The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-29
NEW BABY CULTURE"
OLD ideas OF BRINGING UP chill
DREN NOW OUT OF DATE.

cording to the old Practice. You
Must Divert the ChiId's Attention
when lie Cries for the Inkstand
or Is Otherwise Refractory.
From the New York sun.
Times have changed. There used to be
a theory TO the effect that the hand that
rocked the cradle ruled the world There
remains, it is true. one persons with whom
that sentiment is still popular He is the
man that responds to the toast: "The La
dies-God Bless Emv' He not only means
well. he sounds well. too this man who
talks about rocking cradles. But while
he scars science laughs in her sleeve and
the world moves on, but the cradles keep
still.
1t isn't the proper thing for cradles to
be rocked nowadays; at least, not when
babies are in them. The days of "by-
low baby" are gone-or supposed to be
gone. Science shudders at such sounds as:
Els II s'aH tum to its own muzzer an be
rocked, so it's all According to up-to-
date ideas baby talk should become one OF
the dead languages. The presence gener-
alton IS being born into the realm of
soince. il is serious and a solemn and
a salubrious thing to be baby now.
In the matter of rocking. for example,
where IS the mother who doesn't know
better than to rock her infant treasure?
This is considered to be almost as fearful
relic of barbarism as are trottng, toss
ing, cuddling and other heathenish prac-
does. Every student of child culture
holds these doings in proper adherence.
Babies, by the way. no longer "just grow
they are cultivated.
The opponents of modern child culture
can make any man wonder that he lived
through his infancy: lived to love and
blessed the mother who rocked him in
her arms, and dosed him with old wives
remedies, and kissed him and ticlxled
MIN and cuddled him, and also shook him
ana spatted the naughty hands,v and
otherwise administered discipline Dear.
dear! those were dreadful times, accord
ing to the child cultivators one mustn't
do any of those things. They are all I'M
healthful, either mentally, or morally. or
physically
As might perhaps be expected, the new
doctrine has flourished more nightly
mothers There is a certain young phy.
sician in this city who is putting his nrst
born through the latest infantile paces
Under strict orders from her husband
the young mother refrains from handling
the child more than is absolutely neces-
sary. Baby spends most of his waking
hours lying on a big wide bed Although
still in the ordinary long clothes stage, he
doesn't wear these trailing garments ex-
cept when he is taken downstairs for
company drill The rest of the time he
wears short dresses. Thus the DOCTORS
young hopeful rolls and kicks and coos
and enjoys life. He must not be held in
@ sitting posture, because his father SAYS
that Dackbones are not worth much az
such an early stage of the game OF life
Even supporting hands at the back Of
young hopefuls neck and probable waist
are not sufficient precautions. Put him
on his back and let him roll
The kissing of babies has also fallen
into disrepute. Formerly people felt thar
they had to kiss every baby no matter
how uninviting lest the fond mother
should think them lacking in appreciation.
Nowadays one asks permission OF the
particular parents before pressing a kiss
around behind the ear of some irresist
lDle cherub. Once upon a time these de-
1enseless little creatures were the prev
OF absolute strangers, osculatory people
who held UP nurse maids and kissed the
pretty babies. The nurse maid of this
latter-day civilization regards an ap-
preaching stranger as she would a kid
NAPIER and she can freeze kiss upon the
most longing lips.
Even the mother heart denies the mother
lips. Even though she Is not conscious OF
any outward and visible sign Of an inward
and invisible microbe, the conscientious
mother gives her child the benefit of the
doubt and does not give way to kisses. AS
for the unregenerate father who smokes
he is lucky to be allowed to stand afar off
and gaze at his child. The cultiyators have
spared no words to Impress upon him the
unworIhiness Of man who would ap-
proach, with his tobacco tain ted breath -
the fresh susceptibility of a baby.
There have always been and probably
there still are, parents who are fit sub.
Jects for the fool killer. A type which Is
very common in this class Is that of the
fathers and mothers who feed their Ia
bies on any old thing that comes handy
Generally the father does il because il en-.
tertains him. For some unexplained reason
a father of this variety is enormously
proud when the baby eats cabbage and
pickles and fried sausage. He saws that
the youngster has cast-iron stomach. and
he tells with unbridled glee that his kid'r
eat anything you give 1t.
The child cultivators go to the otber az.
IRENE. In fact, they go to twenty other ex.
tremes. In the center. for instance. Is the
man who denies everything except milk tc
the child. The next one admits a little
meat, but shudders at potatoes. The next
recommends potatoes, but rolls his ewes a,
the mention of meat. The next one shakes
his head at both meat and potatoes and
recommends oatmeal and wheat prepara-
tions. Another puts his trust in a soft.
boiled egg. And so IL goes.
Of the men and women to be. who are
the babies Of this decade. turn our 10 be
no better physically than their parents and
grandparents, then there is nothing What.
ever IN training.
Mentally and morally the baby Of 10.
day Is cared for with conscientjousnese
Maybe the methods are wrong. but az
lapse Of few decades will be necesso ~
TO prove that. It Is not the correct thino
nowadays to punish a child SO thew cav
You must divert the child's attention .
II sounds simple and some mothers geenn
to find It so. When the baby bowls for IN
inkstand which you do not want him IN
have, you pust divert his attention n
yesterdays newspaper, which Won arc
quite willing he should have That is Inc
way II works.
Unfortunately IL is not so simple as /,
sounds. On second thought Won jmne-
diately recognize the improprietv of yiv-
ing him the newspaper He will chen, 4,