Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-08-13
The Baby.
DT KNhA J. dEkY,
HABITS.

| HABITS.
When Miss Muloch wrote the poem.
entitled philip, my King" she nigh;
| have dedicated it to the mothers of the
world, for her words give the key.
note of the universal song of mother.
hood: but as there are babies and
babies, just as truly are there mothers
and mothers, and it may not be amiss
TO give suggestions which may prove
helpful TO both, therefore the follow
Shall rock the cradle?" said a
visitor the other day to the mother of
three little ones, whose infant of two
months had been suddenly awakened
and on account of her fright WAS cry
ing Justify.
Crock her cradler' was the reponse,
''she would not understand what You
mean by it," and to the utter amaze
nent of the visitor, the mother went
IN braiding her hair, apparently IN
needing the little ones cries. After
awhile, mistress baby gradually ceased,
md laid load awake, and was quietly
contemplating her hands. The mother
allowed her to do this for five or more
minutes, and then, by way of excuse to
The visitor, said, ''Now, that she is
or rocked when she cries, / will attend
20 her. for she must be hungry; she has
been asleep over four hours" After
receiving food and other necessary
attention, the visitor WAS further
amazed by seeing the mother lay baby
iSain in her crib.
''The child will be bed-ridden!" the
visitor exclaimed.
'-Oh, no; in half IN hour or so I'll
ct Sally take her, and so give her
little legs opportunity to rest, for her
body might be affected by too continu-
ous lv.1g in the crib; but if L do not
put hsr down for awhile, now that she
is awake, she would not learn that
when she is awake when laid down,
she must keep still, for while she was
in bed for over four hours to-day, she
was then asleep, and learning moth
ing. do not mean that either my
household or myself viii be a slave TO
this small child; but isn't she lovely?'
we're then the mothers admiring word
and surely she was. the great dewy
blue eyes, so bright and restful with
,leep, and the baby mouth quivering
with ST. IS, at thus receiving notice,
was surely pleasant sight for any even
chance beholder.
rocks the cradle rules the world, don't
you?" asked the visitor.
Yes, L do; because babies are the
future men and women-the future
fathers and mothers. If L had allowed
you to rock my baby's cradle, as your
kindness suggested, L would have been
doing my child an irrevocable wrong
one that the future alone could calcu-
late. She would think that all she he'd
to do was to cry, and at once some one
would fly to do her service. L would
be teaching her to be selfish, stub
born, and self oonccited, En uus
pleasant trio to meet in babyhood, and
in womanhood these same evils would
be contemplate, and so she would be
thus untitled to do her share in rock
ing the world. Babies are much wiser
than some grownups give them credit
for, and, if they are in health, they
cannot too early learn good, and evil; /;
and that they learn something every
day is proven. OF course babies have
their rights, which ali mothers should
protect, and, in my wisdom, 1 am pro-
secting one of my infants rights in pre-
venting her for being taught q bad
habit. Before you came in, grandma
thought she had slept long enough and
wanted me to wake her, in order that
she might exhibit her to our neighbor
over the way. ! persisted in keeping
her asleep, as l did not want her little
body raked and tortured, and her
pretty eyes filed with tears, because
of her discomfort in not being allowed
to have her sleep ont. Grandma thinks
proud of the dear child as I should
be; but 1 don't believe that, 'all q
baby s made for is older folks to tease,
and no one shall interfere with my
baby's rights as long as L am around to
protect her. BY the way, it is her
right now to have a little fresh air. al
she has been in the nursery all the
morning"
Whereupon the nurse was called,
and careful direction given to carry
the child to a warm, sunny, well-ventIl-
ated room, as 1t was thought to be
too cold that day for baby to be in
direct exposure to outdoor air. There
upon the nursery windows we're thrown
wide open, and the sunshine and oXy-
gen streamed in, so to purify the fetid
atmosphere before the baby would
again appear.
An untold amount of responsibility
falls upon the motherhood in looking
after these little people. Their help
lessness appeals to all, and hard must
be the mothers heart who cen put aside
the care of an infant INTO any hired
hand. Mothers have the holiest rights
but sometimes wealth and pleasure
cause them to forget the infants who at
one time tugged at their heart strings.
And servants will, therefore, receive
the love that by divine right is the
/ IL. L.
to smile exultantly while saying, "Gou
soc how much more she cares for her
nurse than for me, but 1t is no wonder,
as she scarcely ever sees me-" Poor
mother, she has lost one of the sweet
est joys of her life not knowing the gen
tie touch of her baby's hand, or the
response from the love-lt baby eye OF
smile.
Babies have a right to their OWL
mothers. To them she should seem
omnipresent. They should be taught
not to be too exacting regarding her,
but certainly She should not be among
! the missing when she is needed. Nc
matter how busy the day, surely some
part OF it should be the "baby's hour.
| Even when mothers are invalids, theil
| little ones should, for short time a.
| least, be brought to them. They will
not be babies always. All too fast time
flies, and the infants IN the cradle Of To-
day are tie strong, stirring, wide
awake boys and girls of tomorrow
/ The little shoes and dresses are SO sooI
put aside, to give place to the larger
needs of our big children. From the
| tender lullaby with which We sung oul
babies to sleep tonight, it hardly seems
| to morrow night when We are guiding
the stumbling fingers of these same
children over the keyboard of the
piano, or helping them out of some
puzzling problem or thesis.
Therefore, mothers, let your kis: