Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-23
A Queer Dream.

I want to tell you, children, of the
queer dream had last night. dreamed
that many things were greatly changed
from what I had been always accus
toned to see them.
l thought, for instance, that babies
mouths were no longer made as common
as the common shaving mug at the bar.
ber's, but that nobody presumed to kiss
baby until the infant had urgently re-
quested the favor.
thought that when a babv's stomach
was full to overlooking with food, the
homeopathic theory of sinaiti0 sinuIibus
c1tra,ats4r was not followed, and instead
of plying him with more food to relieve
him from the distress occasioned by the
overplus, his stomach was permitted to
pay exclusive attention to getting rid OF
its present burden.
And 1 fancied that the young thing
was no longer tossed about until his
every bone threatened to break, when
he was very tired and wished only to be
allowed rest and sleep, nor rocked into
dizziness when the tosser had grown
weary of the tossing.
1 thought, too, that the infant had
ceased being swathed in tightly rolled
wraps, and was now clothed in loosely
fitting garments which allowed him to
move his body and limbs with ease and
freedom.
I dreamed that babies were never
whipped because their mammas had
lost their temper, and that they were
never made drunk with soothing syrup
that their mammas might attend the
lecture, the play, or the ball. s..f
| thought that grown persons had
ceased to ask child his age, if his hat
or his dress or his shoes were new or
where he got them, or any of the queS-
tious which are considered impertinent
when addressed to an adult.
I thought that when a little boy was
very tired he was not forced to give up
his comfortable chair to a lady or gen
tleman who was not tired at all, and
that when child had secured window
seat. in the steam car it was not taken
from him simply because he was child.
I thought it had become the fashion
to say 'sthank you" to a boy-gentleman
or miss-lady, and that ''yes, SIR" and
ssno, ma 'am," were no longer exclusive
Iy used in addressing gentlemen and la
dies of larger growth.
L dreamed that little boys and little
girls were sometimes allowed to ask
questions in which their parents were
not particularly interested, and were
answered with the same consideration
that would have been accorded them
had they been the most insufferable
adult bores you overheard of.
thought that parents never attempt
ed to deceive their children, but always
told them the truth without prevarica-
ton or evasion. IEEE
thought that the adage, "Children
should be seen but not heard,n had be-
come obsolete, and that when child
spoke he was listened to with the same
attention that would have been be-
slowed upon him were he twenty years
older.
dreamed that because parents had
forgotten how to whine and scold, chill
dren had failed to learn the arts OF whin-
ing and angry articulation.
1 thought that little girls were taught
to run and romp, instead of being al
lowed to sit still all day, and that keep
ing their clothing unsoiled ana their
muscles faccid was not the whole OF
their education.
l thought that mothers cared more to
see their boys with ruddy cheeks than
with clean hands, and that lungs and
limbs were considered as worthy OF de-
velopment as brains.
1 thought that parents were as polite
and kind in talking and dealing with
their own children as with the children
of hers.
1 thought that children were m IRE
like pleasant adults because of all these
transformations, and the adults, for
like reason, retained more of the fresh
ness and righteousness of childhood.
Now, children, wasn't this most
ridiculous dreamp-Bosto,s Transcript /