The Republican journal., 1873-06-05
Queer Things About Babies.

A great many curious things happen to
babies, in this round world Of ours. One
thing is, planting them. This is done by
the dark-skinned women of Guinea, and
isn't half so dreadful us it sounds The
mother digs \ hole in the ground, stands
baby in it. and then packs the warm sand
around him to keep him in place, as YOU
would set out = rose bush 1t keeps him
out of mischief, and he can play in the
sand while his mother works. All day
long he stays in his odd crib, and at night,
when she is done with her work, he is dug
out. When this agricultural mother wants
TO carry baby about she ties him into q
little chair, which she straps to her back.
1t 1t is some very grand occasion, he is
dressed neatly in stripes Of white paint,
and ornamented with dozens of brass
bracelets and rings on arms and legs. A
funny looking baby he must be- If You
don't fancy a crib Of sand for q baby
what do you think of Il bic shoe. stuffed
with moss to make it comfortable? The
dr0ll little Laps, cradle their babies in
that way. The shoe is large. OF course,
and made of reindeer skin. 1t come up
nigh at the back, like the slippers we wear
now-a days, and is turned up at the toes.
The moss with which it is stuffed is the
famous reindeer moss, soft and white ;
and the odd little black-eyed baby looks
very comfortable hanging from the tree,
or slung across its mothers back Per
haps this baby who lives in a shoe is no
more comical than the baby who lives in
4 fur-bag, another sober little black-eyed
baby, away off in the shiverv Esquimaux
huts. Besides being cuddled up in fur
bag at his mothers back, this round-taced
little fellow wears a fur-hood, and looks
like some strange kind of animal peeping
out in the world. You may have seen the
Indian baby, or papoose, bound flat to =
board-poor little creaturel One tribe,
the Flatheads, make a rude sort of box Of
bark or willowwork, and wrap the baby
-'little man." they call HMM piece
of blanket, strap him tightly to the box,
and hang it across two sticks Besides
this. the unfortunate little fellow has a
board bound over his forehead 10 make
him Flathead. Even the Russian peas
ant mother cradles her baby on square
board, hung from the wall by strings from
each corner, like the pan in balance. In
India the funny little black babies either
sit on their mothers hips and hold on by
clasping their hands over her shoulder, or
they take airy rides in BASKET on her
head.
These babies are elegantly dressed in
armlets, bracelets, anklets, and leglets (it
one might make word) tinger-rings,
toe-rings, earrings, and nose-rngs As
to clothes. they don't need many when
they wear SO much .iewelry. China babies
hot dolls, but babies that live I'm China
are sadly in the way among the poor
Sometimes they are cradled in bag on
their mothers back, and sometimes they
are tied to the backs Of older children,
who 60 about as if they had no such load.
Many poor Chinese live in boats on the
river, and the baby that comes to such Il
family is tied by long rope to the mast.
1t is long enough to let the child creep
around, but not long enough to let him
fall overheard There is another curious
custom regarding babies which prevails in
some parts of China. 1t one dies. it is
not buried, as older people are it is
thrown out carelessly, and crackers are
fired off at the door. Here and there, at
the corners of streets, charitable people
build small houses with openings to drop
the neglected little bodies in and that is
all the burial they get.
Rooos wants to know Why n kiss is like