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waving is all the more permanent for being carefully brushed. I hope this is true,
and I hope the public will believe it, but the majority of people who spend a lot of
money on a so-called permanent wave do not believe it at this time. If there is a
reservoir of infestation in a house I certainly think it would do no harm to deal
drastically with such a social circumstance, providing always it is the parents of the
children who have to bear the stigma and not the children themselves.
A larger number of these cases, however, are where mother has given up the
fight and, quite frankly, I cannot help believing that the words of Dr. Ben Johnson
were fall of significance when he said—" There, but for the grace of God, go I
Not all these people who have given up the fight have given it up without a struggle.
Some of them started their married lives with quite high ideals but the babies have
come rather quickly; the housing circumstances are poor; nor always are the
financial arrangements within the home so good as they might be, and although
something must really be done about it whatever is done in such cases must be done
with sympathy and understanding.
Where, of course, it is found that boys have either nits or lice (or both), I would
recommend the sternest measures be undertaken forthwith because, of course, there
is no excuse for a boy's head becoming verminous. It is easy to keep the hair short
enough—that really is no problem—or, contrariwise, the problem is such a simple
one that it can be overcome in a few minutes.
Personally I would suggest teaching the elder girls in every school hairdressing.
They could practise upon one another and on the younger girls, and should be
encouraged to practise on their mothers and their elder sisters. To make this
attractive a classroom devoted to this could be called a "Beauty Parlour". I feel
sure this would be of enormous help, particularly if in the course of lessons on
hairdressing, girls were specially taught how to deal with customers whose heads
were not in all respects satisfactory.
NURSERY CLASSES.
Question:—I do not believe in Nursery classes. I think that up to the
age of five years a child is better in his mother's care than in a Nursery.
What are the supposed benefits of Nursery classes?
Answer:—In the first place I want to say I have a great deal of sympathy with
the person who has propounded this question, and there can be no doubt that if
mother has a large family and she has enough help in the home, there should be no
need for Nursery classes.
A child, however, requires company—children of about his own age whom he
knows personally, and insofar as families are small, the child brought up at home
definitely suffers from lack of this companionship. These little people who have