Dearborn independent. [volume], December 18, 1920, Page 11, Image 11

About Dearborn independent. [volume] (Dearborn, Mich.) 1901-1927

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11
Kansas' Latest Challenge "Fitter Families
H
M VN
wen"
the I
Mlinal
,ly his
contest
Sies 1
beings came into then own in Kansas
There were classes for children, for
, hole families Medals and certihcati
led a well as a special silver troph) foi
A 1 '. -i i. i. ..i i .1... i
l.llllllV. lllOIOllfcll I1IVIII.U .lllll pilNU.ll CX"
required i everj entrant The fam
. i i i .i. i .
was i.ik n, wmie uie purine,- nj iMl.
IK FRANK M CHASE
grapm r
biddii g
tlii-
fithei
few
tera
took It
a so
- summed up m toe 1 uan :
1 uturc Firesides."
s ; I tcacth ; for years 1 1 i - butt
uit and selcfotn taken seriously
rientific works. Yet under the
t more than a hundred Kansas
tare look
H mothers
booths, in which the
tpective examinations,
pi rsj mi u .in nu asnred
determine his
ittcr ram
norse in
seriously
huma
work
SCCOUIj
when
be rf
the tir
beJd a
rear.
ot tbr para
outside for
auspices of
citizens took
at themselves a present or future
While breederi at the ringside a
iv wrtc appraising each cow or
ts orogeny, these nun and women
of their qualifications for parenthood
s a challenge to all the world in this contest
. the latest challenge from Kansas It
hat the people of this progressive state n
i content to breed only better animals They
t to raise bitter citizens; to apply to the
some of the principles of heredity which
I wonders in live stock improvement
of the firs! eugenics contest i one ol a
of tin- friendship of two middle western
if their Steadfast devotion to an idea; of
men! Its beginning dates back
i little county fair in Iowa the
nt of the art department hap
tice a great many babies who,
. wire not getting all the atten-
h they n ere entitled I m the
irrcd to her that thr babies might
and judged with as much profit to
.is arises from the exhibition
Coltl As result of her id: I
health contest in America was
Iowa State Fair the following
to 1910,
staff specialists made .their re
in one 1). oth. for instam . the
in everv conceivahl nnnnM t,.
physical development In -it, .tti...- i,..
was subjected to all suits of questions and tests to
determine the StatUI of his mental and nervous systems
m another he wrestled with the army intelligence tests
usually leaving some of his conceit in this boot!,. In
still another he left some of his blood for the Wasscr
mann test, and so on until everything mortal about
nun was thoroughly invoked. About three hours wi re
required ir examining one person
Probably a more comprehensive and constructive
health examination than that given in this contest was
never offered I he immediate value of the informa
tion dispensed as g by product of the contest was well
illustrated b) the case of one rural family. A child of
this family w.is considerably underweight In the
cursr of the examination the father received some
tactful suggestions as to food which would aid in re
storing the youngster to his proper quota of flesh. As
USUaL the prescription called for goodly allowances
of milk, eggs, fruit si d vegetables. The father was
both pleased and a bit ashamed. "I'm glad we came,"
he said, promising that his boy would get the kind of
a diet that he needed. "We have been living right on a
ir
i a
ha!..
tore thai
lysical
ated bv t:
wether.
be ides,
if 1919,
avunte
uccesi
At 1
i the i
e time
r.d that
initv to
"We
T. W.nts fought for the prtv
ii b tln ci mtest. her ultimate
d how the baby KOfing plan has
into the present extensive bet
cement, is in itselt an interest
Hut that is the task of another
ing in that first baby contest was
Brown Sherbon, who shared
Watts the idea which finally re
r eugenics contest Thems Ivi i
!i saw the great possibilities in
n alth work, and as it rapidly
the nation their conception of
hr vision came to include much
thr present welfare of children;
sec established some means of
i bite attention to the mental ami
being of every member of the
.1 years the two women, sepa
ir respective duties, did not come
Neither, however, lost sight of
aw re nee, Kansas, itl the spring
conversation turned to their
. eugenics. In view of the
he baby health contests, they
-me competitive plan was like
lor arousing popular interest
t. They further agreed that
ripe tor the eugenics contest
tirst to have a good OppOf
! one should do s.
to have a slogan," said Doctor
w would something about Tit
impuiM
erything
"Fitt
coRsem
Of the
A It
Tfwrti
Thmkii
be be
to Use ;t
Porttmii
the ic
Han a:
Doctoi
"i throat
me
tti st tamilit s'," suggested the
Watts, who docs nearly ev-
luperlative.
imilies, compromised the more
physician, and the remainder
came quite naturally,
ter I)octr Sherbon came to
.d of the child hygiene division
is StatC Board "t Health
an interesting exhibit might
her excellent work in this capacity, the
air Association offered her a building
wished Here was Doetor Shcrbon' op
he explained the eugenics contest id a to
of the fair He heartily favored the
e time "Department S - Eugenics,1 with
n in charge, took its place in the premium
l)oettr Sherbon was her old friend and
Mis. Watts.
and specialists of high standing gave
d services to this work with no recom-
r expenses. In some cases their serv-
I 1).' obtained tor nrivate ttraCtlCC. V
- i . .
tne mental examinations, i r instance, was
v ,i-s, professor of psychology and dl
bari m ot elucatjnial measurements at
State Normal School The physical meas
K,-r in charge of Ir. Janu s Naismitti, head
apartment of physical education at the uni-
i. assKtiil bv )r Matt ha Laion. I i -
(t h iti ml ..,!...-..:.... Mm tK nwu tn.
v . i u v .i i ii m I ti W': n tu ny .-...i.v
was also a Ctttfettnt eve, ear, nose
sMH aSsflssssssVss
1 3-lralth ilcrtificatr I
, th. putt. f-"
mue -a
1 es co Id
astiog v.
.'inii i
rector
Kans
Breraei
,Jl tne d
irs,ly Kai
rector
..... .
M,,unn. Tli ,-r.
specialist a iMvhUtrisi m d tlentist The
ud children were examined by women phys-
iinntiir iuL, i li IL'-... o
. i rm ii mi was ir. rioremc taviM,
?K. M" "t I m it , ( hd. rrii s ureau In all.
tan., r'"1'1 f,,r ItM eugenics contest
.. . " l'M-ms and assistants
mt V its ttS :c for their amitiatiotis
1 It. ... . . T . V . I'
s tat , r,"K th building their family nisiory
i i
iik nuieu
by appotnt-
I he i .mi i f v i 'I Pord Robinrtte. ShswiMt Covoty, K nnrri i t the 1 1 o,h in lh Sti
i Ufti'iiit C'liiicsi I iti i r ffcj Mrs Kobisdlt; I "is Is. Sir. Kobiatt; Mmi IS. I van 2.
Duplictiir if Ford RobiMttc'i Grade X healih ecrtiicalc.
farm all these years without ever knowing how valu
able were the foods n e had at home."
While planning the contest l)oet.r Sherbon looked
for 01 I) a few entrants. The number of persons ex
ammed was t. her g secondary consideration; she felt
that the Contest would be entirely justified it it no
more than started an interest in eugenics. Her biv;
objectives were tWO. to work out a set ot standards
for the normal family and to develop the technique ot
such contests. N one was more surprised than she,
therefore, when there were more applicants than the
staff COUld handle. Mrs. Watts megaphone was de
cidedly unnecessary. The contest lasted a full week,
but alter the first da or two there were no breathing
s;.iis for the doctors, indeed, scarcely time for
luncheon Preference was given the family entries.
though before the contest closed they to were being
turned away. As indicating a growing consciousness of
the importance of being well brn, such interest was
gratifying indeed.
Though in the main the younger families were
most interested in the contest, its appeal was not to
them alone Several families with well grown children
entered. In OtlC family three getteratiot s were repre
sented. Sometimes n was the older members of the
household who urged partkination in the contest ".o
ahead at d ta'o the t xannnatK m Maie." OtlC elderly
WOtnan admonished her daughter, who had children of
li r own "Tiny didn't have such things in my day, or
you bet I should have been into them ,
There was. in fact, a certain inesistiblc psychology
about the contest which drew man persons to it. In
a number of i;im the husband or wife, unsuccessful in
bite rest ing the remainder of the family, took the ex
animations alone Almost invariably, however, the en
thusiasm SO generated resulted in the rest of the
family b- ing on hand for the examinations the next
da) ; they wanted to hae the family health rec r!
o tmplete.
1 his they COUld have, for at the doSC ot the con
test the results of the various examinations were as
sembled in a written report, a copy ot which was giver:
to each individual or family. Although the conti
was in no way a clinic for -ick persons and no one
obviously ill was admitted, advice as to what individuals
should do to bring themselves up to perfect c
tton, as in the cae of the under-nourished farm boy,
was given.
In the class ol Dersotis examined was further proof
of the soundness 01 the eugenics idea. They were rei
resentative of the best citizenry of the state, lending
their approval at d encouragement to the plan by their
presence. The false pride which often attends matters
medical also was absent. Anions those taking the
examinations were well-to-do families of high 10
position. Included in the list were the families of -i
prominent district court judge, of a lawyer, a Y M
A secretary and of numerous farmer- Several
women who were engaged to be married and one i
two single men also passed through the eugenics "mill '
A farm family won the sweepstakes of th eugei i
contest, the silver trophy given by Go
rn..r Ummw I All..., Tt:. ' i
wa .v.ii. j. nucii) i ins was to rje
asvarded the family receiving the highest
grades for all its members; but. as three
families tied for the highest sc.. re. the cup
went to the one having the most members
This was the family of Ford Robtnette, in
which are three children. The other two fam
ilies each consisted of a father, mother and
one child.
Robtnette operates a large farm in Shaw
nee County, which has been the family h me
tor fourteen years. Before their marriage
both parents taught school, Lois, the eldest
of the children, is eighteen and a sopho
more in college. Mamie, fifteen, and Ivan,
twelve, are in high school The entire Rob
inette family is fond of outdoor life, the
children especially enjoying t ride horse
back. None of them ever has suffered fi m
serious illness
"We entered our family in the eugentCS
contest." said Mrs. K binette, "only to show
our approval of the fitter families' idea
We had no particular ambition to win the
trophy."
In all, eighty-seven adults and fifty-three
children were examined. Of these, one hun
dred and one were the members of twenty
five different families, all of which competed
for the governor's trophy. Forty-five of the
one hundred and one individuals were par
ents, one was a grandmother, fifty were
children, while five persons received no
score because of failure to complete the
examinations.
The entrants were scored A. i!. (' or
below ; A indicating a grade of tri-m to
lMi, B from St) t; 90 and C from 7() to 80
It is gratifying t note that among the
twenty-five families there were no scores
below I Forty per - received this grade,
while fifty-six were in the "A" class Every
Grade A entrant received a medal given by
United States Senator Arthur apper and i
"Certificate A" from the Kansas Mate Board
of Health, tirade B entrants each received
a board of health "Certificate
"The governor's tropin; r one of the
Tapper medals is worth more than any
sweepstakes of the lie stock showing, or i
Kansas oil well," says Ict.r Sherbon; "tor
health is wealth and a sound mind m a sound
body is the most priceless of human pOf
sessions."
"I am most enthusiastic about this work,1
said Doctor McKay, who found her admira
tion for it increasing with each day's tasks. strenUOUS
as they ware. "I was impressed particularly by the
amaimg willingness with which the entrants put up
with inconvenience and often tedious waits in order to
complete their examinations.'
"There are wonderful possibilities m the eugenics
contest idea," s.iid lr. W R 15 Robertson, of the Uni
versity of Kansas. "The records gathered in Sttch con
tests will provide an excellent basis fof studs ing the
laws of inheritance in human hue-"
An interesting comparison between the improve
ment of animaN and of human beings was made bv
Mrs. Watts. "Fanners started in t improve their lie
stock by better housing and more caret ul feeding,1 she
said, "but they still raised scrubs. It was not until they
discovered that heredity was a t u tor in Stock improvi
mi nt that any great change in the grade ot live stock
took plai
"Infant mortality is still appalling. Our institu
tions for the insane and the feeble mmded are full to
overflowing. Taxes for the support of this, institutions,
including the cniter t iat ICS which take eare of our SO
cial derelicts, have weighted down heavily the normal
members ot the community. What is the trouble' We
are studi? tfl balanced rati, .us, sunlight, fresh air, better
schools and recreation; but still the number of un
fortunates increases. We hum go further. Wf must
place more emphasis upon the factor ot heredit
The eugenics contest is a step in this direction
Who can say to what length it shall attain in bettering
the nation's b.st asset, its citizens?
v oicn passed iMriua;ji huu