The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-12-08
THE CRANK AND THE BABIES
Peck's Sun.l

THE CRANK AND THE BABIES Peck's Sunl
 The following is going the rounas written by an editor who thinks he ,s smart. very likely: "A baby can v.a- out dollar pair of shoes in twen,y-fopr hours. It can keep its father busy ad. vertising in the newspapers for a nc-se It can occupy both sides of the laryes. bed manufactured, simultaneously. I, can make the authof of its beings wass bills foot up to five dollars a week and not be feeling at all we'll. It can crowd to suffocation the smoking car of a r.,.. road train with indignant passengers between two stations It can cause i.s father to be insulted by every second. class boarding-house keeper in the CIV who never takes children It can make an old bachelor in the room adjoining use language that, if uttered in the stree: would get him in the penitentiary io, two years. It can, in a few minutes drive man frantically from his home and cause him to seek the companion ship of locomotive blowing of stear.l
 It IS oowardly to abuse person wao cannot talk back, and the man who t:.. abuses the baby, poor little thing .ha; IS rot responsible for coming to ear.h . annoy fools, is fit for treason, or jumpi-r board bill. A baby never annoyed any person with a soul, unless there was sor..e- thing the matter with it, for which l grown person was responsible. It is :.ee baby can wear out pair of kid shoes Tn twenty-four hours, but if the proprie:o. nf fhA ha hs, Anne fsIa ,t
 pense he can buy cheaper shoes that VI. last year. It can keep father 'ocsy advertising for nurses, if the father Is 4 fool, but if he dislikes to advertise for nurses he can nurse the baby himsei.. .. he needn't have any baby. If the kick.n. father does not like to pay wash bills he can wash the clothes himself The ba5y is not to blame because second-class boarding-houses do not want chi,drer around, and the boarding-houses are n, to blame either. The father of a baoy should have home before he doeS baby, and then he will not be insui.ec But the last sentence of the above item IS what makes us hot. "A baby can, in s few minutes, drive a man frantically ;ror. his home, etc." No man" coulc be driven from home by his baby. A per. son who who would be driven from home frantically by the crylng of his own ba5y is cowardly jackass, and baby o-gh. to be ashamed of such a father Such " man is thing. A O,aa would s:ay at home and help seek the cause of the babys peevishness, and correct it. Tie SHA does not believe the writer of :re above article ever had baby. but II he did, he IS ne-aecount sort of jouina.- istic dude, without soul. If the mar has baby, what precious reading the article will be to him some day wher he comes home and is met at the door ov his pale-faeed, frightened wife, who, .l;h tears in her eyes, says, "Go for the doc tor at once, the baby, fear, is dying The cold chills will creep up his back. and his hair will feel as though 1t IS ,u.a- ing gray as he starts for the doctor, he will feel as though his legs never acted Sc slowly, and he will pray to his God ,ha; the life of the abused little one may be spared till he gets back, and he will ;hink of the cruel words he has written abou; babies. and wonder If the doctor will be a, home. He IS driven frantically from home now. but not to seek the com panionship of locomotive blowing o. steam. He is after the doctor to save the life of the baby that wears out a pau of kid shoes in day, and he would bay all the kid shoes in the world if baby would live. He gives the doctor l.ve.y race back to the house. and he is TO, thinking about a five dollar wash bill The father who writes such s.gtt about babies, hurries to his horne wondering if the little treasure is alive or dead, and the coward dare no, go into the room and face the little sui ferer. Men may find fault with the trouble of raising babies, and think they are smart, but when they have stood by the bedside of one of their own, and watched its las; breathing. and seen the little life go out, and felt that tuggirg 4. the heart that can never be described by mortal tongue or pen, and have followed the little one to the grave and heard sne cold, cruel clay rattle upon the coffin, and go home 10 the deserted house and see baby's playthings everywhere, through tears. they will never again talk funny about baby being nuisance. The smart Aleck who wrote the above could never have witnessed the baby smile of welcome to papa when he came home. Or felt little fat arms around his neck. ard looked into little eyes that are heaven windows, or seen the hearty laugh tha: shows sharp little new teeth coming through the sweet red gums, or had the little one get astraddle of his foot for a ride. or seen the face at the window as he came up the street from a day of toil. Had the writer of the above experienced these pleasures he would have written different, and sad, baby IS a ray of human sunshine, sent to earth to brighten the pathway of people who have souls No, the writer of the above is a man without heart. whose idea of bliss IS q second-class boarding-house where babes are not wanted. and whose dea,h-bed wil! be in hospital, his attendants char liable people. his mourners will be those who can get free hack ride to the grave Nard and his r,,onument shonld la