The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-19
MIR. SGUDDHR'S BABIES.
Seems to Have an Idea That
He Knows More Than
Mothers.

uOuuCEDleub IHdb MI. OCQQucE OOu1d AC'
sumo his course of physiological sermons
had the effect of bringing to the Taber-
nacle hundreds of men, women and chill
dren, who under ordinary circumstances
do not often enter q church. Every seat
in the edifice was occupied, the gallery
was crowded to OVERLOOKING, and chairs
filed the aisies.
Pastor ~iScudder's text was Ephesians
vi, 4:-"bring them up IN the nurture
and admonition of the Lord"
In a previous OBSCURE the heredity Of
children and the right of the infant to a
healthy start in life was considered. The
theme last night was the training OF the
baby, and this, the pastor claimed, is a
problem of no mean proportions. The
tirst point made is that the baby Is some
thing more than a toy, u fact that demon
strates itself to the parents before their
offspring is two months old.
1.-The baby" continued MIR. Scudder,
sis a plaything at first, u sort OF animated
doll, in which the parents are profoundly
interested. 1t is a novelty, aud, like
everything new of that kind, possesses a
peculiar fascination. Whatever that
uaby does is simply charming. The
minutest and most commonplace events
in its infantile history are nothing short
of marvellous In the eyes of the father
and mother. That child is the most
amusing and the most wonderful child
in the world.
BABY's FIRST IDEAs.
"How they laugh at its crooked little
eyes, looking w ways at the same time
and conveying to its brain nothing but
confused images OF surrounding objects.
How sweet its cooling and smIling. and
even when it Fuckers up its little mouth
preparatory to weeping IL Is none the
less interesting. Father catches il up
Wnen returning from work u has d
frolic with it. Mother kisses it twenty
times a day, tells all ner n~eighbors what
a remarkable BABY it is and almost
worries the life out OF the little one by
making il shake a day-day' with her
numerous friends.
"Now all this is as it should be. God
pity the infant whose parents do not
no welcome for their darling and may
leave iJ on some front stoop to be turned
over to the founding hospital.
Babies are generally a perpetual source
of comfort, but they are at the same time
endless producers of anxiety. 1t is sur
prising what a helpless creature a baby is
Tor the first half year OF It's existance.
MANS HELPLESS INFANCY.
"Man, although the most perfect OF
Gods creatures, is, during his infancy,
one OF the most delicate and dependant.
He is unable to do anything for himself,
and Suon the parents reallZe that they
nave u big contract on their hands. Their
darling is liable to wake vi at any hour
Of the night, and if his wants are not at
once attended to- ne k il upon HIM
self TO rouse the neighborhood Il favor
them with a soprano solo. he has pow
erful will, and asserts IL at incon veulent
Tunes aud places, and in a most aggrayat-
ing manner. He is an excellent nghter,
although his only weapon is his voice.
.sThen again. what a many sided office
baby tending Is. First he tries to
swallow a pin; o he is Juggling
at the table cloth and has Drok-
en- several pieces of crockery;
now he has upset the ink bottle or fallen
against The stove; now ne is half way out
the window and would have fallen to the
street but for mothers ~vigilence; now he
is tumbling down stairs. accompanying
his pilgrimage with snrieks Of terror, and
all in all he is q troublesome little fell
low,
"When he is sick, what an object of So
licitude he is to every memb,r of the
household. Today he is peeyish and the
wife sends the husband OFT in the dead of
the night for a doctor. Then he has a
tustle with teething, and the fond mother
wants TO administer all the patent baby
foods in the apothecary shop. That he is
a burden is an assured fact. Cognizant
of this. a shrewd little miss, who was set
to rocking the cradle Of her baby brother,
looked up into her mothers eyes and
said: Mama. If the Lord has any more
babies to give away, don't you take
them and a young man tof five years,
who was detailed to amuse a noisy, fret
full baby, approached his mother in u con-
fdential mood and said:' Say, ma, little
brother came from heaven, didn't hey'
Yes, my chiid?' was the answ Oh. Well.
then l don't blame the angels for getting
rid Of him; do your
Fond mothers shoulder the burden
cheerfully and find in IL a supreme de-
light. This voluntary slavery and drudg-
cry and of parenthood is q of the most
beautiful things on earth. Noone should
undertake to become a parent without
a deep and broad foundation Of
knowledge upon which to rest and rear
the domestic structure"
ABOTT BABY FOODS.
After discussing at lei 9Th the proper
care and food which should be given in
tants, Mr.. Scudder continued:-.'Do not
turn your baby into 9 receptacle for all
manner of drugs and medicines. Let
soothing syrup and paregoric n other
villainous compounds alone. II is posi-
BILE for a robust youth to be a Ounce or Il
devil. or both, and the more strength he
possesses and puts into the maintenance
of superstition or the DEVELOPMENT of
evil habits, the worse for himself and for
society. II all the bad children could be
invalids and all the good children giants
the millennium would soon he here. 1t is
the easiest thing In the world to make
children obey, If We begin early enough.
but let them run wild for W years and
they are terrors.
.If babies want to cry let them cry un-
til they are exhausted, because it
strengthens their voices and expands
their lungs. Don't rock Them to sleep,
and when once put to bed leave them
there, because to take them out once
means that you will have to keep on do
ing the same thing, and it's no pleasant
task"
In conclusion mothers were to lead
their children in the path of righteous
ness as soon as they are able to UNDER
stand perfectly what is said to them.
Rumor has had it for the past week
that Mr.. Scudder had decided not to
preach O sermon on mother-in-laws, be-
cause of the attack made upon him by
several of those much abused personages
in his church. Mr.. Scudder will preach
upon this subject and informed me bat
he would take sides with them, believing
Them to be a much abused community.