Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-04

sftsSe0 fGst1s liz a0dbb. bAb AASSSGCA 40
there any doubt that part of that will
Is te leave certain responsibility of
thought and action with man, 50 that
be justly reaps the fruit which he sows,
and receives reward of good or i'll for
his deeds III the BODY; and his careless
reckless disregard of natural and spir-
itual laws seems often to the thoughtful
observer quite as ''inscrutable" as the
will of God.
Ny dear Rachel, mourning for the
child you cannot forget, refusing to BE-
comforted, why did you kill it!
You think this is a terrible accuse
ton; but hear what physician said to
me of one specific case.
You had very sick family on Hill
top, doctor" said.
'.Yes; the youngest died yesterday;
first they had the A-town doctor, and
when the oldest girl died, they sent for
Doctor Peck; the boy died then, and
they sent for me. | found one child
better, bat the girl OF. six very i'll in
deed"
"was it diphtheria?'
eyes. but not as severe cases as 1haye
seen recover. Yet ! wonder they didn't
all die; no physician on earth could save
them. The one that did live, by force
of strong constitution, had the dis
ease less severely and will recover, if
there il no relapse"
WAS this last child, then, hopelessly
i'll before you were called!"
Not at all, not at all. But they did
not do what was necessary. Mrs. c.,
stayed by that child as long as 1 posi-
bly, could, for l knew the people. l
made the proper applications myself for
several hours, but | was on my way to
al urgent case and promised to call
again coming back. The child was cas-
Ter when left, and told the parents
its life depended on the means left for
their use. / did not get back for six
hours, and then found the poor little
creature past help and hope. said at
once, Why didn't You do what told
you to?" We'll, it hurt her, and she
wouldn't let Us, and We hated to cross
her, it made her cry so; 80 we let it
alone Mrs. c., those parents killed
that child Just as surely as if they had
shot it; for it had a strong constitution
and was on the way to recovery when l
left it,"
"But. doctor, were the parents fools?''
mo, they were about the average of
hard working New Englanders. But
the trouble lay back of that day. The
child bad never been taught obedience,
aud there are thousands on thousands
like it all over the country. When the
time comes to do disagreeable thing as
matter of life and death, the children
will not do it, and severe physical
struggle, if it were tried, would do more
harm than good"
l recalled to myself day when a del
icate child of four, the very darling of
my heart, had sharp attack of scarlet
fever. Her throat was coated with the
white signal of the enemy, and it was
needful to paint it every few hours with
caustic.
''Open your mouth, Fairy" said /,
quietly, trying to keep down the choke
III my own throat AS her weak, hoarse
voice cried out, "P'ease don't, darlin'
Nan, Please don't! l sail die. knows
l sail die if you does it adain.''
And the great, clear gray eyes looked
up to ne in perfect agony Of entreaty.
But knew my grille; she could and
would obey, so | said again, quite
but with an effort she was alto
gether unaware Of, "Open your mouth,
dearn'
And the quivering lips opened wide,
and stayed open without remonstrance
till had touched every surface that
and could sooth tue dropping
tears of pain and distress from the ewes
| loved, and love, best of all in the
world.
Ii was hard, Rachel. don't DENY it;
but oh. how much harder would it have
haan ~ ca har Atn nd
weakness aud failure had laid that silk
en- head on its last Lowry pillow.
Two physicians in the town where l
live have said repeatedly that, during
al epidemic OF diphtheria in this and
The nelghboring towns, one-third at
least of the fatal cases were fatal be- |
cause the children would not submit to
remedial MEASURES, and the parents
could not make them.
! said to a woman not long ago, whose
child had light attack of scarlet fever, |
Il hope yoa will keep him in doors a
long time, Mrs. Blank; these light at
tacks have such tad sequences if they
take cold"
well. / will if l can. don't know
AZ ! can make him stay in, though"
The child was four or five, the mother
ut least twenty years older, but he was
The master II that family, and he knew
y. Another child in my neiQhborhood
lied from no other reason-since its all |
nent was a slight attack of fevcr-than
lis persistent refusal to obey orders to
stay IN its room and swallow little
medicine.
bow often does physician hear such
addresses as this: Come, Freddy!
here's some nice medicine; drink it up
and get the sugar.
IL wo-o-on't!''
ID, Freddy. dear. do be good, now;
you don't wait to be sick. Mamma will
give you stick Ut candy If you'll take
this spoonful"
I" won't. l won't! l amt coin' to-"
md so ON, till either the dose 10 split in
tbs conflict. or the weary mother, tired
put with the struggle, puts down the |
medicine and yields to the rebel.
Don't you think, Rachel, that may
have come pretty near the truth WHOM
asked You why you killed your child?
But there are other ways in which |
die from their parents fault in
not teaching obedience.
How many young girls wreck their
health because they do not think of
obsying the mother whose wisdom and
experience warns them of their danger?
How many wear insufficient clothing in
order To have slight waist, thin shoes
10 acorn their small feet, and hands
freezing IN kid gloves, with the weather
below zero, paying the penalty in those
dread diseases of the vital organs which
result from sudden chill, and exhausted
How many more make utter
ship~reck sf character because thew
have not been brought up in obedience,
and in respect for parental government!
IL that poor girl, whose life and cha--
acter and violent death have receutlv
been laid bare with disgusting detail. in
order To convict her murdersrs, had been
accustomed to obey her mother, would
she ever have left her home as she did.
or been returned 10 It dead and dishon-
oreds Nothing in all tho ghastly rsve-
iations Of the triai was 30 significant to
me as the pathetic avowsl Of her mother
that she tried to prevent her child from
going ous at night with the Comrades
Who at last bsRuiled her to ruin and
death: bat the girl would not mind
her