother’s diet and general hygiene should be scrup- ulously watched and every means to keep her in excellent health should be employed. After the baby is born the baby’s food becomes a matter of prime importance if his teeth are to be strong. GET A GOVERNMENT BULLETIN ON THIS- ~ As the child grows out of baby- hood, not only the diet, but the care of the milk teeth must be clearly un- ° derstood. It has been demonstrated that the child’s first teeth can be so preserved that he arrives at the age of second dentition without a decayed tooth, and the permanent set comes through in perfect‘ condition.. Like . everything' else: in the child’s care, this depends more -upon the patient ~and mtelllgent care given each day by the mother in the home, than upon outside. help. " Let us all, American vmothets, resolve : that our children I nor later to their adult life in any- thing less than the most perfect con- dition it is possible for us to secure. The first essential of child welfare is to insure the soundest possible health at birth. This depends in a certain measure upon the health and diet of the mother before the baby is jborn. Proper food and care for the baby throughout infancy and childhood when the structures of the body are growing at the most rapld rate are necessary. Improper or in- sufficient food, neglect and illness are Y among the causes which interfere with "growth and healthy development of the body in every part and no doubt affect growing eyes in the same way. But even when the fundamental laws of good health have been ob- served and when the eyes and teeth are strong and. healthy to begin with, they should have-very special care from the moment of birth. Directions for this are found in two bulletins of the Children’s year, entitled, “Pre- natal Care” and “Infant Care.” Both these bulletins will be sent free in response to all requests to the Chil- dren’s Bureau, United States Depart- ment of Labor, Washington, D. C. | MADAM, THERE’S YOUR HUSBAND | The son'g of the binder is heard in the land. farmers are bringing in a. great wheat crop. Wives of farmers, do you know that unless your husbands are organized for their protection, while they reap the grain, others may reap the benefit? Hands That Can He{lp A Suggestion to Women By the Depa;tment of Agriculture MONG the college girls, and the teachers, with their vacation leisure, or the women employed in trades which are slack in the summer, there must be some who were brought up in just such country homes as now need help, and who could be of practical service to the woman on whom the efficiency of the farm workers depends. If these could help the farm wife, they would contribute to the world’s food supply as surely as if they ran trac- tors or hoed vegetables Perhaps, too, there is something to be done by women who would not be of much general help in the country * home. In cities, laundry work and baking are largely done outside of the home or by special workers who come in for one kind of work only. Why not more co-operative laundries for rural communities, or at least an organized attempt to .get the wash- ing for a group of farm families done somewhere outside of ' the mdlvxdual home? Since almost every farm sends to town once or twice a week, could it not be arranged for the good cooks there to have pies and cakes and cookies baked ready to be: taken back when -the farmers’ business is done?. If a town woman can not scrub and cook all summer for a’ country fnend,, ; could she not go regularly to d mending? h ll not come “to. their school life T «?xwm?mfivé. who like to do the practical work and with those, who, like the home dem- onstration - agents, know what half the farm homes can use, and some- thing can certainly be done to take part of the work out of those over- burdened households. This. way of attacking the problem has an ad- vantage which must appeal to the farsighted. Begin now as an emer- gency measure;- it may become a per- manent relief and one which will in- _crease the good will and understand- ing between town and country. Woman’s Part In spite of mechanical improve- ments that make housekeeping easier, the profession of the housewife is not a thmg of the past. 'In a recent mag- azine, Jessie Stevéns Hickok analyzes the economic value -of the woman partner’s work.” She beheves that her work must have seven main essentials: 1. She must be a good purchasmg agent. 2. She must be a producer of fin- ; ished products from raw material~in food; clothing and cleanliness. 3. She must know how to conservé fanuly health.. 4. She must keep accounts 5. She must regulate amusenienta ; ‘--neither too much nor too little." //,, In partnership with nature, the Can What You Can HE home-canning drive for 1,500,000,000 quarts of put up foods in 1918 is on. Three thousand home - demonstration — agents and leaders in boys’ and girls’ club work in the Unit- ed States department of agriculture are ready to help to this goal. They have started out to teach the nation to can and to do a good job of it. In ad- dition, many thousands of volunteer leaders are working with these exten- sion forces of the department on the summer campaign. Last year. the home canners put wup 850,000,000 quarts. In the North and West canning schools for demonstrators are bemg conducted at many of the state agri- cultural colleges and in community centers, Every canning-club group among - the boys’ and girls’ clubs in the North and West is organizing a demonstra- tion team of expert canners. These teams will give demonstrations at pub- . lic meetings in—their communities. Over 30,000 boys and girls will take part in this work. Ten manufacturers of rubber rings for glass jars have raised the quality of the rings to a standard required by the department of agriculture. This will be an important factor in en- couraging more canning, for the as- surance of good rings will mean an increased output of canned products among the home canners. Manufac- turers of glass jars, stone crockery ware, tin cans and fiber boxes are-also co-operating in improving their prod- ucts and in securing a sufficient sup- ply to meet thesummer’s demands. WOMAN TO WOMAN. : Bowbells, N. D. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: 3 I’ enjoyed Mrs. Sam Dean’s come- back on the woman’s page of the Leader of June 10, and knowing that appreciation of women’s efforts brings out the best in them I hope to see more articles by her. While hoeing - potatoes yesterday I noticed that the plants turned from white to green “as they came through the soil’s sur- face into the rays of the sun and I thought they were a good likeness of - . the voters’ association here in North Dakota, which though whitened at present with a perfectly respectable name, turns green when it comes through the surface into the sun of the voter’s will at the primaries. - I have had letters from different parts of Minnesota since my letter appear- ~ed in the Leader from farm women interested in the League. They wished to learn first hand if “North Dakota ‘has been ruined by the League,” as the gang press states. Though a busy farmer’s wife, I have taken time to tell all how proud we are of our farmer administration and what it has accomplished. : MRS. H. L. PETERSON ; STARTING A CONTROVERSY The birds are our feathered police- £ man that help protect our crops from bugs and worms. - A mother bird with a nest full of young birds needs 200 to 300 bugs and worms a day to feed = o them. - Plenty of birds around makes a hard drive on our enemies, the in- sects. Cats are great bird -catchers and especlally stray cats, but even the - . . puss that enjoys a good home and food 1oves_ ,to hunt' birds.