Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-06-09
Bables-..weleome and Unwelcome.


The possessor Of a thoroughly modern
baby is to be pitied and so is the child. We
mean that unwecome human atom which
arrives in the family Of the ultra fashionable
lady who believes, that, to be mother at all,
a woman must surely stand on the wrong
side Of fate 1t cries, and what reason has
it 10 do anything else Then there is the
baby Of the wretched over-worked woman
whose motherly instincts are strong and
sweet but whose many cares and duties are
all pleading for attention at once, while the
child walls for the tender touch of affection
ate care and its pathetic cry tells her that
1t possesses a dim, unreasoning but stil a
certain conviction, that it is not wanted in
her household. A dog knows when it is not
invited to stay, and a baby is as conscious
Of a lack OF cordial welcome, no matter how
dearly II is beloved after it has once been
folded in its mothers arms, and its early
life shows the blight. A genuine old-fash-
ioned baby is a rare visitor upon the earth,
but, when it does find its right place, it is
surprising how the little tyrant rules over
the hearts of its happy subjects Indeed
children's welcomes have come to be so rare,
that we look with reverence, and almost
awe, upon two pages Of large volume in
which we have recorded the social effect Of
the coming of children, Just as we would any
other curious and important phase of hu-
man sentiment. On one page, several
years back, we find this paragraph econ
graduated Mrs. l.. upon the birth Of
her daughter. Thank YOU, she answered,
/ am very happy with this last Of our
six sunbeams. II is such blessed privi-
lege to be a mother that it is difficult
to express 10 Others all the welcome that we
feel for our baby" A few days ago, we
made another entry. A gentleman called on
Sunday, because he was too happy 10 wait
till another day. Without stopping 10 say
good morning, he exclaimed all aglow with
pleasure: "Another boy 1t came last
night, and now we've got FIVE Of them
hope we will have q dozen, and Agnes hopes
SO with me. OF course she wishes she had
one daughter, but men can strike out in the
world easier than women, you know, and
each one of our boys shall not fail of firm
foothold in this world through discoura-
ging lack of welcome" OF course all of this
is very old-fashioned, and the sentiment is
quite rare enough to be marked " obsolete
in any work upon modern civilization, and
yet the children of these two remarkable
households are both healthy and happy. OF
course there are tender but apprehensive peo-
pie who object to the coming of children be-
cause of adverse possibilities in human life
jefferson intimated that those things cost us
most anxiety and distress which never hap.
pen at ALI and if fathers and mothers could
only be brought to accept the scriptural as
surances about Providence and the sparrow.
the baby would be born with less worry in
its temperament, more philosophy to endure
what must come TO it, and far stronger wings
of hope with which TO lift itself over the
dusky CHAINS that more or less widely sepa-
rate all the pleasant spots in our existence.