The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-12-11

AC1s1lS<A1N11y IJOSs o. ICtts
| To TIE Editors Of the Herald and Mai:
The HERALD is a philosophical Jour
| nal, and its columns are always open to
| the complaints of the people. If people
| are allowed to anonymously make pub
lie their griefs, they gain their end with
out directing to themselves the personal
pity of friends, or gratifying the curios-
| Ity of enemies. One of two objects is
gained by giving vent to the complaint:
| some experienced and kind-hearted per-
! son may suggest remedy; or the troub-
led heart and vexed soul are relieved in
the telling OF their sorrows. l do not
expect any editorial sympathy or advice.
Fortunately, the HERALD has no babies
My theme is "Babies." Continually |
find myself repeating the words Of the
great unknown poet
o, tell me, ye winged winds,
That round my pathway roar.
ls there any place
Where babies yell no more
Some quiet little dell,
Some hollow in the ground,
Where babies do not yell,
And nurses are not found?
The winged wind WhiStled,
And blew the dust into my face,
As it answered.!
Mary place
Babies there must be. 1t might be
said of them as Mark Twain said of the
women: "What would posterity be
without them? Scarce" So, conceding
their necessity, the question is: How are
they to be raised under the present sys-
tenn of hired nurses? We haYe nurse
at our house. We have had six within
the last two months. Although dark,
they are light nurses. They refuse to
stay in the house after dark. Three
times since l took my pencil to tell you
my woes, / have had to put it down and
take the baby-the everlasting baby.
The nurse has fifty excuses for getting
to the kitchen. She never comes back
until called. l tried one day to see how
long she would stay ifnot called am
pretty plucky, and when l set my head
to try thing, L keep to my pun pose
quite steadily and persistentIy. For
would let no one have the baby, and
would not allow the nurse to be called.
Our baby is young baby, and has to be
nursed all the time he ig awake. / am
not succsse at putting babies to sleep.
II your bachelor mind is capable, imag-
inc my trial. At the end of the third
hour l gave up. l kicked and cursed
the nurse, and off she went, leaving the
baby on my hands. Oh, that she had
taken it with her! But the greatest trial
is experienced in being kept awake all
night. ! will not attempt description
of a night scene. ! have sometimes
thought that l would have a Joint
stock company OF nurses; and contract
with them that some one of them WAS to
be alW avs with the baby-they take it
by relies. You may ask where is the
mother while the father is enduring so
much at nights. The mother may be
delicate; besides the poor woman has
been worried all day, and the father
would be brute not to relieve her at
night.
have a suggestion to make to the
public, and would like to hear from YOUR
readers ana CORRESPONDENTS on the subs
ject. Posterity demands that bah es be.
The bachelors do nothing 10 answer the
demand. / propose that tax be levied
on the happy, happy bachelors; that the
money raised from this tax be applied to
the establishment of a public nursery;
that babies be nursed by the bottle;
that all the old maids be employed as
dry nurse9; tRst all uabies bet&, cen the
ages of two months and three years be
sent to this institution. A great many
of our public men are in favor of increas-
ing our population by immigration. |
think that if such an institution as
! above described were established, it
would 90 more TO 4nUloa3e Our popula>
ton by removing the dread of rearing
babies than any immigration society.
The tax on bachelors aud employment
of old maids, is bat Just. They ought to
take some part in this baby business.
1t is double acting justice as regards
the bacneIors. Lney mop
to support posterity and a. the same
time give employment to the old maids
whom they would not marry. want
this question sprung and put while
we are in the majority. | fear that the
next generation there will be majority
OF bachelors, Yours truly,
A DISTRESSED PARENT.