River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-05-03
MAJOR scHoTTGUHN's BABY.


day. No work, no play, everything sol
emn, prim clothes, church bells, dull ser
mon, momentaTy relief in the air after
church; more bells, Sunday school; more
bells, more dull sermon, supper, to bed,
weary with monotony; and then the joy
Gus awakening on Monday morning, the
hum of busy life resumed, the grass green
er, the sun brighter, the birds blither, and
all the world natural again. But as the
Major grew Older, and came to take up
his share of the responsibilities that fall to
men, Sunday appeared to him in differ
ent light, and he began to realize the
wisdom of that provision of Providence
which gives one days rest in seven, and
still later, so keen was his enjoyment of
the day that he looked forward TO Satur-
day night as time when he should di-
vest himself of all his little petty cares
and troubles. as of a coat, to be left be-
hind him for full six and thirty hours; and
he walked up Broadway already enjoying
in anticipation the quiet delights of the
morrow, and caring not whether the earth
would be flooded with sunshine or with
rain; aud when the morrow came, the
church bells sang tune which increasing
wears had ever mellowed. and even in the
clangor of the city's many bells it was
easy to single out one whose voice was
pleasant because it was like that of the
church of his boyhood.
And after the baby came what an add
ed pleasure in the day Here was treas
ure that neither money nor influence
could buy, a piquant JOY with reverend
! ing changes and ever-novel and delight
| full phases of development, though, to be
sure, it was something of a bother, too,
when, for instance it would reach NY from
| the Majors knee and pull his neck-tie out
of Joint, or suddenly and violently twitch
/ his moustache, or do one of the thousand
unexpected things tliat only baby does.
| 1t was only week ago to-day that Mrs.
4 Schottguhn, whose incessant labors had
| not permitted her to finish the darning of
/ stocking begun on Saturday night
asked the Major to hold the baby for a
/ few minutes, whick task he cheefully
undertook. From the first the baby's eyes
/ have been taken by the Majors shirt
! studs. Two months ago her brain had
not reached that stage of directing and
controlling power which would enable
her to put finger squarely upon them;
/ her whole little hand flew up and down
I a
| stud in its sweep; now, with evident de-
I light, she reaches straight for one, and
4 holds it firmly; two months hence she
! WILL with corresponding increase of in
/ telligence, he able to unscrew them all
and throw them on the floor handy to be
stepped on.
At last she grew tired and fretful.
Philip" said Mrs. SchOttguhn, as she
measured off needleful of darning cot
I ton, "why don't you let her have her play
thingsl' and then Philip put her in a
/ high chair, and so wedged her up against
/ a table that she couldn't fall without up
setting table, chair, and all, which was
/ impossible, and set before her on the
/ table her playthings, of which The fol-
/ lowing is an accurate list:
! One basket.
/ One rubber doll.
! One iron clock key.
! One paper box.
4 One rubber ring.
4 One piece of white wax.
One tin pail cover.
One pair shears, with a spool stuck
over the points.
I One rubber rattle box
/ One pair little wooden shoes, outgrown,
such as mothers lay away in bureau
( drawers.
One red apple.
One silver spoon.
/ One string of button moulds.
Two pieces flannel listing-one red,
one blue.
4 One hard rubber bracelet.
All these Philip spread out for the
baby to play with, and at the same time
he got ready to pick them up from the
floor as the baby dropped them, if that
1 is possible. She grasped first the string
of button moulds, and, after shaking
them for second, threw them away.
The Major was glad of this, for he dis
liked to have her play with the button
moulds, and tried to secrete them, but
the watchful baby cried for the string.
8 Let her have them, Philip" said Mrs.
Schottguhn.
81 don't think they're nice" said
Philip,
Philip"
That settled 1.-THE Major delivered
the button moulds. The baby held them
for an instant and then dropped them
again, and as he picked them up the
! Major demonstrated with Mrs Schottguhn.
Being of soft wood, the button moulds
/ got dirty very soon, and Mrs Schottguhn
is a pink of neatness, the Major wondered
that she could cling so tenaciously to
them; but Mrs Schottgthn laughed al
most contemptuously, and said she never
heard of bringing up a baby without a
string of button moulds to play with. and
she stOutly asserted that it would be reck-
less TO attempt it. The Major mildly
pointed out that many millions of chill
dren had been successfully reared without
the aid of button moulds, and he appealed
confidently to her own knowledge of the
fact that they are of comparatively mod
ern invention, having come into general
rage for cover buttons with the same a
Juror whose rise was perhaps with her
own recollection; but, to the Majors
amazement, Mrs. Schottguhn coldly dis
avowed any such knowledge, and boldly
repeated that no mother ever thought of
such thing as bringing up a child with
out button moulds. Subsequent inquiry
of his friends convinced the Major that
/ Mrs. Schottguhns statement was entirely
correct, but he didn't continue the dis
cussion further. for as he leaned over to
pick up the doll and bracelet, the baby
1 dropped the iron clock key down his back
and temporarily diverted his thoughts.
Then she swept off half a dozen things at
once, and pounded vigorously on the
table with spoon, while the Major was
picking up the scattered toys. Then the
baby made flash quick movement to
put the spoon in her mouth, missed the
mark, and narrowly escaped gouging an
eye. The Major hastily seized the spoon,
the baby cried, and Mrs Schottguhn
said
Phillip, let her have the spoon"
"Im afraid she'll hurt herself with it"
No. she won't" said Mrs. Schottguhn,
and she added, not fippantly, but Sc
riously, God always looks out for drunk
ards and little children;" and Philip was
I forced to admit the truth of at least half