The advocate., 1894-11-07
WOMAN AND HOME.
HUMAN MOTHERS COULD LEARN
FROM THE MOTHER CAT.

BXnAnplD9 OF hOu5enOlu Sn1Boul9nR--RHD
John Jacob AstOr and Dancing-AdviOC
60 Young WOmen-BTakes Artificial Sum
shlne-FashiOns That Didn't Fit.
She didn't kiss the baby" and veFJ
good thing she didn't. The baby has Z
hard enough time as Ii Is without goine
outside the family circle for caresses, &c
don't say 1t reproachfully; say 1t with Joy
You know how it is with kittens--they
mustn't be handled too much If you want
''ratteFs." But the baby is passed from
grandma to Third Cousin Maria. He Il
tlckled, tossed, squeezed, poked and kissed
until the marvel is where the world getl
its human 'ratters." To be sure, there
ig here and there an independent baby, 9
baby who holds all promiscuous cuddlingl
In righteous scoPn. He is not popular
baby (reformers never are); you don't dare
toss him, you hesitate before trottinR him,
and you would no more think OF buryine
your face In the satin folds Of his pink
neck than II he were young gentleman
Of years instead Of months. Mamma and
grandmamma call his lusty and rebelliOul
yells "spunk;" diplomatic relatives gel
out Of 1t 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
titles Of intimates will be pretty certain to
have voice in the worlds affairs later
on, and to some purpose. If there are
abuses to be donee away with-rats to be
caught, as it were-he'll bs keen on the
scent.
1t doesn't seem as If 1t would take any.
thing beyond an ordinary endowment Uf
common sense to see that II handling is
bad for kittens 1t is ten times worse for
babies. The average we'll hammered In
FAINT accepts the squeezings and tosSlngS as
peculiar conditions of an existence he Is
too young to understand, and so late 10 he
from angel land that he even ventures q
"goo goo" after a peculiarly trying
squeeze. This we take as indicative Of en-
joyment, and we squeeze again. If he
protests, we look for a pin-surely moth
ing but q 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 cat what does he amount tor
Look about you. What has no amounted
toP For one ratter how many sleek tRbbies
and toms are there DOING in up stairs
comfort2 They are seldom so lost to all
sense of duty that If mouse ran across
the floor they would not run after 1t.
They have even been known to sit two
hours on stretch before crack in the
china closet, but to go down cellar and de-
nberately hunt rats like q common cat
they may not reason 1t out, but they don't
do 1t.
1t is unfortunate for the kittens and
babies that their charms are Of 80 irresist-
ible nature, but irresistible or not what
right has an admiring stranger to take
liberties with the helpless things just be-
cause they are soft and prettyP It's quito
time some one took stand. Too many
babies are being "eaten up" by fond
grandmas, aunties and cousins. The ooun-
try can't stand the drain.
Another thing 1t ought not to take q
physician to teach us that tender baby
body Is not to be sqeezed and tossed about
like worsted ball, and that everybody's
breath, or even the breath Of an extensive
family circle, is not good for baby lungs.
Where is the blameP Watch tho old cat
next time you take up her kittens to cud-
die. Human mothers could take a lesson
from this mother cat.-Springfeld Mass }
Republican.
Examples OF Household Management.
az was calling at a house the other