The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-03-10
BABIES.
How They Are Fed on Rice Liquor and How
Their Age Ia Computed.

How They Are Fed on Rice Liquor and How
Their Age Is Computed.
The little baby is not offered its nat
ural nourishment for three days. Dur
ing this time the liquor of boiled rice
is fed to it! And til not tucked daintily
up in soft white blankets in its clean
little bed, but set up in a small tub and
covered with coarse. dark comforts.
The only relief it has during. its in.
fancy from this uncomfortable posi-
ton is when it is put on its mothers
or some one else's back. inside their
clothes, and taken out for an airing.
1t is claimed by the more enlightened
now that this constant sitting position.
or being crowded against some one,
with shoulders thrown forward and
chest pressed in, is one reason why al
most all japanese are so extremely
narrow-chestcd. 1t is any thing but
pleasant to see 4 two-ycar-old strapped
on the back of a four-year-old, with
head ~(shaven, of course,) thrown way
over to n side, the unhappy little
victim fast asleep with the hot sun
streaming on it, and flies feasting on
the dirt which is almost invariably
part of a Japanese baby's face.
For seven days after the baby's birth,
according to the custom of the coun-
try. visitors are constantly present.
night and day, that the mother may
not be 'lonely." At the expiration Of
that time the mothers relatives send
very many things for Baby, and a
feast is given, when any one is at lib
erty to present clothes, ETC., to Baby.
A boy baby is the thing, and girls
are regarded with decided disfavor.
All preparations are much more elabo-
rate II the child Is a boy. AT this seven
day feast, fish, fruit, flowers, etc. are
also presented. For seventy-fve days
the mothers food is very simple, 'prin-
cipally rice, very softly boiled. for
twenty-one days. No fatty fish is eaten.
After the seventy-fivc days the food is
the same as usual. At the expiration
Of twenty-one days the bed Chick COM
forts on the floor) is removed, and again
a feast is given.
Mother and baby enjoy their first
outing at thirty-three days, when Il
visit is made to some temple, In some
parts of the country II cross is painted
on the infants forehead at this time to
ward off evil spirits. The hair is shaven
at seven days, and in olden times was
kept so till three years, but now is al
lowed to grow sooner.
Girl babies from one hundred and ten.
and boy babies from one hundred and
twenty, days old are fed very soft
boiled rice and fish without reference
to the supply of breast milk. The
babies of Japan are sometimes very
large, and l have seen some as old as
six years! One day ut preaching SER
vice | saw n mother with three children
looking to be six, four and two years
old. She nursed each one Il couple of
times during the hour. 1t is needless
to add that her appearance was dis
trcssing-colorless, cmaciatcd and list
less.
Age is counted by the day rather
than the week or month, and when Il
baby is one hundred days old it is a
great event. Weight is calculated by
nome. Our baby weighed at birth
one thousand and eight nome Zone
hundred and twenty nome equals one
pound). 1t seems to me the most
curious custom in Japan is the way
age is counted. If a child is born the
30th Of Deccmber-or no matter what
time in the year it is born-the ensuing
New Years day it is called two years
old! All these customs are changing,
however.
We were the first foreigners to live
in this city Of some sixty thousand
souls, and II baby. now nearly two
years old, the first foreign baby the
people had seen. The excitement was
great over him. Many thought me
most cruel to nurse him at stated in
tervals, Independent of his cries, as
crying Is always rewarded by feeding
in the cas of the japanese MOTHER
Babyhood.