The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1888-02-02
THE FRENCH NURSE.
Her Career as Queen OF the Household
A Recognized and Expensive Industry.

Her Career as Queen OF the Household.
A Recognized and Expensive Industry.
Her first care is to provide for her own
infant, which she farms out to some &C
uuaintance similarly situated, and who,
for q small compensation, undertakes the
care and nourishment Of two, or even
three. babies at the same time. BY dex-
terously supplementing her maternal food
supply with potatoes, bouillOn and cows
or coats milk, this breyet mother man.
ages to feed her duplicate or triplicate
charge; but ordinarily the little ones have
o hard time of it. II they live 1t is only
to inherit lifo of toll and privation.
II they die, what matterf And they do
die in such numbers that statistics show
that of the farmed out children OF France
less than 40 per cent. live to reach the age
of years.
Thus emancipated from hel own
trouble, the nurse enters upon her career
as queen Of tho household. She appro-
ciates the Importance Of her role and Is
not slow in compelling the entire family
to recognize it. Her wages are not only
nearly double those Of the cook or cham
bermaid, but she is precious and must be
tenderly nourished and cared for. She
can eat only the choicest food. She must
have her regular sleep and not be agitated
by scolding or fault finding; otherwise
the effect might be disastrous to the baby.
She must have abundance OF fresh air,
and nothing is so exactly to her mind as
gossiping with other nurses and their
military friends under tho trees in the
park or public promenade on pleasant
afternoons.
She is the one servant in the establish
6. NO ro1 for
misdemeanor and replaced by q substi-
tute, and she makes the utmost profit out
of this circumstance. Her exactions are
specific and conceded by custom SO old as
to have almost the force of law. When
the baby is christened she is entitled to a
liberal present of money; when it cuts its
first tooth she expects another; when 1t
walks alone or articulates its first word
the event must be celebrated by sub
stantial gift to the nurse, who has de-
yeloped these manifestations. II she be
thoroughly competent and knows her
trade well, she has come into service in
her shatbiest clothes, SO that madam,
who cannot bear to have her infant ex.
hibited in the arms of a slattern, has had
to supply the divinity Of the nursery with
O presentable wardrobe.
It is thus that the nursing of children
in France has become not only recog
nized industry, but so expensive witha
and so troublesome as to lay serious EN-
barge upon the reproductive capacity Of
the people. In that country, where labor
| is cheap and opportunities for acquiring
wealth comparatively few, the keynote O
+; ell domestic life, especially in the prov
inces and among the laboring classe:
/ everywhere, is economy. While people IL
easy circumstances deprecate large fam
lilies of children by reason Of the restrain
and trouble they entail, the peasant ant
| operative classes dread the advent of ,
! baby en- account of the expense which i
must involve.
eve love children" say many of thes
poor people," but how can we afford 81
costly a luxury"
Such are the elements of the vita
| problem in France, against which sall tn
elaborate machinery now being invented
admired and talked about in Paris cal
have only very limited influence. TIL
difficulties are too deep to be reached b.
nursing bottles, hobby horses or bait
tubs.-Philadelphi Times.