Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-12-03
Babies Rights.
by REV. H. d. NoRTHRoP.

A JEALOUS mother remarked the other
day that she did not see why she had such
bad children, for she scolded and whipped
them from morning till night. This en-
terprising female, and others of similar
disposition, cross and volcanic and sour,
ought to take soothing syrup as common
beverage. 1t were better that the whole
juvenile household should have perpetu-
al hurricane of wind-colic than that they
should be subjected to such continuous
blast of fretfulness.
The remark of the mother aforesaid is
Indicative of the wrongs inflicted upon
ungrown humanity. 1t is time these were
remedied. Cuba is struggling for indie
pendence; Spain is coming out of her sig
niticant revolution the land of st. Pat
rick is clamoring for justice, long delayed;
women are up in arms for their rights
but who is there to speak for the babies d?
An agitation for their special benefit
ought to be got up forthwith, society
formed, paper printed, and an annual
meeting held. 1t is culpable that such q
field as this should have been so long neg
lected at time, like the present, Of uni
versal reform.
In the name of all the babies, black and
white, native and foreign, clean and dirty,
cutfed and petted, we affirm that they
have rights sufficient fora Declaration of
Independence One is the inalienable
right to be babies Not unfrequently they
are hustled into prematurity, and, like hot
house-plants, are forced to ripen before
their time; and so, as eggs are hatched
into chickens by steam, babyhood and
childhood get into the next stage of exist
ence without even showing the Fremont
tory symptoms of what is coming. The
youngster must be able to walk, and talk
and say smart things, and go to parties,
and receive calls, as soon as possible so
that we have "Misses" who have
ladies" who really need nurse
to lead them, "young gentlemen who
have hardly entered into trowsers-chil-
dren who are older than their parents. If
we had the system of publishing births
that they have in England, we might see
it seriously announced that John Smith,
Esq, was born night before last, and the
mother and squire are doing well. Ma
ture is too slow the nursery is emptied
into the parlor young heads are done
up in waterfalls, with cascades dribbling
down behind; tender feet are thrust into
manly boots, and the airs of maturity are
taken on, as if the juvenile period were
disgrace. Now babies ought to be kept
such until they naturally grow to some
thing else.
The physical wrongs of many who are
so unfortunate s'as to be born might fill a
volume as bulky as FoX's Book Of Martyrs.
We pity the children of the poor that are
half famished; there is equal need of pity
ing the children of the rich that are stuffed
like turkeys before Christmas. If the
baby cries, as nature seemed 20 intend that
IL, = l.. r. 4 "a "a
go to sleep, it must be fed if it screams
by reason of pains in uncomfortable re-
gions, it must be fed i; if it is sick, what
better thing could be done than to feed it
If it is perfectly well, of course it must be
fed; if 1t is uneasy because oVerfed al
ready, it must be quieted with another
dose of food. would not be a well-to-do
baby for all the rattle. boxes in creation.
Think, too of the Villainous motions TO
which babyhood is subjected. J Cradles
that are more favorable to sea-sickness
than the sea neutrality-suspicious. toss
ings in nurses arms-jolts and Jumps, as
if the happiness of the youngster de-
pended upon his beingivigorously shurned
who wouldn't get sick, and pour out in
dignation or something worseH II seems
to be the deep seated conviction Of many
that children are born into the world for
the express purpose OF bobblng up and
down.
But children are beset with other evils
besides those that may be denominated
physical. The character, the better ma
ture often suffers. John Brown said he
had rather have measles, smallpox, yell
low fever, and cholera all in his camp at
once, than To have a man without prfnci-
Piles. We might reasonably wish all
these diseases for child in prefer
ence to that tornado OF scolding which
RACES in some families from morning TIL
night. If things go wrong, and only
the parents are TO blame, the children
are sure TO get cudgelled for il. There
is just about so much scolding TO be done,
and woe be 70 the luekless brat that comes
in the way Of ii Many children who
are sour and ugly would be amiable and
attractive IL il were not for this eVerlasb-
ing domestic thunder and lightning. Itis
meant to serve moral purposes, and make
the unfortunate victims of Il better in
character and manners; so Xantippe
thought to render Socrates more amiable
by emptying .the contents of her soup
kettle upon his philosOphic head. Ii is
possible 20 have firmness and love united;
and sometimes real thunder blast sweep
ing8hrough the family ! may clear the at
mOsphere and prove blessing; but this