The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-11-21
A Lesson for Mothers.

"She didn't kiss the baby" and very
rood thing she didn't. The baby has d
bard enough time rs it is without going
outside the family circle for caresses, SO
JOINT say it reproachfully; say it with Joy.
You know how IL Is with kittens-thcy
mustn't be handled too much if you want
"ratters." But the baby Is passed from
grandma to Third Cousin Maria. He is
hckled, tossed squeezed, pokcd and kissed
until the marvel is where the world gets
Its human "ratters" TO be sure, there
Is here and there an independent baby,
baby who holds all promiscuous cuddlings
In righteous scorn. He is not popular
baby (reformcrs never are) you don't dare
boss him, you hesitate before trotting him,
and you would no more think of burying
your face in the satin folds of his pink
neck than if he were a young gentleman
of years instead of months. Mamma and
grandmamma call his lusty and rebellious
Yells "spunk;' diplomatic relatives get
out of it with wise mods and the somewhat
ambiguous remark that the world will
hear from him yet" And so 1t does gen
orally. A baby born with sufficient firm
ness of character to regulate the familiar
tiles of intimates will be pretty certain to
have voice in the worlds affairs later
abuses to be done away with-rats to be
caught, as it werc-he'll be keen ON the
scent.
1t doesn't seem as if 1t would take any
thing beyond an ordinary endowment of
common sense to see that If handling Is
bad for kittens it is ten times worse for
babies. The average well hammered in
FAINT accepts the squeezings and tossings us
peculiar conditions of an existence he Is
too young to understand, and so late Is he
from angel land that he even ventures
goo goo" after peculiarly trying
squeeze This we take as indicative of en-
5oyment, and we squeeze again. If he
protests, We look for pin-surGly moth
Ing but "a pin would make our "ownsy
downsy" cry when his little stomach was
full. If he still murmurs, we toss him,
but II he lives through what would kill 90
lives in a cat what does he amount TOT
Look about u. What has he amounted
tor For one ratter how many sleek tabbes
and toms are there doing in up stairs
comfortS They are seldom Go lost to all
sense of duty that if mouse ran across
the floor they would not run after it,
They have even been known to sit tNn
hours on stretch before crack in the
china closet, but to go down cellar and de
liberatcly hunt rats like a common cat
they may not reason it out but they DON
do it.
1t is unfortunate for the kittens and
babies that their charms are of 81 irres.at
dble n na, ure, but irresistible or not what
right has an admiring stranger to take
liberties with the helpless things just lc
cause they are soft and prcltyt It's qV.,r
time some one took stand Too many
babies are being eaten up by Lad
Hrandmas, auntics and cousins The cuuu
try can't stand the drain.
Another thing. Ii oulht not to take Il
physician to teach us that IA tender baby
body is not IT, he sqcczrd and tossed abuuc
like a worstcd ball, and that ever boo -
breath, or even the breath of an extensive
family circle is not good for baby lungs
Whore il, Tic bljmef Watch tho old cat
next Tine A,u t;l.e up her kittens to cud-
die. Human !Iutncrs could take u lesson
from this liu,her Springfield Mass.
Republican.