RA HE
Maternity Ward
8B
By Fannie Hurst
(® by McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)
(WNU Service)
OU could not be a nurse In a
maternity hospital over a period
of seven years and not have
some rather special ideas about
the story of mankind. Vesta had. She
had seen, through the long period of
her association with an {(nstitution
dedicated to birth, the mills of the
gods grinding out the relentless grist
of human destiny,
Day after day, there occurred in the
wards of the maternity hospital the
miracle of life or the tragedy of death.
Babies, bables, bables; wanted, un-
wanted, alive and kicking, pink, blue,
male and female, opened their blue
eyes upon an etheric world bounded
by doctors, nurses, internes, wan moth-
ers and bleaf-eyed fathers,
The eves of Vesta had come to be
a little bitter about this business of
birth. It seemed to her symbolic that
the new-born child, still blue with the
mysterious pallor of those glacial hin-
terlands preceding life, should first of
all, as greeting to his fellow humans,
pucker up to cry.
Sometimes, the new-born child, not
yet an hour old, lay in his crib and
frowned, as If already fear and pre
monition were upon him,
Poor darling, Vesta found
saying.
A pink cherub opened its eyes upon
a ward of pain; grew up in streets
and tenements of gloom and grime,
went out into a world of disappoint-
ment and chagrin and In turn gave life,
Of course, there was the other as-
pect. The bright wanted bables who
were born bright loving homes,
The youngsters who thrived and pros-
pered and begot happily In turn. But
somehow, from the vantage of the hos-
pital ward, the odds seemed so against
that,
The broken-down, poverty-
stricken mothers, the bables with the
thwarted pain-riddled futures seemed
80 greatly In the majority. Walking
along the rows of cribs, it was diffi.
cult not to feel your heart hurt. Even
In the private rooms, where they lay
swaddled In expensive layettes, the
odds seemed against them, Anyway,
after seven yearg of the routine of
seeing them born, something akin to
chronic pain lay In the heart of Vesta,
What a grave responsibility to give
life. How sure one needed to be.
How thoughtless, unconsciously cruel,
reckless and ignorant were most of the
parents who dared to dally with the
miracle of creation.
ade one fearsome,
cautious and tinged
herself
into
tired,
unventure-
some, with bit.
, terness
It seemed to Vesta,
plights of the stricken
their sense of responsibility,
be
parents,
scarred cor
than
sciences, must more
they could bear.
?
walking
moving among the she
home from the
ting
ildren of the tenement-lined
streets ohserving thelr drab little uni-
forms of poverty, their pale faces the
felt, momentarily at
durable that she continue
to play her role In assisting mothers
to gi
Morbi
others,
anced,
gimist,
Whatever the case, at twenty-five,
there were ridges of vicarious suffer-
ing around Vesta’s mouth and along
her brow and deep In her eyes the
muddy waters of pain.
You lived, moved, breathed In a
world of palin.
Not that these thoughts predom-
inated the personality of Vesta, Onut-
wardly at least, she was calm, efficient,
even rather beautiful in" a pale
harassed sort of way. She had gen-
tleness and, strangely enough, great
skill In her work.
Sense of humor, one doctor, chafling,
used to tell her she: lacked. Sense of
humor! Sense of humor about pain!
Pain. Nevertheless, because to live in
a world was to learn somehow to adapt
oneself to the Injustice of suffering
childhood, there did manage to survive
in Vesta, even with her sensitiveness
to the pain about her, a joy of life.
It was not difficult to muster a
gense of humor about much of the
mortal drama that went on about her,
Almost every evening. In the apart.
ment she shared with two nurses,
there were hilarious recitals of the
anecdotes of the day. The sayings of
bewildered mothers, befuddled fathers
and precocious children,
Often, the three girls invited young
doctors Into dine with them and the
zest and vitality of these parties was
Vesta, She was good at play. The
inner torment, the trials of the day,
the vicarious pain for humanity, the
gense of frustration, fell from her like
a mantle once she was free of the hos-
pital and its etheric aroma,
“At heart, you are in love with the
world,” a young doctor named Greg-
ory Ainsworth used to accuse her,
“In love with the world!” she
scoffed. “In love with a universe that
fosters little children In order to tor
ture them; In love with the scheme of
things, that brings children into a
world of darkness, Injustice, social
tyranny, poverty and bad health!”
Of course, long heated discussions
of God, metaphysics, religion, grew out
of this. Sometimes untill long past
midnight, the little groups sat weigh-
ing the problems of life and death;
pro and conning the same dark prob.
lems that have caused the wise, tired,
fo) v log f
rickety legs, it
least, une:
ve life
Emblittered said
wicked, unbal-
sour grapes, pes-
d, sald some,
or
old maidish,
sensitive,
ww
harried
ponder,
It was out of these evenings that
there spun itself around Vista the wen
of romance. The most chafing of the
teasing group around her, brilliant
young Ainsworth, became her ardent,
headstrong wooer,
“I don't want to marry,” sald Vesta,
knowing from the first time he asked,
that she would. “I've seen too much.
Suffered too much of the suffering of
others. Besides, my work is laid out
for me.”
In the end, of course, she did marry
him, and they were to establish the
first free clinic of its kind in the mid-
dle western city in which they dwelt.
But against having children, she did
resolutely hold eut over a period of
four years,
“My own sins are my own. I won't
bring a child into a world into which
it does not ask to be born. The fact
that I am happy does not insure hap-
piness for my offspring. I don't want
a baby."
At the end of four years, when she
was her most beautiful, there was to
be a child and once more the convie-
tions of Vesta went down before In-
herent love of life,
“We'll name it Vesta”
worth.
“We'll name it Gregory,” sald Vesta.
When the twins were born, they
named them Vesta and Gregory.
Idealists of all times to
sald Alns-
"”
Quantities of Mexican
Silver Used by Chinese
Chinese financial transactions ure
generally made in terms of Mexican
dollars, For {ostance, newspapers
report
China has appropriated “$1,000,000
Mexican” for thig or that purpose, The
ly less than 50 cents in
money.
During
Nineteenth
the decrdes of
early
traders,
was no coin in general circulation in
China except the small copper piece
known as the In larger trans-
actions uncolned silver bullion was
employed, one Chinese ounce of sliver
being called a tael. Chinese merchants
found the western coins
venient than bullion as a
cash,
more
imported in large numbers.
A shortage in the supply of Span-
Mexican dollars about 1840, Within
a very few years these coins, minted
and were practically the only eur
rency which bad universal acceptance
in that country Their only rivals
were British coined in India
or Hongkong and circulated in Chi
The continual exporta-
dollars
nese seaports,
tion of Mexican dollars to China and
other on a
basis an important factor In
the nm of Mexican
In 1002 China signed a treaty with
Britain
lish a uniform
Yuan Shih-K'al,
Bg i Iver dol
oriental countries
became
distributi silver.
in which she agreed to
of cur.
during his re
11
system
the hope of
forms, and
have been made ubstitute native
coiling for dollara Conse.
X Chinese
wed In terms of Mex
loliars, the coins themselves are
scarce In China and thelr
ming
dollars of equal weight
finder Magazine,
Paternity of Violin
a nationalized Frenchman, was long
reputed to be the first maker of vio
to be wrong. The viols were the im
mediate predecessors of the violin and
the viols were subject In construction
to all of the liberties which the build
er thight choose to take with them.
The creation of the violin of today Is
veiled in mystery which the most ar
dent discussions on the part of the
specialists have been unable to solve,
Luthier (a viol and lute maker) by
the name of Kerlino, who lived In
Brescia about the year 1450, Is also
credted with the discovery of the vio
lin. All In all, while it Is possible
that the paternity of the violin may
be conceded to Gasparo da Sale, it
must be considered that Magginl of
Brescia is sald to be the first to give
the violin its present form.
Historic American Fort
Fort McHenry was established In
1704 on a reservation of 85 acres on
Whetstone place, Patapsco river, Md.,
three miles from Baltimore. Although
the site was first occupied for military
purposes in 1770, It was only estab.
lished as a permanent fortification In
1704. It was named after James Me:
Henry, one of Washington's secretaries
during the Revolution and secretary of
war In 1708, In September, 1814, the
fort successfully withstood bombard.
ment by the British fleet under Ad
miral Cockburn. It was this attack
which suggested Francis Scott Key's
“Star-Spangled Banner.”
Resourcefulness
We cannot but admire the resource
of the pupil who wrote down, "On
their heads,” In answer to a question
as to where the kings of England were
crowned, and a similarly naive reply
was given by another student In re-
sponse to the question, “Explain what
happens when there is an eclipse og
the sun,” when he answered, truth.
fully enough, “A great many people
go out to see It."—Christian Advocate.
GOOD GAME
playing in the garden.
had given them an apple each.
was saving hers for the time being.
suggested.
Mary.
“You tempt me to eat your apple
and I give way,” was the explanatiop
offered.
NOT VAIN
‘She Is not at all vain about her
veauty, although she has good cause
to be"
“How do you know ™
“She told me so herself”
Page Kipling!
Big Game Hunter—On my last trip
to Africa my bag included two ele
phants,
Dear Old
However did
body's Weekly.
Remarkable Bird
“l would like 8 parrot
Does it talk?
“Talk! It walked from Hamburg
to Berlin and asked the way the whole
time."—llummel (Hamburg).
Thing—Good
you carry
gracious!
it?=~Every
like that
Nothing More
“Would you be happy if
all the money you wanted?
“1 should be happy if 1 had all the
money my creditors wanted. "—Der
lingske Tidende (Copenflagen).
you had
Always Punctilions
Little Fred, well trained by his par
ents, was his adieus after
rather dull evening
*"Goorl- by,” he murmured “1
a pretty good time™
ONE EXCEPTION
bidding
had
intion,
Jones—Not if you're broke.
Floriculture
The junior dance was over,
was telling his mother all about It
“Gee, Betty looked swell”
lated.
& bunch of those olly-looking white
linoleum I*
Catty Chat
“This Is my twentieth birthday.”
“Strange, today Is my twentieth
birthday.”
time.”
————————
Inexcusable
songster to the hostess
“In what way?
“When you introduced me as @
crooner, he sald ‘I'm a coroner. Hope
to see you again.”
Poor Judgment
“Mother, did baby come from heav
en?”
“Yea”
like this!"
An Achievement
City-Bred—Your method of . culls
vating your crop is old-fashioned. I'¢
be surprised If you got more than
ten pounds of apples off that tree
Farmer—8o0 would L It's a pem
tree l-Cambridge Chronicle,
Cause for Complaint
Circus Manager— Well, what's wrong
wow?
India-rubber Man-Every time the
Strong Man writes a letter be uses me
to rub out the mistakes,
in the end even these descendants
of oufs must perish,
This Is a lgoomy outlook, It has
one consolation, and that is that it
will be a long time before all this
happens, It works out to be some-
thing of the order of a million mil-
lion years. As we have been here
only one half of one million, it be
comes evident that things have just
begun, and that there Is a long time
than 360,000 million tons of matter! ahead in which to build and plan
Is destroyed every day In order to] and enjoy.—Hiram Percy Maxim in
RACE DOOMED TO
DEATH FROM COLD?
Possibly Yes, but Not for
Some Few Years.
The radiation from the sun is at
the expense of its mass. No less
maintain the present radiation of the | the Scientific American.
sun. Poor old Sol weighs 860,000] - . ————
Mercolized Wax
Keeps Skin Young
Got an ounee and use ae directed. Vine particles of
skin peel off until all defects such se pimples, lives
spots, tan and freckles disappesr, Bln is then sols
snd velvety. Your face looks years younger. Merend
sx brings out the hidden Leacty of your skin, Te
remove wrin use one ounces Pow
dissolved lo one-half pint witch basel. At drug slores.,
Korean Lespedeza; certified; wonder lege
ume and summer pasture or hay for poor
or good soll, P, A. Meriwether, Trenton Ky.
A ——————————,
Wise Is he who learns from the
experience of others,
million tons less today than he
weighed at this time yesterday!
By our human standards this prod.
gal expenditure cannot keep up for
very long, but our human standards
are not astronomical standards,
Computation shows that the sun is
not very much different today than
it was when the planets were born. ar
The weight of the sun is so incon (CRE
celvably great that In order to show |
any material change in weight or i
radiation we must go back, not 2,000 LT ALTER
million years, but five million million
years. The sun welghed about twice
CLEANGING ¢
HEALING
PLAT SN
SaouLp be kept in every
household for the daily use
of all the family; the Soap
to protect the en as well as
cleanse it, the Ointment
to relieve and heal chafings,
rashes, irritations and cuts.
Soap 25¢c. Ointment 25¢ and Sc.
m Proprictors: Potter Drug & Chemical
Corp., Malden, Mass.
Try Cuticura Shaving Cream.
OINTMEN:
Music Calms the Deranged
In the treatment of the insane pa
tieuts at the hospital in
Alres, music has been found
to be of great value in ealming the
disturbed minds and in giving the
inmates to occupy them:
opportunity
any
as much then as it does now, and
was correspondingly brighter and
hotter,
The sun is unquestionably a dying
star. It loses some gf its welght ev-
ery year, and this means a loss of
gravitational pull and a loss of ra
diation Intensity. In other words,
we may expect the earth to draw
gradually farther away from the sun,
and we may expect the sun
gradually to cool off as millions of | and
Years roll around,
This means one thing only—death
by cold. Just as sure as we can be
of anything, are we that life
will eventunlly be frozen off
earth, Temperatures need drop only
100 degrees they
now in great many
of us,
K¢
Mercedes
uenos
something
Every
been given to cultl
selves with, has
musical
ies of the Inmates, A band
hestra ha been organized
for some time and solo performances
both veeal and Instrumental
been encouraged to the fullest ex
tent. Renewed interest the part
of the performers has been aroused
broadcasting their pro-
The performers were instant
spurred on to greater proficiency
that their
, and | wa reac ; thel homes and
vate
also possib
ore ve
have
gure on
the
recently by
where
below are | grams,
order to kill a
music
some probably
of these some
spring
favorable
»
e off is euptside. Many of the pa
play
hav haracteristios | tients mye learned to with
would
to vers weather, If} ox
1
th
would evolve Int Skimo types, | '
Even this Ignore question o i Hy the
our f« would be af
fected muc In
¢ enough elng nn and won
always live
younger
asn't seen the
sen
wd sug ply
Any case,
Legacies for Serious Minds
In the will of Bir Alfred Yarrow,
the shipbuilder who died not jong
ago at the age of ninety, women who
lead useless lives are criticized and
legacies given to a number of
women who, to his
have “justified thelr existence.” Aft.
er noting the ied by
many ladies of the present day” who
are “unprovided with any occupa-
tion except the pursuit of amuse
ment,” he calls attention to the “hap-
py group” who have justified their
existence. Of the latter group be
London hospital nurses,
leaves £175 each.
are
“useless lives
mentions six
to whom le
Trappers in Luck
Threequarters of a mill
of Michigan fur-bearin
which
estimated to have
and trappers
“ale fs 37 oR™ 11
depression | eR au
ion pelts
g animals, of
aire
brought farmers
£650 000 st
1430-31,
ent of observation
one-third were muskrat,
more than
ring
ring
gays the departn
Set aside 15 per cent for the ex-
penBes you hadn't counted on.
’
Food elements
in both were the same
CHEMICALLY, two baby foods can be
exactly alike. The same percentage of
carbohydrate, fat, protein, mineral salts,
The same vitamins. :
Yet on one, a baby may lose weight,
grow thin and weak. And on the other,
that same baby can flourish and gain and
take on new life. What's the reason?...
Digestibility.
Digestibility of prime importance!
Doctors know that a baby can starve on
what is apparently the most perfectly
“balanced” formula if his body cannot
use the food elements it contains. Only
a food which is easily and completely
digested and assimilated can give to your
baby the full amount of building material
his little body needs.
Countless doctors and mothers have
found this out through actual experience.
And that is why Eagle Brand, over a
period of 75 years, has won a marvelous
reputation as an infant food. For Eagle
Brand, next to mother’s milk, is the
easiest form of milk in all the world to
digest. In baby’s stomach, Eagle Brand
forms soft, fine curds, like those formed
its exact value
babies.
mother whose
confidence!
*The usual
FREE!
in baby building: Bone
own milk fails can put
foods, of course, are orange
oad-iver oil or other source of
COMPLETE BOOKLET
ON BABY CARE
by mother’s milk. Every drop of Eagle
Brand is quickly assimilated, goes quick-
ly into the making of bones and teeth,
muscle and tissue, energy and strength,
This milk can build 100% babies!
The Borden
And what a builder Brand is!
Recently, in a world-famous baby « “nic,
two physicians—specialists in their field
#