THE SUNDAY . OKEGOXIAX, PORTLAND,' JTHLY 7. 1907.
SVMG TO
Women Who Have Helped
To Advance Their Husban
Political Fortunes
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AMERICAN fTefmn are probably go
ing to have a hard time to decide
on the right, man for the Presiden
cy, (or in the cluster of candidates, Taft,
Fairbanks, Hughes, Knox, Bryan, Gray,
Cannon and Daniel, there is so much good
material that it is hard to know which
to discard.
But if it is hard to discriminate between
the men how much more difficult it is to
decide which of their wives is best suited
to preside over the White House and bs
the first lady of the land.
Mrs. Taft. Mrs. Fairbanks. Mrs. Hughes,
Mrs. Knox. Mrs. Bryan, Mrs. Gray, they
are all magnificent women, fine specimens
of the American wife, who Is the most
powerful helpmeet any man could have.
It is significant of the part that' woman
plays in a man's progress that excepting
Cannon, who is a bachelor, every one of
the prominently mentioned candidates Is
iioted for the possession of a wife whose
Intelligence and devotion have helped his
advance.
Even If the ballot is denied to her, wom
an thus has the satisfaction of knowing
that she does much to equip the various
Incumbents for the highest place In the
Kation's counsels.
Mrs. William H. Taft, wife of the big
Secretary of War, who stands for the
Roosevelt policies, and Is conceded to
have something of a lead on the other
candidates, is very domestic in her tastes,
and does not warm up much to the new
woman idea. Her Btand on this vital
question is best expressed in a recent re
1 mark she made while detailing plans to
have her daughter enter Bryn Mawr.
"My Idea about the higher education
of woman." she said, "is to make them
great in soul, as well as In intellect. It
never seemed to me that it. should make
them poor Imitations of men. I am old
fashioned enough to think that woman is
most attractive the more feminine she is."
Mrs. Taft Is girlish in appearance, trank
, and vivacious, but possessing all the need
: ed dignity and poise for a statesman's
wife. She has a noted memory and Is
mistress of the social arts.
The Tarts have three children, ttooert
i Alphonse Taft, aged 19; Miss Helene Her-
Tod Taft, aged IS. and Charles Taft. aged
, 10. The latter is a chum of the Presi
dent's son,' Quentin, at the Force public
I school.
Mrs. Taft's most marked taste is for
i music. She was for seven years presi
' dent of the Cincinnati Symphony Society.
Since his indorsement by the Pennsyl
vania State Convention, Mr. Philander C.
' Knox has come prominently to the fore as
perhaps Mr. Taft's most important rival
lor the Republican nomination. Mr. Knox
has the reputation of conservatism, and
not being out of favor with the Nation's
big financial interests despite the part
he took in the trust prosecutions of the
Roosevelt administration, will get strong
support from those who oppose Mr.
Roosevelt's radical policies, and it is not
out of question that some day Mrs. Phil
ander C. Knox may be the lady of. the
White House.
Should this ever come about, she will
bring unusual qualifications to the task.
Senator and Mrs. Knox know how to
en.joy the good tilings of life, and they
have had them to repletion. . The Sen
ator is credited with possessing the
finest library In Washington, he has
a pair of IO.000 trotters. The Valley
Forge home and Washington residence
of the former Attorney-General are
palatial.
Senator and Mrs. Knox are one of
the youngest looking couples in pub
lic life, and jokes about their Juvenile
appearance are plenty. Mrs. Knox is
short in stature, but as hor distin
guished husband is only S feet 7 inches
tall, they make an excellently matched
couple.
There are four Knox children, Mrs.
James Tindle, Reed Knox, Hugh Knox
and Philander C. Knox, Jr.
Mrs. Knox is the daughter of An
drew C. Smith, of Allegheny, and spent
the greater part of her life, before go
ing to Washington, in the environs of
Pittsburg. She will make an admirable
successor to Mrs. Roosevelt should the
chances of fate put Knox In the stren
uous Teddy's chair.
The wife of Senator Fairbanks, of
Indiana, is a very well-known woman
from her prominent connection with
the Daughters of the American Revo
lution, whose president-general she
has been for several terms.
It .is said that Mrs. Fairbanks ani
mated the Senator's ambition to go
Into the White House, for she is very
fond of society, and would find a con
genial field in the activities of the
White House. ' ' :
But while Mrs. Fairbanks has been
Identified with advanced movements
of her sex. It rauit not be thought that
she has lost any of the gentler traits.
She is loyally devoted to her husband,
and has ever been his aid. It is said
that his confidence in her judgment
Is so great that before delivering a
speech on the floor of the Senate, he
first makes it a point to read It to her.
If the verdict is satisfactory he always
delivers the speech with the confidence
that It is sure to be well received.
Mrs. Fairbanks has a fine gift of
dignified affability, and she succeeds
equally with ,all kinds of people, high
and low. She, as a public character,
has perhaps made more of a study of
entertaining than any of her rivals for
the Wnlte House, and none would en-
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ter into social duties with greater
pleasure.
Mrs. Fairbanks is the mother of five
children, Mrs. John W. Timmons,
Warren C, Frederick C, Richard M.
and Robert Fairbanks. All the many
claims on her time, have never been
permitted by this ideal wife to inter
fere with her all-important duties of
motherhood, and the family Is a credit
to herself and the senior Senator from
Indiana.
The high Intellectual forehead of Mr.
William Jennings Bryan, whohaatwlc
had to console her husbajid through th
disappointment of defeat, does not be
lie the magnificent brain power of the
wife of the Nebraskan, who before the
age of 40 had twice been the candidate
of the second largest political party la
the country.
Mrs. Bryan is loved In Lincoln, the
charm of her personality acting as a
magnet. She is tall, dignified and her
carriage combines dignity with sweet
est femininity.
Mrs. Bryan has the gift of being so
ciable, yet she can hardly be called a .
society woman, for she has never
figured largely In the artificial life of
set form. She Is a home maker first,
and next to that the consuming Inter
est of her life Is devotion to the career
of her husband.
Her breadth of mind and calm philo
sophical nature make her an admira
ble balance wheel for one of the fore- ,
most of Americans.
Of the candidates lately mentioned.
Governor Hughes, of New York, Is ad
mittedly gaining strength. His line
honesty, complete Independence from
gang domination, the ability he dis
played in the insurance scandals, and
the fact, that he has shown that he
can carry New York, one of the pivotal
states of the Union, all make Mr.
Hushes a very redoubtable candidate.
The woman with whom his interests
are identified never talks politics, and
while her ability and intelligence are
admitted, 'has never figured in the
limelight as her husband's adviser. Phe
Is tall and slender, with regular fea
tures, wavy brown hair and expressive
brown eyes. Her manner, though dig
nified, is vivacious and full of a gra
cious charm.
The Hugheis have three children
Charles E., Jr., Catherine and Helen.
, Mrs. Hushes Is a daughter of Walter'
S. Carter, the senior member of the
law firm of which her husband is a
partner. While a member of two pa
triotic organizations and a college so
ciety, Mrs. Hughes is not what could
be called a club woman. During her
married life she has preferred to re
main in the background and let the
limelight of glory fall on her hus
band. Mrs. Judge Gray, wife of the Wil
mington, Del., jurist. who. if he hailed
from any other state, would be a for
midable candidate, measures well to
the standard of her rivals just de
scribed. Surely, o matter who wins the race,
the country cannot but be safe with
any of these fine American women as
adviser to the Chief Executive.
HOW TO CARE FOR CHILDREN
BY DR. J. VAN DER SLICE.
President of the Chicago Patriotic
Society.
Chicago Inter-Ocean.
MUCH has been written upon this
subject during the past few years
much that is good and much that
would have been better unwritten.
We are confronted by certain condi
tions and to make the best use of our
boys and girls under these conditions Is
the common desire of us all. The state
Imposes upon its citizens compulsory
education. While some may believe, that
the state has not the right to Impose her
eystem of culture upon the citizen, yet
It has. become a political axiom in this
country and many states of Europe that
the government is responsible for the
education of its citizens.
The public school is today a great
factor In the development of the social
welfare of the state, and its power for
(rood should not be hampered by any un
just or Ill-advised criticism.
In carrying out the Intellectual develop
ment of the child , the governing bodies
have been forgetful of the importance
of character formation, and still more
forgetful of the physical well-being of
childhood.
The attention of the state and educa
tors has been, and Is. concentrated upon
that small part of the child's education
the development of the intellectual
capacity.
Puty of the State.
The compulsory removal of all chil
dren from the Influence of home life and
their segregation in a schoolroom for
five or six hours each day to receive the
Intellectual training the atate demands
should impose upon the state the sec
ondary but no less Important duty of a
capable medical supervision that shall in
dicate the mental and physical ability
to endure school life, and to guard the
physical and mental well-being ' during
-tiic school life of the youpg, so as to dis
charge them at the end of their scholastic
course physically and mentally educated.
Our school system leaves little to be
desired In the Intellectual development of
the child. While there may be Individual
faults in the system or the teacher, these
need not be considered here to remind
us that the physician or parent who has
not been inside a schoolroom from the
day of his graduation till his own patient
or child has been proven inadequate to
the tasks Imposed is not likely to be a
fair or impartial critic.
With due allowance for fads and for
overzealous teachers, our public school
system is arranged so that the average
pupil should make his or her grade each
year.
In school life we find the baneful In
fluence of too intense competition, just as
we do in business, professional, or so
cial life. Perhaps It would be well to
eliminate everything that acts as an in
centive for work, still the strain remains,
the false pride, the heartburning and
sense of shame and defeat In athletics
debates, and social contests. School. Is
of value only as It trains us to live.
The child may as well learn here as
later to accept success or defeat philoso
phically. Inded. it Is better to have this
lesson under the guidance of parents or
teachers than to be kept In ignorance of
all competition.
While, as I have said, it is true that
the grades are so arranged that the av
erage child should be able to follow the
curriculum as laid down, yet It Is the
universal opinion of physicians that the
school child is i overworked, and this is
true of the high schools and colleges.
This Is but a natural sequence. The child
Is sent to school ft), learn certain facts
and to receive its mental training, and
each institution is striving for a higher
standard of scholarship. Such a prac
tice must of necessity strew the pathway
with mental and physical weaklings.
Until the child enters the kindergarten
or primary grades they can be usually
kept in good lieiuallb, but so soon as the
child starts to school or kindergarten. In
fectious diseases are liable to attack
him. So we find that during the first two
or three years of school life our school
child has had measles, mumps, whoop
ing cough, chicken pox, etc. Colds also
are more frequent, and toward the end
of the school year the physician sees
many cases of certain nervous disorders.
In considering the preservation of the
health of the school child, there appear
to be five essentials. These are: First,
ample rest. Second, proper diet. Third,
fresh air. v Fourth, freedom from dust
and exposure to contagious diseases.
Fifth, freedom from worry and fatigue
The first ample rest. How much
sleep should the growing child have each
night? The amount of sleep necessary
during the developing period, as recom
mended by the best authorities. Is: At 5
years, 13H hours; S years, 13 hours; 7
years, 124 hours; 8 years, 12 hours; 9
years, HVi hours; 10 and 11 years, 11
hours; 12 and 13 years 10j hours; 1 and
15 years. 10 hours; 16 and 17 years, 9V4
hours; 18 and 19 years, 9 hours. So that
the eight hours necessary for the adult Is
far from adequate during the developing
period.
The second essential proper diet. In
this regard it Is safe to say that Ignor
ance of the simplest facts of dietetics Is
the cause of more disaster in school life
than any other one cause. The most
Important and the most frequently
abused dietary principle is regularity of
eiting. The child should eat at regular
hours, and at these stated hours only.
The hours of study, recreation and meals
should be so arranged that there shall be
ample time allowed before each meal for
the child to wash and prepare for the
meal without hurry or excitement. It
must be Insisted that the child take a
certain amount of time for each meal,
never being allowed to hastily swallow
his food to hurry to complete some un
finished task or game. This haste is es
pecially noticeable at the breakfast hour.
The child sleeps late and must hurry in
i
his toilet, and with one eye on his break
fast and the other on the clock gulps
down his food as rapidly as possible, then
hurries to school for fear of being late.
An Interval of one-half hour should be
allowed for recreation to follow each
meal, this in order that digestion may
be well under way before any mental-exertion
takes place. The habit of eating
between meals must be forbidden. This
Is not to imply that only three meals are
to be allowed, but they must jiot eat at
any or all hours.
Weak Children Should Eat Orten.
In weakly children It Is distinctly
advantageous that they have four or
five meals a day. Always Insist that
the ordinal y three meals shall, be the
principal meals and the others mere
lunches, as a glass of milk or fruit
and bread and butter. But these extra
meals must be so arranged that the
stomach shall have time to digest the
food and have an Interval of rest be
fore the next meal. As It takes from
two to four hours to empty the stomach
after a meal, the necessity for regu
larity in eating may be seen. So for
a school child I would recommend
breakfast, dinner, ' lunch at 3:30, and
supper at 6:30 or 7. I would Insist
somewhat, that the heaviest ' meal of
day be given at noon. One of the
greatest drawbacks of city life Is the
habit of having the heavy meal of the
day In the evening. Consequently, at
this meal the child Is commonly given
foods of such character and quantity
that the stomach cannot empty Itself
for about four hours, and as the child
should, and usually does, go to bed In
about two hours after eating, this,
coupled with the physiological law
that digestion is much lowered during
sleep, furnishes a prolific source for
chronic Indigestion.
Children should be taught the bene
fits of thorough mastication and sali
vation of food. The habit of masticat
ing the food Into fine particles should
be instilled into them early. In this a
great aid will be found In keeping
them at the table a stated time, as the
habit of rapidly swallowing unchewed
food Is developed by the hurry to leave
the table Many children acquire hRbits
of dislike to certain articles of food.
Some, for example, acquire a dislike
for meats, especially fat meats. These
dislikes may usually be overcome by
tact, persuasion, or cooking the food
in new ways, etc.
It Is of special importance that child
ren of a tubercular heredity be taught
to like fat. - .
The difficulty In feeding the strong,
healthy child Is usually In providing
sufficient quantity, and In seeing that
he does not overeat. Here we find that
the habit of eating' rapidly Is apt to
mean overeating. In the frail, deli
cate child we do not see our way so
clearly. The mother's inquiry of the
physician is. What can I get that this
child will eat? In these cases, we find
that habit, here a vicious habit, is at
fault. These children have had their
appetites pampered out of all resem
blance to the normal, and in this I
must admit that apparently no one
Is to blame. It is a thing of such in
sidious growth. The child early has
lost the keen appetite of health, and
Is coaxed to eat more, and usually
sweets are pressed upon the child more
and more, as they constitute largely
all they will eat, and soon we find that
the child has an absolute distaste
for the ordinary essentials of the diet
ary and can only be coaxed -into eating
a little of the sweets and more deli
cate foods. If at the beginning, the
"Turk's" sauce hunger had been made
to develop along with a careful selec
tion of the food, another story could
be written.
Pampering the Appetite.
This pampering of the appetite Is
well illustrated In the common extrav
agance of the day, in that the average
person prefers to pay 10 cents for a
penny's worth of cereal put up In a
fancy carton. Although these so-called
breakfast foods have been much ridi
culed, yet the only objection I see lies
in the fact that they are largely pre
dlgested. This, for children whose
principal two meals of the day are
largely made up from them, would not
tend to develop their powers of diges
tion, as It Is well known that no func
tion can develop without exercise.
Variety Is the best tonic to the ap
petite. In this we find a hint for our
treatment of the delicate child. We
prepare her food in a variety of ways,
so that no repugnance may arise from
the seeing of the same food prepared
the same way each day. Of the com
moner breadstuffs, those which I would
recommend most are corn and oat
meals. In these we have foods of the
greatest caloric value, are easily di
gested and assimilated, and most chil
dren will readily learn to like them. To
these I would add one other article of
food New Orleans molasses. This
should supply the sweets to the grow
ing child. From this the candles should
be made, and In such sweets there are
no harmful effects and many virtues.
The greatest menace to the digestion
of the school child is the school store,
where for a penny can be bought the
cheaper grade of candles, and that
abomination known as the lunch bag.
Tea, coffee, chocolate, and cocoa should
not be allowed In the dietary of the
growing child, and that leads to one of
the peculiar errors of widespread mis
information. Cocoa and chocolate are
of food value superior to tea and coffee
only in so far as milk Is used instead
of water in the preparation, and they
are of greater harm to the child, be
cause they contain larger amounts of
tannic acid. There is more tannic acid
In cocoa than chocolate, in that the
hulls are used in the manufacture of
cocoa, as against the expressed Juice
in chocolate. The common fruits may
all be given to children of the school
age. I -would call especial attention to
the banana. In the banana we have
rather an ideal food, but by reason
of the mode of eating it frequently is
quite harmful. The banana is seldom
masticated, but large pieces are broken
oft and swallowed whole. As the mus
cular development of the stontach is
not sufficient to break up this mass
and mix It with the digestive Juices,
for younger children the fruit should
be pressed through a fruit sieve and
served with milk or cream.
Evils of Lunching.
Another of the commoner evils is the
habit of school children bringing to
school light lunches of some dainty or
other. This lunch is eaten during a
recess, and has the effect of taking
away all appetite for' the following
meal.
The -third requisite fresh air. This
must be given at all times. The school
child should be in the open air at least
three hours out of each 24. The sleeping-room
should be well ventilated,
and constantly supplied with fresh air
during the night.
The fourth essential freedom from
dust vand exposure to contagious dls- '
eases. In this we have a requirement
which cannot be practically carried out
under existing conditions. The muni
cipality should be awake to the fact
that In street dust we have a most pro
lific source of contagion, and because
of this fact clean streets are cheap at
any price. We should have a capable
medical supervision of all school chil
dren with a proper Isolation of all con
tagious cases. If this were done the
danger of contagion would be largely
eliminated.
The fifth essential, freedom from
worry and fatigue. The child should
not be allowed to worry over unfin
ished tasks. The child who Is con
stantly in a state of mental excitement
over unfinished school tasks cannot do
good work, and would be better out of
school. It Is of utmost importance that
this class of scholars be sent out of
doors each day for fresh air and recrea
tion. Home study should be inter
dicted, and the full requisite of sleep
insisted upon.
Letter to a Crocodile
Carolyn Wells in St. Nicholas.
Pear Crocod lie;
Thi note i kindly mant.
And In a helpful spirit It is "sent.
From rumors that have reached me, it appear
That Crocodiles are always sheddtnr tears:
And when not eating, or tn bed asleep,
They say a Crocodile is apt to weep.
Now. Crocodile, it really emms to m.
This state of things no looser ought to be
Because I'm very sure, oh. Crocodile,
You'd look a great deal better if you'd smile.
There's always something to be laughing at,
And then your mouth seems just cut out for
that!)
Po. dearest Crocodile, 1 pray yoa mend
Your ways, and much obllse,
Your faithful friend,
c. w.