The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-16
A Word for the Children.
: From the Boston Globe.

It is very seldom that the little ones
get q chance to be heard outside the
family circle. They have no organ for
the expression of their particular ideas
and wants, save that which is a. tuned
too high and too often for parental COM
fort, and whose utterances, stupidity
enough, are never interpreted other
wise than demand for sustenance.
Grown people have a multiplicity OF
needs and desires. 1t is not only food
they want; if cold they demand more
clothing; if warm, they throw . por-
tion of it by; If badly fulfilling the
place of button, pin prick them; they
pluch it out; il a shoe pinches 1t Is cast
aside; tired ofone position in bed, they
can change it; weary of one thing they
can turn to another. These aud a
thousand others are the privileges Of
the grown up portion of humanity.
But the infant, "that brief epitOme Of
man." not yet endowed with the use of
its tongue, and able only to express it
self by smiles and teams, is tossed and
trotted and pricked and dsmothered, and
generally handled in such . manner as
would lead any impartial looker-on to
imagine that that was the very first
baby born into the world, and its treat.
ment . series of experiments only.
Tortured and tOrmente5, the helpless
creature can do nothing but cry, and as
according to the creed of nurses, moth
ing can all child but wind and collie
ger it is, stuffed with milk or vile dec0c.
tions of peppermint, either stu pefied or
strangled. Seriously speaking, the ig-
norance exhibited by most mothers and
nurses of the requirement of baby hood
is past relief. One would imagine that
instinct, setting aside reason, would be
sufficient to teach mothers certain les
sons, which, as yet, the majority Of
them seem never to have learned.
Within the past few days of sweltering
weather, we have seen in depot wait
ing rooms, on the cars and in the
street, infants of q few months of age,
swalled in fiannels and muffled in close
caps q costume, that would prove an
effectual, protection against Siberian
cold snap; the little sufferer either too
exhausted to do anything but gasp, or
protesting against its human treat
nent with the entire strength OF its
lungs. 1tfi aEl . ~. r
le II may interest those who have chill.
dren they would like to preserve, to
learn that there is no surer means OF
bringing on that dreaded scOurge of in.
fancy, cholera infstum, than this same
method of keeping up high standard
Of atmospheric heat. This and over
feeding of children are the two great
causes OF that disease, which in nine
cases out of ten is fatal. A very young
child of course, requires more clothing
than one three or four years of age, or
older; but great pains should be taken
to keep the temperature even. Chill
dren's clothing in weather like the
present should be of light texture, easy
being of light flannel, which prevents
the heat from being so sensibly Ielt as
1t would be with q different kind of
garment next the skin, and also has
the advantage of preventing chilling
OF the body after profuse perspiration
or sudden reduction Of temperature.
The body should be protected from the
direct rays of the sun, but not to the
exclusion of the air. AS much care
should he taken with the food for chill
dren during the bot term as with the
clothing. There sheuld be no sudden
change of diet. which should be as light
rs possible. By paying proper atten.
ton to these two points, and ipsuriDg
plenty of outdoor air to the little ones,
the terrors of cholera infantum and
kindred diseases would be immensely
lessened /; physicians and undertaksrs
would find little to do; foundation
would be laid for better stan dard Of
of national health, and the rising gen
Grafton would be immeasurahly better
fitted to sustain the duties and responsi.
bilities of life than the present.