5 small bottles of paint : red, yellow, blue, green, and violet (these are of the water-soluble type commonly used by show-card writers. They are easily washed off).

and their effects we shall use colured paints to represent them. Further, the speaker is going to represent different persons one after another.

First he is a grocery clerk, Mr. Adams. In his conversation with a customer he complains that he

The speaker introduces his subject by telling of the wonders revealed by the microscope. He describes germs as best he can as living things which cannot be seen by the naked eye but which are everywhere about us, and which under favorable circumstances increase rapidly in number. They are not animals nor bugs but very much alive and of simple construction. Most germs are man's friends but many, if they succeed in getting a foothold in his body, cause disease. There are different varieties of disease germs each causing its particular disease, such as typhoid, tuberculosis, etc. Because they are invisible we are inclined to forget

(1) This is the second of Dr. Kleinschmidt's health talks to children, the first of which appeared in our September issue (p. 424). The unanimous appreciation which met the publication of the first talk is one more proof of the fact that the health teacher, like the conjutor, needs to fascinate his audience if he would be successful.

SOME GERMS ARE MAN'S FRIENDS

With his pencil he adds the items on a piece of paper, then while wrapping the purchases he holds the pencil in his mouth. Now this man, though he doesn't know it yet, has typhoid germs in his mouth and some are carried to the pencil. Can't see them of course, so we shall represent typhoid germs by red paint and with a brush a dab of red paint is smeared on the pencil and laid aside.

Next the speaker is a workman, a Mr. Banks. He has tuberculosis. He spits into the gutter (a sheet of paper has been conveniently placed on the floor to represent the gutter). The germs of this disease, coming from his lungs, are in the sputum, so they are represented by a splotch of yellow paint. Mr. Crane, the next character, is a jolly street car conductor. This morning he does not feel so well. Back aches, head aches, and he has a slight sore throat. He makes change, rings up fares, etc., and in punching his transfers moistens his fingers with his mouth to hold them better. In doing so he contaminates each transfer with tonsilitis germs (dashes of blue paint). Do the passengers see these germs? No, but they are there nevertheless.

Now the speaker plays the part of a school girl, Daisy. She started out this morning with a cold. Mother gave her a dime with which she purchased cough drops, munching them on the way to school. Having reached the school door she quickly wipes her sticky lips with her hand (she should have used a handkerchief) then turns the knob of the door. Thus the germs which caused her cold are carried to the door knob, represented by green paint.

Next we encounter Edgar, bent over his text book in the school room. There is a slight draught. Edgar feels chilly and sneezes kerchoo ! kerchoo! right on his desk. Teacher notices that he does not look well and sends him home. That night the doctor finds that Edgar has Diphtheria. It is quite likely then that he has some diphtheria germs on the desk (a dask of violet paint).

Perhaps it is unusual to encounter so many sick people in one day, but not impossible and so these germs are scattered broadcast.

Now the speaker is a highschool boy, Frank. With bright and shining face he leaves the house, clean and neat, whistling as he goes. He stops at

the grocery store to deliver a list of supplies for this is mother's busy day. Mr. Adams reads the items and says : « Sonny, write your address on this paper, please - and here's a pencil ». Frank doesn't see the typhoid germs, takes the pencil and thus contaminates his fingers with red paint.

He travels to school on the street car and while waiting on the corner, reaches for his change and drops nickels and pennies on the curb. Quickly fumbling for the money, for the car is coming, he picks up on his hands some of the yellow paint expectorated there by the man who had tuberculosis.

On the car he is handed one of the infected transfers.

On reaching school he grasps the bedaubed door knob.

In the schoolroom he is assigned the seat of Edgar, who had just been sent home.

Now the speaker holds up his hands : « Look at them, aren't they artistically decorated ? » « Ah! », snickers an irrepressible tow-head in the audience, « you look like a bum painter ! » At any rate here is a collection of five different kinds of disease germs. They cannot penetrate the skin (unless the skin is cut or broken) but if carried to the lips, mouth or nose, they may make their homes there. « How then is it that any of us survive? Why don't we all die in our tracks ? » If time and circumstances permit, the speaker dilates on protective influences such as natural resistance, the « unhealthy » influence of sun and air on bacteria.

But we must take no chances. Have you ever seen a boy put his fingers in his nose ? or his mouth? How dangerous! Forget all about germs and disease if you will, but remember to keep fingers out of the nose and mouth. And at meals, while we do use forks and spoons, some articles, like bread, are taken into the hands. What's the answer? ( Wash the hands > - yes, especially before meals. Soap and water remove and kill germs. Keeping up his

cheerful patter, the speaker energetically washes his hands. « Little folks sometimes play circus in washing themselves. This is the crystal pool, the soap is Latherino, the diving beauty, the wash cloth is Raggles, the trick contortionist, etc. » Now look at my hands, clean and safe, asd with this little instrument (taking the nail cleaner) which can be bought for the price of a couple of lollypops, the job is completed.» Make clear the importance of developing in childhood the habit of washing the hands. This will save the trouble and need of keeping ever on the lookout for germs and prevent much sickness.

As a memory slogan for the day, the single word : « Bubbles ». Short and easily remembered, but why bubbles? What makes bubbles ? « Soap », yes, and water. And how do we make bubbles? « By washing the hands ». So bubbles it is and at least three times a day before meals we'll think of « bubbles ». If we develop the habit of keeping clean and thinking clean thoughts there is little need of bothering our heads continually about germs and disease:

the initiative of the new President, the Finnish Red Cross, in addition to its wartime activities, is to develop a peacetime programme, having due regard to the different branches of hygiene and social welfare. General Mannerheim hopes later to persuade the welfare organizations to co-operate in order to make the work more effective. The first organization to approve this plan and to take an active part in it is General Mannerheim's League for Child Welfare.

THE ORIGIN OF

GENERAL MANNERHEIM'S LEAGUE.

In February, 1919, General Mannerheim gave a donation to help Child Welfare, thus drawing the attention of the people of Finland to this hitherto neglected field of work. The following year when General Mannerheim founded the League for

SOME OF GENERAL MANNERHEIM'S PROTÉGÉES.

Child Welfare which later took his name, the question of Child Welfare was understood to be one of the most important social problems that Finland had yet to solve. The plan and aim of the new League were broadly mapped out by its founder in his well-known appeal to the men and women of Finland :

« The future security of our country as an independent state, its domestic peace and development as a cultured community, require that the whole of the youth of the country shall be trained to become good citizens. I have no doubt that those who

intend still to live and work in our country will do their best to develop private effort for the welfare of children, in order that, through local organizations throughout the country under the leadership of a Central Committee, this work may be so carried on that all Finland's children may enjoy, as a right, that sympathy and fostering care which alone will assure that they be trained as good citizens of the State ».

General Mannerheim's appeal to « devote to this urgent question a compassionate zeal and to contribute to its support » gave to the private child welfare organizations of the country an impetus such as had hitherto been unknown in Finland, interest in child welfare becoming very widespread.

Individual understanding of the right of the child to love and care has been so widened that large groups of people are now interesting themselves in the Child Welfare question. Private child welfare organizations have never been so active as in these last years, this improvement being directly due to General Mannerheim's appeal.

The work of the League for Child Welfare itself has greatly developed. Its aim is « by the promotion and encouragement of voluntary effort in the sphere of Child Welfare to foster as far as possible the healthy development, bodily and mentally, of the coming race, in so far as the work is not undertaken by the State or by Local Authorities. »

THE WORK OF LOCAL BRANCHES.

The executive organs of the League are the local Committees. Branches now exist from Muonio and Enontekis in the north to Hango and Dalsbruk in the south, and from Nykyrka, Sordavala, Suistamo and Joensuu in the east to Abo, Nystad, Bjôrneborg and Vasa in the west. The number is at present eighty-five. Each branch has developed its own programme which varies according to the local conditions.

As an example of the work performed by the