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hfARRIED WOMEN IN FACTORIES. 171
Act. Inspection by volunteer members of committcoa may
of course maintain good management in a few nurseries ; but
~0 learn, from plenty of cases, how little such management is
to be depended upon where the patients are iucapable of
complaining.
Although the Infant Life Protection Act is clearly a dend
letter, there is no evidence to show exactly how it has failed. It
may, of course, be possible that the care-takers of iufnnts, knowing
that it is a penal offence to take cllargo of more tlmn ono
infant, or in the case of twins two infants, at tho same time,
have discontinued tho practice. In that case tho Act has
succeeded bet.ter than any other law I oan think of, in entirely
tiuppressing tho evil against which it was directed. But it is
much more likely that the wo~non in question do not so much
as know of the existence of tho law in question. Whether we
look to the number of married women emplqed in factories,
or the excessive it~fnnt mortality as already estimated, there
can bo no doubt that the Act in question has not in tho least
touched the real evils under which infants fade away. Let it
be clearly understood, too, that the Act referred to does not
really apply to the qucst,ion before us, because its clauses do
not extend to persons mho take infants under their care for a
part of the twmty-four hours o~ly. An old woman might have
a score or two of infants, and dose them at her discretion; but
providing that they were carried to their homes at night, there
would be no infringement of the law. Both the Act and tho
inquiries of the Committee were directed against the evils of
‘< baby-farming ;” but whether baby-farming be suppressed
or not, there remains the vastly mom extensive evils connected
with baby-nnrsing while the mother has gone to the mills.
The Act, in short’, though founded on the best possible
intentions, has served as a mere cover for the apathy of the
governing classes.
But we are on the horns of a dilemma ; the infants die as
it is, and they will probably die if nurseries are established.
We want aome more radical remedy, and the best remedy
would perhaps be found in some lam which would practically
oblige the mother to remain at home w long aa she l-w