Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-04-20
Baby's Rights-A Babys story-by a
baby

l amt very old to write-1'n only one! 1t
was my birthday yesterday, and | don't have
milk out Of my bottle any more-l have bread
and milk out of bowl. Bridget ties my bib
under my chin and feeds me very fast-she
doesn't understand that [ ought to have time
to swallow When shut my lips and putter,
she says, ''There now take your supper good,
like darlinl' can't swallow whole bowl
at time; and | cry, and she gives me shake.
After that have the stomach ache.
Lying awake with it one night, [ began to
think that hadn't my rights; and | want
'em. How to get en- [ don't know. [ cry all
what comes of it? They only give me drops
to make me sleep; then | feel hot and sick and
stupid all the next day One Of my rights is
not to have drops but there now, how am L
not to have en- There it comes again
The most comfortable thing | ever had was
an India rubber bottle. What are mothers
made for, if a baby isn't to have one? Who
invented nursing bottles? | hate him, who
ever he was!
have mother, you know-a lady who says
she is, comes in sometimes and tells other la
dies that she is mot contented with Bridget
Neither am I, for that matter; but you see my
mother is not thinking of my rights, but OF
hers She wants to vote, and wanting to do 1t
Il
for the newspapers When [ want to find out
whether she is really my mother, and begin to
talk to her, she says Bridget, you must really
take that darlin' child away-he disturbs me
dreadfulyn -
Bridget is big and coarse; her great knobs
of knuckles hurt me. She ties strings too
tight, and jogs me too hard.
Ny own mother is soft and fair, and her skin
is like silk, and like to touch her. I'm la
dy's baby, and one Of my rights is, that lady
should handle and dandle me- No enc sees it.
I'm put off on Bridget.
Mamma don't like to sit at the table with
Bridget, but she lets her feed ne. Perhaps
have arlstocraLlc notions, toe; who cares tor
them.
One day Bridget had big pewter breastpin,
with yellow stone in it, on her collar, and IL
kept scratching my head nobody knew it
set me no one knew that either.
She takes me out to her cousins shanty
where little Pat has the measles or the small
poy, and if [ don't catch 'em 10th, it's because
'"There's a sweet little cherub that sits up
aloft" to keep watch for poor motherless
| babes.
Sometimes she leaves me alone in the room
with CRATE fire. l always put my fingers into
it, and they always burn. Once mamma found
| it out and had different Bridget. they are
all alike they come from the intelligence office
and are rough and coarse, and smell OF smoke,
and take care of me for money and not for love.
The new one is sleepy and mods over and props
me sometimes One got tipsy and lay on me.
Some day one will tumble down stairs with hel
biz feet and sipshod Shoes and break my neck
[ dare say.
A father, too, have right to father
Mine is Wall street man, he goes out early
and comes home to dinner. [ should think he
might be very nice to know, but IN not &C
ouainted with him he has nice black whis
kers, and he laughs and says, ''hello, old fel
low" when we meet, and try to tell hin
about Bridget; and my feelings overpower mt
and cry, and he says, Take the little rasca
away, Biddy.''
One dreadful thing l do have; it is family
! doctor, he says | m very fine child, and doe
dreadful things to me. Once he lanced my
gums, once he vaccinated me. After that
had sore arm, and Bridgets blue merin'
hurts it.
In summer there used to be some comfort il
going out in my perambuator, and seeing tina
after ali | was not worse off than other babies
all given over to Brldgets, whom | met; bu
now its winter, and have to stay in my nur
sery. in flannel shawl, and do nothing bu
think; and I've decided that must have m,
rights. A whole mother ought to belong II
every baby; and Bridget is an imposition. :
A lady's baby ought to lie sometimes in la
dy S arms, and be talked to by lady. Whel
| am able to speak, | shall say what Bridge
says, and with her accent, and then | shall b
scolded as if it were my fault That's the wa,
with my brother Tom.
Here lie now, while Bridget talks to th'
milkman in the area. I'm hungry, and DAM
and wretched I'm tired of being in the era
die, and | shall hurt myself if | roll out
want the big orange on the mantlepiece, and t.
sit in somebody lap and have my feet tossed
and hear Little pig goes to market but ma
ma is at political meeting and papa in Wal
street. and Bridget in the area, aud who care
for what l want. Rights | wonder wher
my rights are? Nobody talks about them
No matter I'll yell till get EN-.
P. ST. have yelled, and Bridget has givel
me drops No matter, when I'm man, II
90 in for the rights Of babies. I'm going t
sleep. Goodby.
! A JUST REpRooF.-A Christian lady wa
asked by sneering, sefconceited infdel, wha
proof she could give Of the truth of holy writ
yourself, sir" said she, lis one. A mos
striking proof for it is written in that word
There shall come in the last days scoffers
walking after their own lusts.
An injury unanswered in time grows wear
of itself, and dies away in an involuntary re
morse. In bad dispositions capable OF no re
straints but fear, it has different efect-th