Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-04-13
Certainly / do

And do you not think that you can
secure this happiness for your offspring
much more certainly by millisteiips
yourself to all its wants, from the hour
of its nth =
NO, do not. And I will tell, yoa
why. As Mrs Meirose says, aud Justly
'Doit speak OF that woman 10 me, &c.
ella. should suspect the truth to be a
mere peryersion OF it, were to hear it
uttered by her lips :. :. s,.e ,s
sWeff then, as say-My babe is now
perfectly unconscious OF external things.
1t needs only to be attended to in the
kindest and gentlest manner, and this a
careful and experienced nurse can Go
much better than myself
Il doubt it, Cecilia.
.Bat tits. reasonable, Uncte.@ She has
nursed many children none.'
Which do you suppose would fgh,
best for his country-Fhe hired. soldier
who had nothing at stake; or the citizen
who feels bis country's honor and rights
insulted while his breast warmed into
patriotic enthusiasm, and under such i'm
pulses went deliberately iato tile battle
field?.
The latter, of course
And which do you think would best
cherish a helpless infant-'i'he mother
who had borne it land whose heart yearn-
ed over it with mothers peculiar affec.
:ion-or the hireling nurse, whose only
reason for assuming The maternal office
was an expectation OF the wages of her
service? Answer this question, Cecilia,
to your. own hearth
'But Uncle, although this sounds very
imposing, yet it seems to me tallacious
A babe. as | said before. needs only to
be carefully and tenderly nursed. What
more could 1 do for it7'
rs your babe mere animal? Are
there lot the germs Of budding intel
lect concealed in the principle Of life,
that now seems little more than mere
animal lifes2 Arc not affect lions. there
which win be called into action almost
simultaneously with IT'S bodily existence
affections that may be trained to good
or warped to evil? Think Of this Cecil
ia, and tremble lest, even now. hand
less careful than your own, and all an
skilled by the science ola mothers love,
may be giving to the first outreaching
tendrils of affection bias that no after
culture can eradicate--a bias that will
make your child forever unhappy. Ce-
ella, the position of a mother-yonr po-
stIon-is one of fearful responsibility.
And woe be to her who shrinks from that
responsibility! She will cnrse her child
rem. and that curse will be revisited up
on her own head.'
Uncle Peter spoke with warth. and
Cecilia felt, in degree, the truth and
the power of what he said. Before she
had time to reply, Mrs Melrose was an
nounced, and entered her room few
moments afterwards.
My dear Cecilia! How glad I am to
see YOU doing so we'll = exclaimed that
parsonage, throwing her arms around Ce-
ella, and kissing her with great show
Of affection.
As she did this, Uncle Peter arose, and
with a formal bow to both his niece and
her visitor turned towards The .Goer.
80 o don't go yet. Uncle,''' cried Ceci-
LA, affecting to desire longer; bis colnpa-
ny, than which nothing, just at that mo-
ment, would have been more annoying.
"Say Peter!" reioined the old man,
who felt her insincerity, turning upon
her as he spoke look peculiar to him
self, in which was blended something of
contempt and anger.
IS Uncle Peter, them"
GOOD mornings And in the moment
he shut the door hard after him.
- What'a Queer old felicw that Uncle
of yours is..'' Mrs. Melrose said. laugh
ing out SO loud, that Cecilia was alarm
ed lest her Uncle should hear the sound
of her voice.
"Queer enough,'' replied Mrs. Mer-
lin. "ihe fact is, he annoys me almost
to death of late. His eccentric ways,
and peculiar modes of thought and speech,
are bad enough, especially when eeinpa-i
ny is present; but, besides that. | have
to bear with his constant interference in
things tina. don't concern him at all. As
for iitssance, he has jast.beenveading me
a grave lecture because have taken in
nurse for my babe"
GOOD gracious! And pray, what does
he want you to dor"
80 nurse it myself, Of course"
81 hope YOU had spirit enough to tell
him just to mind his own business
g. couldn't tell him that, of course.
because he is my mothers brother. and
seems to have an affection for tne.'' /
Though singular way Of showing
it."
"Yes, rather singular, often think my.
self"
Nurse your own child: Zoo bad.
upon my word"
Amt it," a
4 don't know one lady. that NAV be
truly called a lady" pursued Mrs. Mel
rose, ''who pretends to be tied down to
her children. Mothers used to make
slaves of themselyes-but genteel people
II. a u