Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-11-20
TM First Eaby.

Tlfe First Baby.
| In new novel, "The Glenns," recently
published, occurs the following striking pic
ture of domestic felicity, which will be read
with great interest.
"lf the baby was asleep, no one was allow
ed to speak except in a wisper, on pain of in
slant Punishment, the piano was closed, the
guitar was taboed, boots were interdcted and
the bell was muffied. If Mr. Vincent wishes
to enjoy quiet cigar, he must go out of the
house, lest the smoke might hurt 'the baby
and, lest the street door might disturb its slum-
bers, he must make his exit by the back way,
and reach the street by the garden gate
The doctor was scarcely ever out of the house;
not because the baby was ill-for indeed it
was most alarmingly healthy-but because
! she was afraid it might be taken with some
dreadful disease, and no doctor near IF coal
was to be placed in the CRATE, either Mr.. Vim
cent must put in lump by lump with his fin
gers, or Baker must come in on tiptoe, leav-
ing his boots below, lest the noise should disturb
8 the baby Mr.. Vincent might lie in ore
posture until he was full of aches from the
crown of his head to the sole of his foot, he
must not move nor turn over-for fear of a.
wakening the baby And yet he must not
, take bed in the another part of the house,
because the baby might be attacked with the
Group, or might cry to have some one walk
up and down the floor with it in his arms, and
then he would not be within call. In short
when the baby slept the whole house was
under spell, whose enchantment consisted in
profound silence and unbroken stiffness, and
all who came within the magic circle were
at once under its influence.
On the other hand when 'the baby was a.
wake, the household was equally subject to
1 the tyranny which seemed to be condition
of its existence. IF Mr.. Vincent's watch chain
attracted its attention, the watch must come
from the pocket and be delivered over,
at the imminent risk and to the frequent
smashing ofcrystal and face. If 'the baby
cried for the porcelain vace on the mantle,
or the little Sevres card baskets on the table,
they were medMlely on the floor or in the
crib beside it, and were soon afterward in
many pieces. If it wanted 'papa's papers,
either they must be forthwith given up, or
both baby and mother would concur in raising
domestic storm. Ifan important paper was
missed, when the inquiry was for it, the chan
ces were twenty to one that it had been
given to the baby, and on all such OCCASIONS.
Mr.. Vincent's chagrin or vexation was treat
ed with merited Indifference. If, as it often
happened, ,after obtaining everything that could
be broken, 'the baby still cried immoderately
and annoyingly, it was quite as much as Vim
cents life was worth to express the least vex-
alton or impatience. He might be reused
from sound sleep, and forced to get up in
the cold ten times in the night for something
for the baby and yet murmur or natural
wish expressed to know the necessity of all
this was high treason to the household sover-
eignity The lawful master of the premises
had sunk, like deposed monarch, to utter
nsignifcance, and become the lowest servant
of the young usurper. The mother was the
Grand Vizier ofthe little Sutana, and in her
name ruled every one herself included, with
an iron rod. There was no law but the will
and the pleasure of the despot, and no appeal
from her examinations. And this was the
woman when Abraham Glenn had loved !"