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88
Drink is undoubtedly responsible for much of the
poverty and dirt. It is not so much that the women
actually get drunk except in a few cases. (One woman
was so drank when her baby was born that when sober
two days later she would not believe it was hers), but
they do spend on drink money that should be spent on
food for themselves and the children. When the
mother spends the whole of the morning gossiping
outside the public house (as many of them do), there is
not much work going forward towards the comfort or
cleanliness of the home, and children suffer accordingly.
2,050 mothers have during the past nine months
brought their babies to the Town Hall for weighing and
advice.
This branch of our work has grown tremendously,
it is still growing and is doing much good as well as
lessening the work of registration and so enabling me to
visit many more new cases than would otherwise be
possible.
And how the mothers appreciate it! well, the
numbers speak for themselves.
So many of the mothers are hopelessly wanting in
even the most elementary knowledge, and often so
eager to learn.
There is great need for more accommodation, it is
so difficult under present conditions to teach the
mothers enough.
If only I had a larger room and could have them
all in and talk to them for a few minutes each week
before weighing the babies I could do so much more in