Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-09-21
THE oLD-FAsHIoNED CRADLE.
BY THE REV. DIR. TALMAGE.


The historic and old.time cradle is
dead and buried in the rubbish of
the garnet. A baby of five months
filled with modern notions, would
spurn to be rocked in the awkward
and rustic thing. The baby elects
the Alexander feeding bottle /" ont
of its mouth, and protests against
the old-fashioned cradle, giving en-
phasis to its utterances by throwing
down a rattle that costs 81, and
kicking off shoe imported at fabu-
lous expense, and upsetting the
"baby basket" with all its treasur.
es of ivory hair brushes and I" Lub-
ms powder" Not with voice, but
by violence of gestures and kicks
and squirms, it says, ''What! You
going to put me in that old cradle
Where is the nursef My patience
What does mother meant Get me
a patented self rocker" The parents
yield. In comes the new tangled
crib. The machine is wound up. the
baby put in, the crib set in motion,
and mother has no more responsible.
ity. Now, the "patented self-rock.
ers," no doubt, have their proper
use but go up with me into the
garrett of your old homestead and ex-
hume the cradle that you, good
while ago, slept ill.,, The rockers are
somewhat rough, as though farm
er's plane had fashioned them, and
the sides just high enough for a
child to learn to walk by. What a
homely thing, take it all in all, you
say. Stop your depreciation. We
were all rocked in that. For about
fifteen years that cradle was going
much of the time. When the older
child was taken out a smaller one
was put In. The crackle Of the rock
ers is pleasant yet in my ears. There
| took my first lesson in music as
my mother sang to me. Have heard
what you would call far better sing
ing since then, but none that SO
thoroughly touched me. She never
got $500 per night for singing three
songs at the Academy, with two or
three eneores grudgefully thrown in;
but without pay she sometimes sang
all night, and came out whenever
encored, though she had only two
little ears for an audience. 1t was
low, subdued tone that sings to me
yet across forty five years. You see
the edge Of that rocker, worn quite
deepi That is where her foot was
placed while she sat with her knit.
ting and sewing on summer after.
moons, while the bees manned at
the door and the shout OF the boy
at the oxen was heard aield. From
the way the rocker is worn think
that sometimes the foot must have
been very tired and the ankle very
sore; but do not think that she
stopped for that. When such
cradle as that got to going it kept
on for years. Scarlet fever came in
the door, and we all had it; and, oh,
how the cradle did go! We con.
tended as to who should lie in it, for
sickness, you know, makes babies of
us all. But after while We sur
rendered it to Charley. He was too
old to lie in it, but he seemed to be
so very, very sick, and with him in
the CRADLE it was "rock !" .rock !"
"rockw But one day just as long
ago as you can remember, the cradle
stopped. When a child is asleep,
there is no need OF rocking. Charlie
was asleep. He was sound asleep.
Nothing would wake him. Heneed.
ed taking mp. Mother was too weak
to do it. The neighbors came in to
do that, and put flower, fresh out
of the garden dew, between the two
little hands. The fever had gone
out of the cheek, and left it white,
very white--the rose exchanged for
the lily. There was one less to con
tend for the cradle. 1t soon started
again, and with voice not quite so
firm as before, but more tender, the
old song came back: "Bye ~
+" Bye ~ g Bye ~ which meant mofe
to you than any thing rendered by
opera troupe i'm the presence Of an
American audience all leaning for.
ward and nodding their heads to
show how well they understand
Italian. There was a wooden eau
opy at the head OF the old cradle
that somehow got loose and was
taken off. But your infantiIe mind
was not impressed with the face
which most OF the time hung over
you. Other women sometimes look
ed in at the child, and said: What
a peculiar chin ~ or, 8 Do you think
that child will live to grow up 7" and
although you were not old enough 10
understand their talk, by instinct
you knew it was something disagree.
able, and began to cry, until the
dear, sweet familiar face again how
cred and the Rainbow arehed the
sky. oh, we never get away from
the benediction of such face ! 1t
smiles all to pieces the worlds irown.
After thirty-five years of rough
tumbIing on the worlds couch 1t
l.-k. - - kIo u~c.aro - ~o;.< ns,A