[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—Commenting on the valuable
article by Miss Loane on; "The Saving of Child Life " in your issue of 11th inst., may I point out that in my district—a very poor one quite in the country—I find no urging necessary to induce mothers to suckle their children P On the contrary, I know many mothers who, to their great distress, have been unable, in spite of valiant efforts, to "nurse" any of their children. I attribute this largely to bad food, the difficulty in getting milk, lack of air at night, and consequent bad sleep, and the fact that they have to get up and work on the ninth or tenth day. The heroism of these women passes words to describe, and the uncomplaining manner in which they face the expense and endless trouble of band-feeding a new baby every year or eighteen months puts women in our class- to shame. When one considers that wages hereabouts range from fifteen shillings down to ten shillings a. week, and are often stopped two or three days a week when the weather is too wet for agricultural pursuits, there is not much inducement to " give a bottle." The bottle, however, in many cases has to be given. The children thus. reared, even if they live, are in many cases rickety, con- sumptive, and weedy—as the proportion of real milk for the baby of the moment cannot be large when there are six or eight more to be fed, housed, and clothed on 14s. or 158. The only palliative at present in sight is some form of maternity endowment from the point of view of I s. d. alone. The nation would be saved thousands by merely another week in: bed to each of these overworked mothers.—I am, Sir, &c., Broad Campden, Gloucestershire. JANET E. ASsnEE.
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