The San Francisco call. [volume], May 25, 1895, Page 8, Image 8

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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8
THE WOMAN'S CONGRESS CONSIDERS BABIES
MOTHERS and their babies, fresh
air and pure food, dresses with
plenty of pockets ia them for
women, Trilby feet and no
corns, pure food and pure air,
with a few altruistic and metaphysical
suggestions on the side, engrossed the at
tention of the crowds at the Woman's
Congress yesterday.
Although the members of the congress
had threshed up any quantity of material
concerning the home during the four pre
ceding days they came fresh to the task
on the morning of the fifth, confident of
their ability to furnish new food for
thought. And they did. They trenched
but slightly on old ground, and then only
when gently reminded by the ever-watch
ful Miss Anthony that the dower of the
ballot to woman was the remedy for pres
ent ills.
Miss Anthony and the Rev. Anna Shaw
spoke a number of times during the day,
the efforts of the latter being particularly
happy as she touched off the imperious
ness of the woman dressmaker and the
politeness ot her tailor. She predicted the
day of no corsets and no corns, when the
ladies would have waists larger than that
of the Venus de Milo and feet to outdo
Trilby.
In the afternoon Mrs. Dr. Corbett, Dr.
Harriet Maxson and Dr. Sarah I. Shuey
were responsible for papers on the health
of mothers and children, which were en
thusiastically received and which will
prove of inestimable value.
Many in the audience took part in the
discussion of the papers, furnishing sug
gestions along new lines, and giving solid
reasons for their adoption. Everybody
seemed to have become thoroughly im
bued with the spirit of the congress, and
entered with confidence on the exploita
tion of their views.
At the three sessions, morning, after
noon and evening, the church was rilled,
and during the suffrage meeting con
ducted by Miss Anthony no disposition
was manifested to make for the doors. At
that meeting a committee was appointed
to take the preliminary steps toward mak
ing a vigorous campaign from this time
onward for the passage of a measure at the
next assembly to put the equal suffrage
amendment to the constitution before the
people.
There was a big jam at the evening meet
ing, and Mrs. Matheson of London, Eng
land, proposing the health of the Queen on
her seventy-sixth birthday was greeted
with applause. At the suggestion of Mrs.
Gregory the audience rose and sang the
air of "God Save the Queen," many sing
ing the words of "America."
To-day is the last of the congress, and
the session will be called to order promptly
at 10 o'clock at the First Congregational
Church.
CLEARED THE KITCHEN.
Miriam Michelson Enjoyed the
Activities of the Congress
Yesterday.
The women of the congress worked yes
terday. They put aside all questions of
ethics, they dismissed all theories. They
left the drawing-room, the school.the work
shop, and got down to practical everyday
matters. They marched through the din
ing-room and declared against the highly
seasoned dish with which Mrs. Oldwoman
has, according to them, ruined her hus
band's stomach and unbalanced his nerves.
They went through the kitchen and
showed that same poor old lady that the
butter, the milk, the spices she uses are
adulterated ; that the meat she serves at
her 'able is not fit to eat, that her home is
not properly ventilated, that the death of
her babies was due largely to her ignor
ance and prejudice, that the water she
drinks and the air she breathes are deadly,
that she has neglected her sons' and
daughters' morals by failing to visit public
places in order to see that they are fit for
detent folk. In imagination they cleaned
the sewers, they sterilized milk, they puri
fied water, the streets, the basements;
they visited the cattle-cars, the chicken
crates, the bedrooms, the churches.
"More souls have been lost through bad
air in the churches than by bad preach
ing," said Miss Shaw. "The air is bottled
up in our churches from Sunday to Sun
day, and then you expect us ministers to
keep awake the farmers, the country folk,
who live outdoors and are accustomed to
rill their lungs with pure air when they
breathe."
Then the women fulminated against the
corset, and said harder things about cor
seted women than about uncorseted man.
'•The reason that women don't dress as
they ought," declared Mrs. McComas, "is
that they are cowards."
"The women whom we honor," said Dr.
Sarah Shuey of the Oakland Board of
Health, with a glance at Miss Anthony,
"the women who have accomplished things
in the world, are the women who do not
wear corsets."
There was a burst of laughter. Dr. Shuey
turned to behold Miss Shaw, -who had just
come upon the platform. Miss Shaw hag
more influence with the audiences at the
Congregational church than all the rest of
the speakers, but she looks as if she wears
corsets.
When Dr. Shuey's excellent paper was
finished Miss Shaw came forward.
"I have been held up as a horrible ex
ample," she said, in her clear-cut speech,
and smiling upon the audience, "but I'm
not guilty. I don't blame man for think
ing women unfit to vote when we show
ourselves so unfit to take care of our
health. But we used to think that a
woman was not a woman unless she was
cramped somewhere, her head, her waist
or her feet. And just here let me say that
the women who wear their sleeves above
their heads, who compress their waists,
who dress in the prevailing exaggerated
style, are worse heathens than the Chi
nese women who bandage their feet, and
to whom American women are continually
sending missionaries. When we women
have larger shoes and larger waists we'll
have better heads."
"It's all very well," came a voice from
the gallery — I believe the lady had not red
hair — "it's all very well for thin women to
talk about gome without corsets, but what
are we stout ones going to do? The trouble
with most of us is that we're afraid of
public opinion. Now, I died to public
opinion long ago. I'm not afraid of it any
more, and 1 intend to go home this after
noon and take off my corset. But I do
think all those women on the platform
should practice what they preach."
There was a j;oinmotion on the plat
form and t hen iJr. Harriet Maxson, who
had started the terrible topic, came forward
— a comely figure in her pretty black silk
gown with white lace collar and cuffs.
"I just want to say," she answered, look
ing squarely up to the gallery, "that if the
lady will come to the anteroom after the
meeting I'll prove to her that we practice
what we preach."
"J think," said gentle Mrs. Maynard, the
minister from Reno, New, coming for
ward, "that women do wrong in leaving
dress reform to us public women. We are
Timely Discussion on the Mortality of Infants, Coupled With Earnest Pleas for Pure Air and
Not So Much Food Adulteration.
placed in conspicuous positions. It is un
fair to leave all the pioneer work to us,
and the women in the homes owe it to us
and to themselves to make the sensible,
pretty styles of dre.ss reform the popular,
usual dress of women."
Three remarkable things happened at
yesterday's congress. A man in the audi
ence spoke simply and earnestly in favor
of woman suffrage. Mrs. Helen Miller's
fair-haired little boy walked up to his
mother's side while she was reading an in
teresting paper ; Mrs. Miller stopped fora
moment, looked down at the child, put
her arm lovingly around him and finished
reading her paper on "Food Adultera
tion," with her hand resting on the boy's
shoulder. And Susan B. Anthony, acting
as chairman of the convention, showed
California women how to get the ballot.
Full of practical advice is Miss Anthony,
experienced in business forms and auto
cratic in using her own common-sense
when talkative, eager women would ob
struct the business of the meeting.
"Attend to one thing only," said Miss
Anthony, looking over the crowd before
her. "Devote yourself for a year and a
half to woman's suffrage. Don't lobby for
any man or any measure or any favor but
this one. Whenever there shall be a pub
lic meeting, a teachers' institute, a con
gress of any religion whatsoever, a meeting
of federated trades, of Knights of Labor, of
any political and all political parties, try
to have woman suffrage indorsed by that
meeting. Establish clubs in every county,
and — let me see, we'll call the roll of coun
ties and see how many are represented."
The secretary began to name the coun
ties.
"Call them in alphabetical order," sug
gested a voice.
"I don't know them."
There was a movement in the audience
which Miss Anthony's keen eyes instantly
detected.
"Have you a list of the counties?" she
askecl a man who was making his way to
the platform.
"!Now, isn't that fine?" she asked trium
phantly, taking the paper from his hand.
"There's the old saying again: 'No man
makes a collection of keys unless there are
doors to unlock.' Wait till these women
can vote and every one of them will carry
a list of the counties."
Miss Anthony is very alert, very busi
ness-like, but * whenever the crowd of
women, all anxious to talk at once, left her
in doubt, there was always a steady word
from the reliable, capable lieutenant be
hind her chair.
"No one has the floor. Aunt Susan, till
you have recognized him," said Miss Shaw
in a low voice.
Miss Anthony's foot was on her native
heath. She was full of anecdote, good
humored and very executive.
"I'll keep my eye on you," she said to
one disappointed woman; "your turn will
come.
"We want a treasurer who will hustle,
as Anna Shaw would say."
"Law! there's room for all of us," she
said when it was suggested that the list of
vice-presidents was too long.
But despite the two dozen names on the
list Mrs. Laura de Force Gordon's candi
date was overlooked.
"Madame Chairman," said the lady in
an aggrieved tone, "my nomination was
seconded; all the others were put and
mine was ignored."
This brought the Rev. Anna Shaw to her
feet. She knew that she did not belong in
a California quarrel, but she felt that her
place was by her chief's side.
"When half a dozen nominations are put
at one time it is not possible for Miss An
thony to recognize all of them and it is not
fair to say that she ignores any of them."
Miss Shaw sat down feeling better.
"My dear," said Miss Anthony, coldly
waving her thin hand toward Mrs. Gordon,
"let us not have anything of that kind in
this meeting."
And she calmly put Mrs. Gordon's nomi
nation, before the house.
Mikiam Michelson.
THE MORNING SESSION.
Papers on the Care of Infants and
Food Adulteration.
The First Congregational Church was
again filled yesterday morning when Mrs.
Dr. Elizabeth J. Corbett.
[Sketched from life.)
Sarah Cooper rapped to order for the busi
ness of the fifth day's session of the
Woman's Congress.
Mrs. Helen Guthrie Miller of Reno, Nev.
was introduced to the congress as the
author of the first paper of the morning.
Mrs. Miller was received with much ap
plause and at once proceeded to give the
audience her views on "Food as We Get
It." She said:
The food problem, with its vital connection
with the condition of the working-man, its in-
I fluence upon the happiness and prosperity of
I the home and its direct bearing upon the
! health, nay, the life of the nation, is one of the
utmost importance.
So far as externals go, the art of dining has
been brought to the pitch of perfection and
there we feel that our responsibility In the
matter ends. The cooking, often the ordering
of our food, is in the hands of untrained iu
| ferlors, and then we wonder at the ills which
j our particular flesh is heir to.
j From the official reports of the United States
j Department of Agriculture WO find that food
adulteration exists to a most alarming degree.
When I tell you that we have no manufactured
article in our stores which is invariably sold
pure, you will realize the extent of this'ereat
evil.
Of course, many of these adultera
tions do no harm except from a
financial standpoint. Take, for Instance,
butter which is aduherated with oleomargar
ine, cottonseed oil ami beef suet, none of
which articles is harmful. To the use of good
oleomargarine there can be no possible ob
jection—when sold as such— as it is as healthful
as butter, and much less lißble to infection.
| Olive oil is replaced almost wholly by cotton
seed oil, the cmiun oil coming to us via Italy, a
metamorphosis taking place en route (pre
sumably), and a3O per cent duty being added
when it again enters this country.
Were all adulterations as simple as these we
might really enjoy being hoaxed— as we do in
the circus sideshows— and could afford to take
Burdett's humorous view of the subject:
Placid I am, content, mane:
I take my slab of gypsum bread
And chunks of oleomargarine
Upon Its tasteless sides I spread.
In our markets no one article is so open to
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, MAY 25, 3 895.
adulteration as is milk, and in no other food is
adulteration so inexcusable, so criminal, as in
tins, principal food of our babies and invalids.
Milk cannot be replaced by any oth er diet,
and therefore the failure of the milk supply
would be more disastrous than the failure of
the wheat supply.
The forms of adulteration are skimming,
adding water, coloring 1 , chalk to conceal water
ing and preservatives to keep the milk from
souring.
Much of the water added is derived from
the country wells and springs, where typhoid
fever may be rife. Recent investigations, con
ducted in the most thorough manner by ex
perts, hftve established the fact that epidemics
of typhoid and scarlet fever and other infec
tious diseases may be produced by infected
milk. The health of the animal is another im
portant factor, as it is a recognized fact that
tuberculosis in the cow engenders it in the hu
man system that uses the milk.
Do you realize what the use of this impure and
weak"milk means? God's greatest blessing to us
MRS. GARRISON GIRST OP THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
■women (our little ones) are slowly starved from
lack of nourishment, and when suffering from
the pangs of actual hunger they are quieted
with doses of injurious narcotics. It is a con
stant wonder to me that we mothers do not
rise in our just wrath and by our united efforts
end such wholesale suffering and death.
You are doubtless familiar with the work of
Nathan Strauss in supplying pure milk to a
limited number in New York City, as his arti
cle, "How the New York Death Rate Was Re
duced," in the Forum of last November, at
tracted wide attention. In it he says: "If
milk gave the same outward appearance of de
composition or fermentation as is shown by
vegetables, fish or meat, more than three
quarters of all the milk sold would be con
demned as unfit for human food. If its pollu
tion could be perceived it would be loathed,
and if the disease germs could be as plainly
seen as a pesthouse the death-dealing milk
would be as soon dreaded and shunned. I
hold that in the near future it will be regarded
as a piece of criminal neglect to feed young
Children on milk that has not been sterilized."
After milk our meat supply most needs con
stant attention. The so-called "slink veal"—
meat of an unborn calf or one born dead, and
veal under four weeks old— is daily offered
for sale, though known to be injurious. Still
•worse is the sale of meat from animals affected
with tuberculosis, anthrax, trichinosis and
otner diseases.
When we fully awake to the knowledge that
our loved ones are endangered, that they have
asked of us bread and we have given them a
stone, then, and not till then, will we arouse
ourselves, shake of this deadly, this criminal
indifference, and rest not until we have found
and applied the remedy.
That this is woman's mission who can doubt?
Into her care has been given the home, with its
beautiful, wonderful possibilities for good, and,
though heretofore her hands have been too
weak, too untrained, too unskillful to uphold
it as she should, the day is not far distant wheu
she will be found equal to her high duty. To
expect from a mere Housekeeper and cook, such
as woman has been, any adequate conception
of the vast importance of feeding the world or
the knowledge requisite for doing it aright
would be abject folly.
Strange that this assertion should need mak
ing. Stranger still that it should need defend
ing, and yet we find many to whom the higher
education of woman means the wholly unfit
ting her for home life.
But despite these unbelievers — and they are
not a few— the widened intellectual horizon
has been gained by most women.
When to this is added the important technical
training, which will better fit her for her high
work, and the power which rightly goes with
grave responsibilities, then will be ushered in
the new-born day.
My little fivc-yeaT-old says, "God pushes on
to-day to make to-morrow." Can we not do
likewise? Let us help on the good things. The
morning already dawneth; the noontide is
bound to come.
Charltftte Perkins Stetson supported the
instances given by Mrs. Miller with a story
of the shipment of some young calves.
"If there is one thing on earth," Bhe said,
Dr. Harriet Maxson.
[Sketched from life.]
"that belongs to women it is the food we
eat, and none of tbem can keep house
properly without knowing something out
side of it."
Miss Sarah Severance said she knew
there was no more virtuous county in the
State than Santa Clara, yet she knew a
man there who sold almond shucks to be
I ground into cinnamon, and another who
palmed off unripe Hungarian prunes as
greengages. There were laws on the
statute-books against food adulterations
j from the day California was first admitted
j as a State.
"These laws have not been enforced, and
who is to blame for it? The woman, of
course. She is at the bottom of it. In the
first place woman has been taught to buy
things cheap, because she has no money to
get anything but what is cheap. And she
goes to the grocer and he tells her the
goods he shows her are the very best, but
that he.can afford to sell them to'her cheap
by reason of the fact that he had bought
them at a bankruot sale."
The Rev. Ada C". Bowles had something
to say about the fish the people eat. She
quoted Professor Agassiz to the effect that
no fish was fit to eat that had been allowed
slowly to die. She advocated knocking
freshly caught fish on the head as the
proper means of preserving them as good
fooa, and she asked that the women of
California use their endeavors in urging
this measure on the attention of the fish
ermen of the State.
"I see that Dr. Voorsanger is in the
hall," said Mrs. Cooper, "and would ask
that he say something to us."
This request was greeted with applause,
and the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El as
cended to the platform.
"I suppose I can announce," he began,
"that I am one of the bold, bad men you
have been talking about?"
"Indeed, you are not," sweetly said the
president, and there was more applause.
In discussing this important food question,
Mrs. Nellie Blessing: Eyster.
[From, a photograph.]
said Dr. Voorsanger, I want to say how very
much impressed I have been with'the classifi
cation of foods by the lady who presented the
paper. Adulteration of food is caused by two
things- first, the dishonesty of those who pro
duce the food, and secondly, the inadequacy of
production. There is not eaough pure food
produced. But that is not all. There is a
point I would like to call the attention of the
congress to and hear discussed, because men
have not the couraee to discuss it. When I
was down in Los Angeles last week I saw there
a part of God's country large enough to hold
millions of people, and right upon these thirty -
five-acre lots which Los Angeles gave away
feople are now beginning to build tenements,
tis a disgrace and an outrage that in the
Western country we are already building tene
ment-houses.
When you go to New York to the poorest
quarter, and to the poorest quarters of other
large cities of the East, your hearts begin to
ache to see how the little children are being
crowded together, where they die, not so much
by want of pure milk as by foul air. I hope the
time is not to come when in the City of San
Francisco or in Los Angeles our children will
die for lack of that pure Western air that is a A
around.
Dr. Voorsanger continued his remarks by
calling upon the women to influence their
husbands to build homes, not tenements,
with their money, and he also called
upon Mrs. Cooper, who he hoped would
be president of the congress for the next
twenty years, that, in arranging the pro
gramme for the next congress, she will
assign to some competent man the task
of furnishing a paper on the tenement
house from an architectural and sanitary
point in relation to the home.
"I still insist upon it," he concluded,
"that no such important things as you dis
cuss here can be solved by women alone,
or men alone, but by woman and man to
gether."
Dr. Voorsanger then invited everybody
to attend the Temple Emanu-El on Sun
day morning, when Miss Shaw would
speak to Jew and Gentile alike, with all
creeds sitting side by side.
"We women," said Miss Shaw, in reply
to Dr. Voorsanger, "do not think fhat we
are able to settle all the difficulties of the
world by ourselves. Men are beginning to
find out, too, that they alone are not able
to settle all the difficulties of the world.
In the work of the world, in the sanitation
of the home, the better way of living, we
i need the best thought of the very best peo-
I pie, both men and women. There never
| was a better day than to-day. It is better
than yesterday."
Dr. "Florence Saltonstall was called upon
to read her paper upon '-Infant Mortality,"
and was loudly applauded when she ap
peared on the center of the platform, paper
in hand. She said, in part:
The term "infant" includes that period of
life between birth and the end of first denti
tion, when early childhood begins. The term
is generally considered to extend to five years
of age, and statistics upon infant mortality are
computed for that period.
Quetelet has shown that a tenth of the chil
dren born die in the first month after biith,
and a, quarter before the year is completed.
This is a fearful fact to contemplate and one |
well calculated to alarm every one interested
in child life.
Is this mortality a necessary evil? I believe
not, and I shall endeavor to snow that it is in i
a large measure due to preventable causes, j
either imperfect conditions of the parents I
themselves, the improper manner in which the j
infant is cared for, or the faulty sanitary con- j
ditions that the Government has placed about ■
the babe.
The mortality of the entire human race
amounts, roughly speaking, to 33,000,000 per
sons a year. This makes the average deaths
per day over 01,000, being at tne rate of 3730
an hour, or C 2 people every minute of the day
and night the year round. More than a fourth
of the race die before completing the eighth
year and one-half before the end of the seven
teenth year.
In the countries of the far East it is impos
sible to obtain reliable statistics as to the death
rate of infants. We do know that not only
are the babies illy cared for, but infanticide is
common among the girl children. In Russia,
the death rate is very high. In certain districts
60 per cent of the children die under 5 years of
age— about 2,000,000 perishing annually. This
is due to the ignorance and physical depravity
of the peasant classes and to the damp, dark,
illy yentilated homes in which they live. Epi
demics of children's diseases, particularly
diphtheria, sweep unchecked through the vil
lages, and at times in certain districts thechil*
population is actually swept from the face of
the country.
The corrected statistics of Dr. Ekland show
us that in the large cities of the United States
the infants dying under one year of age aver
age 15 per cent of the numbeV born. The high
death rate credited to America is ascribed to
the fact that the European defective classes
whose natality and infantile death rate are
enormous are forcibly exported in great num
bers to thi3 country, a large proportion going
to our cities. Nearly three-fourths of the in
fants in New York City have foreign mothers,
and it i 6 safe to say that four-fifths of the infant
mortality is among the children of immi
grants. Among the cities of the Unitea States,
New York stands at the head, with a death
rate of 25 out of every 100; Boston next, with
a mortality of 24. San Francisco is thirteenth
on the list, with a mortality of 15 per cent.
The abstract of sanitary reports issued by the
Treasury Department at Washington for" the
United States Marine Hospital service shows
that in the State of New York for the moths of
June, July, August and September of 1894
over 5000 infants perished with cholera in
fantum. In California for the whole year of
1894, 227 babies died of the same disorder,
showing that cholera infantum is practically
an almost unknown disease with us. From the
sttme source the report for eight districts of
New York State for February of this year shows
that there were 390 deaths from diphtheria,
the lowest rate for ten years. For Philadel
phia, from January 23 to February 12, 1895, a
period of twenty days, 280 cases of diphtheria
were reported, with 114 deaths— a death rate
of over 40 per cent. For the State
of California for January of this year
the death rate was 12. Did time permit
comparisons in the different children's dis
eases, measles 1 , scarlet fever and whooping
cough, could be further carried on with the
same remarkable statistics for California.
Diseases of dentition and the horrors of the
"second summer" for infants are unknown.
Diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles and other epi
demic diseases of infancy and childhood pur
sue a mild course, and in some districts there
is absolute immunity from their ravages. As
mothers and guardians of infants in this great
State of ours it is for us to send forth the glad
tidings of what can be done for the children
within our gates. We have been wont to extol
the climate of California for the cure of tuber
culosis and kindred diseases and have drawn
to us consumptives from harsher climates, who
at best can eke out but a half existence. Let
us rather, with better things in view, invite the
parents to bring their children here to grow up
in this out-of-door life, in this God-given air, so
full of abounding vitality that disease can find
no place to enter. Dr. William Simpson of San
Jose, who, 1 believe, is the first to draw public
attention to the comparative statistics of in
fant mortality between California and the
Eastern States, in his enthusiastic way speaks
of California as "the sanitorium and play
ground for the children ot the world."
Taking up the intrinsic causes producing in
fant mortality the most prominent factor is
congenital weakness — fully 5 per cent of the
new born dying from this cause. The child
may be born in an undeveloped condition or
so feeble as to be unable to sustain life. These
conditions are the result of ante-natal causes,
inherited constitutional diseases from one or
both parents or a devitalized condition of the
parents themselves.
Taking up the consideration of preventive
measures we shall consider the mother first.
Every mother during gestation should be
placed under the best possible surroundings,
relieved from the pressure of overwork or men
tal anxiety, and by close observation of the
laws of health seek to maintain as high grade
oLphysical well-being as possible. A reform is
saßly needed in this direction. Among the
middle and working classes the mother of the
family does the housework, the family wash
ing, the sewing and the general care-taking.
The periods of child-bearing are not marked by
any cessation of her labors, and as the result
her children are born deficient in nerve power
and without resistance to meet the ills of in
fancy.
As the greatest mortality among the new
born occurs therirstday of their lives careful
attention should be given to the first services
rendered to the little one. First, the bathing
should be done quickly in a warm room, with
out draughts, and with a temperature of the
water, at 98 deg. The infant should then be
dried beneath warm flannel covering, greatest
care being taken to prevent chilling of the sur
face; then enveloped in soft flannel garments,
without constricting bands, and placed away
to rest. Sleep is the first necessity, and nor
mally an Infant, through the first few weeks of
its life, should sleep tweDty out of twenty-four
hours. For no reason whatever should the
slumbers of an infant be disturbed; light and
fresh air should be freely admitted into the
room where it lives. Every effort should be
made to encourage the mother to nurse her
child, for upon no artificial method of feeding
the infant, no matter how carefully con
ducted, can the child be reared to such
Sarah X. Shuey Beading Her Paper.
[Sketched Jrom lije.)
perfection as by the natural nourishment. Ber
tillon's statistics show an increase of t>4 r>er cent
in the mortality rate of int'ant.s reared by arti
ficial feeding. The child should bfl regularly
nourished every two hours during the d&y.&od
less frequently through the night, until thrM
months, after which the intervals can be
lengthened to three hours, with longer periods
I at night. The question of feeding the child '
a most vital one, demanding the thoughifu
study of those cari'ig for babi-s. If the child is
well 'cared for and nourished it will regularly
j gain in strength and weight, the normal gain
j being four ounces per week. In case the
| mother is physically unable to nurse»her child,
I or there exists any reason for her not doing so,
it is necessary to give artificial nourishment.
This should approach as nearly as possible the
I mother's milk in its normal constituents and
i in normal proportions. This is best attained
by cow's milk properly diluted and heated
sufficiently to destroy the contained germs and
yet in the least possible degree interfere with
its nutritive qualities.
A critical time in the infant's life is the
| period of weaning, which should be gradually
| accomplished, from 9 to 3 2 months, followed
by a simple diet of light grains, milk and
broth until dentition is completed. Regularity
and simplicity in the selection of food should
be maintained after weaning has been inaugu
rated. The life of the infant is constantly en
dangered by the epidemics of children's dis
eases that periodically sweep through the com
munity.
The common belief that infant mortality in
this country has largely diminished of late
years is not sustained by statistics. The death
rate might be much reduce.l under favoring
conditions, but these conditions will not be
reached while the control of Health Boards re
mains in the hands of mere politicians— a radi
cal change must be made in this respect. A
large proportion of the deaths in institutions
for children are preventable and the mortality
may be lessened by giving the control of all
medical and sanitary matters into the hands
of reliable and responsible physicians.
The president resigned the chair to Mrs.
Ada Van Pelt to say a few words on the
paper.
"I want to say first," said Mrs. Cooper,
"that during tbie past two years I have
been in fifty-eight cities of this Nation. I
want to say, and I don't want anyone to
try and contradict it, that I have not seen
such healthy, sturdy children as we have
here in San Francisco. And I think the
reason is because they can be in the open
air all the year round."
Mrs. Cooper then told of a conversation
she had heard in the streetcar coming
down during the morning. A hard-work
ing washerwoman was telling her fiiend
that since she had attended the evening
meetings of the Woman's Congress she
felt more like doing her work and life
seemed brighter for her children.
Miss Susan B. Anthony stated that there
had been under consideration in the con
gress the matter of holding a session for
workingwomen. It had finally been de
cided, however, that the congress was not
one of classes, but for all women, and the
idea of a session exclusively for working
women had been abandoned.
"What we want to do," concluded Miss
Anthony, "is to encourage all these work
ingwomen and all women to come to the
meetings as arranged."
Mrs. Moore, speaking of the paper of Dr.
Saltonstall, stated that the only thing
that stands in the way of making San
Francisco the healthiest city is the leth
argy among the women. If they will only
show a determination to have men ap
pointed on the new Board of Health soon
to be named by the Governor who thor
oughly understand the subject of sanita
tion, who are as well up on the subject as
they should be, there would then be good
health inspectors. We can have women
on that board.
The Rev. Eliza Tupper Wilkes stated
that Oakland had a woman on its Board of
Health in the person of Dr. Sarah 1. Shuey.
Mrs. Helen Guthrie Miller stated that
she had found that in Oakland the mar
kets were very much better than anywhere
else on the coast — possibly because they
have a woman on the Board of Health.
"I have been a worker in the cause of
humanity," said Mrs. Foley of Stockton,
"in the metaphysical line. Persons who
are in that line are accounted cranks. I
am a crank and my mission here is to
grind out all the truth the congress ex
presses on the other line. Grinding is
hard work and is tough on cranks."
Mrs. Foley's interesting remarks on
cranks were cut short by Mrs. Van Pelt's
inexorable skill, but she promised to favor
the congress with her views later on.
"Thank you, thank you," said Mrs.
Cooper, and Mrs. Foley took her seat in an
upheaval of applause.
Mrs. Van Pelt arose at this point and
stated that it was unfortunate that some
provision could not be made for the publi
cation and distribution of such valuable
papers as they had heard during the
morning. She moved a fund be started
for the publication and distribution of
these papers in quarters where they would
do the most good. The motion was sec
onded and carried unanimously.
Miss Anthony suggested that if all the
men and women who had voted aye would
pay in their dollar apiece for membership
in the congress association, there would be
nearly enough money to publish and dis
tribute the papers.
It was decided, however, that the special
fund should be devoted to publication pur
poses, and the Rev. Eliza Tupper Wilkes
was appointed chairman of the collecting
committee.
Mrs. Marion Thrasher read the last paper
of the morning, "Ventilation." The first
and most important thing to look after in
planning a house, she began, is to see that
it is ventilated. As it is, she continued,
the skill of the architect seems to be exer
cised to keep air out. Many people thought
the house could be ventilated through the
top of the window or through the keyhole.
"Ventilation," Mrs. Thrasher continued,
"is not ventilation, unless the air which
get into the house is as pure and clean as
the air outside. The fear of drafts pre
vents better ventilation, but drafts are in
finitely better than poisonous air.
"The popular prejudice is against night
air, But night air goes on the same round
of mercy as does day air. The birds live
in it and thrive. If the prejudice of the
public could be turned in favor of night air
in bedrooms it would Jead to the evolution
of the race. We spend the third of our time
in sleep. We shut out robbers and
draughts and shut in hotbeds for the culti
vation of bacilli. It is impure bedroom
air which kills most of the children born
before they are 5 years of age. Impure
bedroom air causes so many deaths at
night, it causes women to be sick and
headachy.
"The air of our churches is bad, and
that of our courtrooms is more deadly
than the sentences of our Judges."
Man, said Mrs. Thrasher, should have
]ust as healthy lungs as a wild animal,
and then she went on to show how man
could stagger along in life loaded with
liquor, carrying sixty grains of morphine
in his one-lunged body.
"One of the greatest achievements of
modern science," concluded Mrs. Thrasher
"is the true woman. She will open her
eyes to science and see what nature wants
her to do. Woman has had too much
home life."
Mrs. Wells said she was glad there was
one paper on breath. God had breathed
the breath of life into man through the
nostrils, but half the people of to-day are
breathing through their mouths. If these
people would only learn to breathe prop
erly the world will be regenerated.
Mrs. Ada C. Bowles said she had often
wished that she had no mouth to open and
no nostrils through which to breathe in
order to escape from tobacco smoke.
"All this carries us back," said Miss
Anthony, "to the pivotal point. All these
evils would be cleaned out provided the
responsibility were turned upon woman.
1 believe that if women were enfran
chised, if you will pass your amendment
at the next election, then I believe that
woman will take just as naturally to every
department of government, just as natur
ally to what we mignt call the home
department, as a woman when she becomes
a wife takes to the management of the
interior 'affairs and the man to the manage
ment of the outdoor ail airs. What you
want is power in the hands of the women
to do these things and to have a good city
housecleauiug."
Miss Shaw said she wanted to say a word
in regard to churches and ministers.
"I nave heard a good deal of bad preach
ing in my time," she said, "but I think
more people have been lost by bad air in
churches than by poor preaching. Our
church janitors bottlo up the sacred air of
one Sunday and keep it bottled till the next
Sunday, and then we expect the preacher
to keep the congregation awake. I have
never seen a sexton who had sense enough
to ventilate a church. They don't know
how. They have never been taught
Ventilation is a science architects, evt-n"
have never been able to master, and church'
janitors know much less about it than
architects."
From poor ventilation Misa Shaw de
gressed to highly colored theatrical post
en on city billboards, and denounced the
exhibitions as immoral and hurtful to the
yonng men of the community. Ventila
tion, sensational lithographs, 'immorality
and all, she concluded, could be handled
by women at the oallot-box. At all ol
which the audience applauded, and the
congress took a recess, 'much pleased with
the morning's work.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Strong Resolutions Adopted and
Three Interesting Papers
Read.
The afternoon session wa= opened and
put in good humor by the report of the
committee on resolutions.
Miss Severance read the report of th*
committee as follows, and the same was
adopted as a whole by unanimous vote:
The Pacific Coast Woman's Congress, mind
ful of general sympathy and interest, congratu
lates woman upon her ascent; that so much of
the long climb is behind her and the uplands
so near.
Resolved, That we encourage every effort to
secure woman's equal participation In educa
tion, society, industries, business and State,
ui:d to jrivt; her equal opportunities. Especially
we emphasize that the home is primarily closely
interlined with indiridnal and National in
terests, and we would enlarge woman's boun
daries in order to enlarge the home and all it
represents.
Resolved, That we do all we can to help those
women so situated that they cannot help them
selves; to bring about juster conditions, more
elevating surroundings and a sympathetic
environment.
Renlved, That we extend our gratitude to
the pioneers who have blazed the way to this
congress, especially those men who have
worked for us inside industrial, business, pro
fessional, educational and legislative bodies —
who have reached down ladders of help and a
strong hand to lift.
Especially we welcome >fiss Anthony and
her lieutenant, Rev. Anna H. Shaw, appreciat
ing their work and realizing that we can in no
other way so emphasize our gratitude as by an
earnest effort for the success of our pending
constitutional amendment to enfranchise
women.
Resolved, That we extend our hearty thanks to
the press for its just and kindly reports; to the
pastor and officers of the First Congregational
Church and to the rabbi of the Jewish Synoeogue
for their great courtesy, so kindly volunteered
in our time of pressure, in offering us their
beautiful edifices, and to the indefatigable
workers who have made this congress possible,
not only its officers, but the great army of un
knowns who have supplemented their labors
and insured success.
Sarah M. Severance,
Agnes M. Manning,
Lillian Plunkett Febguson.
Committee of Resolutions. "fc
"The City's Air and Water" was the
subject of the first paper, written by Mrs.
Dr. Elizabeth J. Corbett. read by Mrs. Dr.
A very of San Jose, as follows;
Had I been asked to address you on the new
woman, the bicycle girl, the" purity of the
press, etc., instead of the city air and water I
might expect to interest you, because air is a
dry subject. But it Is nevertheless a most im
portant subject. In air and water lurk the seed
and microcosms of all disea.-e. In the air,
water, plants, carpets, curtains and other
things lurk millions of these disease germs.
How is ii any of us are left to survire? Be
cause scientists ti-1! us that a large number of
microbes are not :n>xloua. But bactera and
their germs an- not the only things that are
propagated by the sewers and impjre water.
Tfiere are the impure gases and vapors which
arise from them. While in one sewerage sys
tem there are many advantages there are other
disadvantages which detract therefrom, and
the latter are to be found In the 6teepness of
our hills and the makeshift character of their
sewerage construction. As a result of this con
struction tney are gradually but certainly pol
luting the water front and" the low-lying dis
tricts. In many of the larger sewers they con
not free their putrient matter for a depth of
three feet.
Statistics show that more than one-half the
deaths resulting from impure air and defec
tive sewers occur after the summer winds have
ceased to blow. We should turn our attention
to the manner in which our sewers are con
structed, and by constant efforts bring about
their improvement.
Now, let us turn our attention to impure
water. There are no means known by science
whereby water once infected by sev age im
purities can be so purified as to be perfectly
safe for domestic use. In all cases of donbt or
epidemic water for drinking purposes should
be sterilized. Now as to the water of our City
By courtesy I am permitted to read extracts
from a report made by George Gadeu to Mayor
Sutro. "Lake Merced," he said, "Is a natural
cesspool for about five hundred families and
several hundred cattle. Then there are numer
ous hog ranches besides, and the lihh which
reaches the source of our water supply is
enough to make one shudder."
Would not the primal law of self-preserva
tion lead us to seriously consider the sug
gestion of Mayor Sutro, that we take steps
looking to the supplying of the City with pure
water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains?
We will next consider the importance of ven
tilation. All housewives know the difficulty of
keeping the air of the home pure. There are
the odors of the kitchen and others which she
has constantly to combat. The disease caused
by impure atmosphere is known as an
toxemia—seif-poisoning resulting from breath
ing over and over again the same atmos
phere. In the poorer districts this disease is
more common than one would be willing to be
lieve. Almost as much depends on ventilation
as on pure water, whether considered in its
relation to the single home or a whole com
munity.
Mrs. Steven Matthews of London, Eng
land, was the leader in the ten-minute dis
cussion. She prefaced her remarks by
saying that she was proud of the nation to
which England had given birth, and that
she felt like a mother visiting her stately
daughter. She spoke in the highest terms
of the assemblage she was addressing and
extolled Miss Kate B. Stanton, Miss*
Anthony and Dr. Shaw in the warnies.*!
terms.
Continuing, she said the women of Eng
land had been working for the last thirty
years on the same lines which are carrying
the sentiment of the American women to
day. The women of London have only one
more step to take, and that is the parlia
mentary vote. When that is done her
work will be done or just commenced. Ihe
women of London have cleaned up the city
and have given the sanitary condition their
closest attention, with the result that the
immense capital is comparatively pure.
Mrs. Sarah Pratt Carr said Mrs. Mat
thews had shown to the congress how the
women had cleaned Loudon, one of the
largest cities in the world, and she would
tell them how the ladies had cleaned Le
moore, the smallest town in California.
The ladies organized a club, and, through
their united and strenuous efforts, removed
every particle of tilth and the sources of
disease at certain seasons, and now the rate
of mortality is lower than that of any other
town in the San Joaquin Valley.
Mrs. Bowles told a aimilar* story about
Pomona.
MiCB Severance told of another town she
had heard of where the grounds surround
ing the reservoir were leased out for pas
turage.
"Preventable Diseases" was the subject
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