The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-03-13

Strikes AZ Mothers Who Are Absorbed
In Fashions and Folliea.

fixing mp short clothes for the little
girl, and / wondered what was the
matter. ''We are just making up some
spring dresses for Caroline" they said.
"How many viii il take2" said I.
g sell, We will have 10 have fourteen
10 Nlart on, said my wife, Zone for
each day and seven OF them will have |
to go out IN the wash, You know, every /
Monday" ''How many other gar
ments2" said /. "Well, there are
seven white skirts and four hannels |
and some little shorts, you know, but |
everything is so che now that her
clothing doesn't CO.. much. These |
nice little dresses with lace trimmings
and all only cost about 90 cents apiece
for ell the material, and We do the work
at home. Caroline is our grandchild
and lives in the house with us and gives
us lots of comfort She loves me aud
/ love her dearly, aud had rather
nurse her and frolio with her than 90 to
town and exchange witand wisdom with
ting ilterati and the loafers. An old
man and a little child fit mighty we'll
together 1t is natures compromise.
I am old and wrinkled and gray, but
this little child will put out her hands
to come to me whenever I come in the
room. That hatters me, of course,
though her grandmother says it is Just
because I walk about with her and that
1 spoil her and make it harder for any
body else to nurse her. She is cutting
Lore teeth now and is just getting
over the whooping cough and needs
more nursing, and when she puts out
her arms to me I'm going to take her
and walk about with her if the world
comes to an end. I've got q little
soothing song that I've been singing
to our children for forty years and
can get them to sleep when nobody
Use can. The measles are all over the
town now and she has got to have
them. Her little cousins have been
here kissing her and now they have
broken out, but that's all right. I
don't believe in hiding child from
the measles.
It is a righs big thing to raise a
child, and especially ten of them. It
Is the biggest thing in this life. There
are things that the newspapers and
society and congress make more fuss
about, but they won't compare with it
in importance nor in purity and love
and self-sacrifce The innocence,
helplessness and affection of a child,
say from one to five years old, is the
most blessed and attractive thing in
the world. About three million babies
DE born every year in the United
States, and it takes about six million
people to raise them up to walking and
talking time. Then another crop
comes on, and another and another.
The fact is that about half the people
in the civilized world are engaged in
raising the other half. And it is la
Dor of love. speak from experience
when I say that the pleasure /
have derived from nursing, caring for,
maintaining, pleasing and educat-
ing our children has exceeded all that
I have realized from all other sources.
And now that am old and tired, /
had rather frolic with a grand child
than do anything else. OF course
there are some outsiders who care
nothing about these things. There
are some selfish mothers who are alb
sorbed in society and it's fashions and
I follies who turn their children off to
be nursed, and there are some old
bachelors who don't want to be both
cred with them and some business men
who think that making money lisa bigger
thing, and hardly have time to get ac-
quainted with their children, and there
are big lot of thieves, burglars, rob-
bers, drunkards and Convicts who care
nothing for children, but, neverthe-
less, the masses of the people get mar
ried and become engaged in raising
children and this is the natural thing
Ito do and brings more happiness than
can be found in any other state OF
condition. My wife and my daughter
with her first child are happier right
now in working for that little child
than they would be in any other occu-
patton, and SO am I. Iwouldn't write
a line for q newspaper if / wasn't OBJ
iiged TO. I would work in the garden
and among the flowers, for that is the
next best thing and keeps me in good
health.
But it didn't take as many garments
for our first children as it did for tht
last. They were not changed every
day in the old times-every other day
was enough. My wife generally had
two on hand and it kept her busy with
needle and thread, for we never had /
sewing machine until our first child
was eight years old. She didit all with
her fingers-plaits, tucks, trimmings
caps, bonnets, stockings and all
There never was mother who did NOR
work or nicer for her children. It wa
wonderful, considering that she WASH
.asao1 - -vo~l, ap3 had hos v,yo s4sv,.