The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-27

OF basket or sack and siires e. on her
shoulder, after strapping it .l firmly so
that IL shall not drop out Wnl.e tle mother
Is walking along or PERFORMING some kind
Of farm labor in the uelds-
But II YOU want 10 see the real trial OF
a Swedish baby you must follow me INFO
a Dalecarlia farm house.
As YOU enter the work room that is in
to the eating and sleeping room. your al
tentlon is instantly drawn CD the great
double bed in the corner OF t.e room. for
il is not a bedstead that yol can move
from place 70 place, hut a solid fixture.
forming a part Of the franz work OF the
house. with posts al the corners and I
wooden shelf on top.
From the shelf hangs down SNOWY hfte
towelings. embroidered vita 1right-coior>
ed yarn. making a very artistic ana pref
~ effect against the natural woodwork Of
the bed and walls.
From the shelf hangs a short. stout
strap or cord, terminating 90 q stirrup-
shaped handle that Is used to take hoIu
of when rising in the morning 10 hoist
yourself up in a sitting position.
After you have feasted your ewes on
this aesthetic piece OF bed ROOM furniture
you notice something like q small meal
sack surmounted By chubby little head.
with blue eyes and faXen hair. stack down
in an upright position between the bed
ding and the side OF the bed.
You call the mothers attention TO IL g.
she sits by her hand loom, OF spinning
wheel, and she says: "Oh, yes, that is the
In your establishment you venture TO
ask if Il is customary to wind up babies
in Sweden as We wind up clocks TO keep
them in regular order for "a weeks time.
when she viii answer you with a smile.
"Oh, no, not just the same. for We
wind our babies oftener. generally three
or more times a day.. ana 10 YOU have
time will show you how We DO it,"
She then proceeds 10 take the baby from
the bed and commences to unwind it
that is, to unfasten one end OF long linen
band, about six or eight inches wide, ana
gradually to release IL, either by turning
the baby over and oyer or by passing tho
band around the baby as 1t is being grad
ually unwound.
When fully released Il IS given the free
dom of its legs, arms and body for a short
time, and, after being washed and fed
she proceeds to wind 1t ZAP again with a
fresh linen band. ira
Commencing at the feet the mother
winds 1t tightly in a spiral manner up
ward to the armpits, and sometimes the
arms are also laid close 10 the body, and
the linen band passed around the arms
and body and round and round toward
the feet again, and so on, until the little
and put away either on the bed or between
1t and the bedding in an upright position,
as when we first discovered it,
The process is continued until the child
Is from ten to twelve months old, and It is
the universal custom in Sweden among all
classes of the people, from the lowest to
the highest
Why do the Swedish women keep up to
this very day the peculiar method Of wind
ing up their infants?
Ask them and they will tell you that 1t
is done for the purpose Of making the
children grow up tall and straightforward
and to prevent them from being hunch-
backed or bOwlegged, as well az to pre-
vent their feet from Turning inward: and
as a matter of fact. there seems to be
fewer deformed people in Sweden than in
some other countries where this practice
of winding the babies is not in use.
Whether or not the results are always as
anticipated is uncertain, but for all that
you can never prevail upon a Swedish
mother to give up her daily practice Of
winding up the baby.