Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-07-29
From Harpcr's AIagazias flr Ausas.
THE QUIET HOME.

| fron haff Aiasazinc Tor Angus
THE QUIET HOME.
'.What dear, quiet little things Mrs. Bird'
children are - said lady to her friend -
called to see Mrs Bird to-day, and found her il
the nursery with her two boys and two girls
about the ages of mine. Il would have don,
your heart good to see how sweetly they be
haved. Perfect little gentlemen and ladies they
were. felt really discouraged. Mine VIII
they are wild asses colts in comparison"
There's great difference in children" re
piled the friend. IL know some little bows ant
girls that Mrs. Bird would lot find SO easil,
subdued"
~ could hardly credit my own ewes but, a:
they say, seeing is believing" resumed the first
| speaker. ''For more than half an hour / sat
and talked with Mrs. Bird, in the nursery, with.
out once being disturbed by noise or any of the
unpleasant Interruptions incident to the pres
ence Of the children"
What were they doing J" asked the other
in some surprise.
That was most remarkable of all. Mrs. Bird
has four children. Willy is the oldeSt-just in
his tenth year. Meeta is seven, Agnes five, and
the baby, as they call Andrew, nearly four
Just the ages for thOughtless mischief-making,
troublesome noisy rOElps. But they were as
still as mice in a cheese. She had them all
doing something. Willy she had taught various
kinds of netting and ornamental needle-work.
IL was a wonderful source for the child she
said, keeping his thoughts and fingers busy,
and both out OF mischief She showed me a
handsome anti-macsssar, in crochet, which he
had Just finished. I'm sure that couldn't have
done it better. could not help looking upon
the delicately formed, sweet-faced boy, as he sat
earnestly engaged at his wOTk-he was embrOi-
dering pair OF slippers in Berlin wool for his
father-aITd contrasting him with my Tom, a
great, rude, coarse boy, with dirty, rough hands,
that are always in better condition for grasping
a wheel-barrow than plying a needle. And the
comparison, l can assure you, was not made
without sigh"
"Did the boy look haPPyl" inquired the
friend.
" Perfectly so. He wanted no amusement
besides his books and his neede-wOIk. You
couldn't drive him into the street, his mother
said"
s.Dear Iitfls fellow What a enHnfort to L4-.
such cLild J"
Isn't it 1t really did me good to look
into his sweet, pure face, SO girlish and deli
cate"
- should like to undentand Mrs Birds sys-
TEN, for there must be art in the case. All
children are born romps."
"sI begin early she said to me, and repress
all rudeness and disorder. 1t is the mind that
governs in children as well as in men. You
must give this the right direction. Mere noise
making / never permitted Boys, 1t Is said,
grasp a hammer and pound instinetively. !
think, in most cases, they pound because ham
mer is given to them. Try them with the sweet
face and fragile form Of baby doll, and you
viii rarely sec an inclination to pound. con-
-. In - l. 4
see the result. Willy is as gentle as a girl
He never throws the house into disOrder-never
makes diseordant noises-never qusrrels with
or leases his younger brother or sisters. So
with the rest. | began right you see; and upon
right beginning every thing depends. My
husband Is home loving, Order-lOyiDg, quiet
loving man ; and | make 1t my business to see
that home Is all he desires. II Nv much | en-
Joy my home-it Is quiet-sO orJerly ~
During the first year of our marriage Mr.. Bird
often said this / had seen other homes l
was familiar with the way IN which young chill
dren were permitted to destroy all comfort in
household by their noise and disorder; and I
made up my mind 10 have things different, if
children came To our home. And they are diff
ferent as you can see. And the children them
selves are much happier l keep them busy at
something from morning till night-busy E.
nough not to think Of eating all the while
This gormandizing among children is dreadful
1t makes mere giuttons of housekeeping
the ANIMAL and repressing the intellectual. It
is this ravenous eating that renders them coarse,
rude, and cruel, ike wild beasts"
Il believe Mrs. Bird is more than half right"
was remarked upon this. Il have often said
that children were permitted to eat Overmuch
Mine would stuff themselves ike Christmas
turkeys, from morning till night, if not restric-
ted"
''EmplOyment, suea as Mrs. Bird provides for
her children, is certainly the best cOrrector for
this habit of eating"
allow did she get along with baby Andrew
the little four-year-Old you mentioned Was
he as orderly and silent the rest
He was poring over picture spelling-book
for most of the time that l was there, and after
ward occupied himself with stringing beads l
declare it was all a wonder to me. Such
charming family of children have never seen
elsewhere What change there would be for
the better if all mothers understood and prae-
ticed on Mrs. Birds system.
"Better for heaven. It may be-" said the
friend, little equivOeally. /
"FOr heaven don't just see your mean
ing"
Ssuch children are most too good to live"
sOh :"
"Mrs. Birds quiet home may be very pleas
ant, and her system Of government very beau
tiful-but there is danger"
ssOf what %
ssThat her children will not live"
why Because they are too good for this
earth, as you have Just intimated Z"
IL am not sure that they are really any bet
ter in heart than some less orderly and mOrs
hoisterOus children. What mean is, that Mrs
r, IDS system depresses the animal forces, leay-
ing 1 ne bodies Of her children more liable TO
disease. and less able to resist an attack when
it comes"
aThey are less exposed than other children"
perhaps so. But, for my part, on reflection,
I would rather take the chances of less order
ly system of home l-anagement-mine, for in
stance, little modiieG-noisy, and ike bed
lam, as the house often IS. /"
It was on the evening of this very day that
Mr.. Bird said to his wife, as If the subject were
suddenly forced upon his observation
81 don't think our children have strong con-
stitxtins WHY'S face is too delicate for the
saee Of boy, and his body too slender. l OBJ
s,Yve, also, that his shoulders are depressed
IA :"
Both listened for a few moments.
81 don't Just like that cough, said Mr.. Bird.
"a A little cold" remarked his wife. Willy
got his feet wet to-day"
81 never saw children with such Indifferent
appetites," :" said Mr. Bird they don't eat e.
nough to keep pigeons alive"
"Most children eat too muehi was the reply