The sun., 1897-12-12
THUS SAYS BABY CULTURE.
SCIENCE CoRREUTs OLD IDEAS OF
BRINGING UP CHILDREN
Tho Cradle R1uat Net RorL-naby Taik = Dead
LhnEunEe-1xisses and CudaiinE ForstddeH--
No Puuishrneuts-Nsw TenchinEs That Co.'S
cern EHerH Incldent Of q nnhl,a Lin.

tHeoTy W hno eUeCt thnt tho manu- tnhb ToCkeu
the cradle ruled the world. There remains. It is
true, ono person with whom that sentiment Is
still popular. Ho ia tho man that responds to
tho toast: Tho Ladies-God Bless 'Em!" He
not only means WELL he sounds we'll, too, this
man who talks about rocking cradles. But
while no scars Science laughs In her sleeve.
and the world moves on, but the cradles keep
still.
1t isn't tho proper thing for cradles to be
rocked nowadays; at least. not when there are
babies In them. The days of "by.low baby arc
gonc-or supposed to be gone. Science shudders
at such sounds as: "'Es It sail tum to It's own
muzzer an be rocked, 80 1t s'alli" According to
up-to'date Ideas baby talk should become one of
the dead languages. Heaven may have lain
about us older ones in our infancy. but the pres
ent generation is being born into the realm of
Science. 1t 10 n serious and solemn and
snlubrlous thing to bo baby now.
In the matter OF rocking, for example, where
is the fin dc steele mother who doesn't know
better than TO rock her infant treasured This
is considered TO be almost as fearful o relic Of
barbarism as are trotting, tossing. cuddlinR. and
other heathenish practices Every student OF
child culture holds these doinRs In proper alb
horrence. Babies by the way. no longer Just
grows" they are cultivated. II trying to bend
the twig properly will make human race to
order, then the millennium must come soon.
Tho exponents OF modern child culture can
make any man wonder that he lived through
his infancy; lived to love and bless the mother
who rocked him in her arms. and dosed him with
old wives remedies, and kissed him and tickled
him and cuddled him. and also shook him and
"spatted the naughty hands," and otherwise
administered discipline. Deari dearl those
were dreadful times; according to the child
cultivators. One mustn't do any OF those things.
They are all unhealthful, either mentally or
morally or physically.
As might perhaps be expected. the seeds OF
the new doctrine have hou-ished more nightly
with some Of tho fathers than with the mothers.
Not always, of course. But, for instance, there
Is a certain young physician in this city who is
putting his frat born through the latest infan-
tile PAGES. Under strict orders from her hus-
band. the young mother refrains from handling
the child more than is absolutely necessary.
Baby spends most of his waking hours lying
| on big wide bed. Although still in the
ordinary long-clothes stage, he doesn't
wear these trailing garments except when
he is taken downstairs for company
| drill Tho rest Of the time ho wears short
| dresses and some warm garments Of home in
| vention and manufacture on the lower part of
his body and his kicking extremities. Thus
equipped the doctors young hopeful rolls and
kicks and COOS and enjoys lifo. He must not be
uc!u IN posture, because MS Iatner says
that backbones are not worth much at such an
early stage Of the game OF life. Even support
ing hands At the back OF young hopef 8 neck
and probable waist are not sufficient precau-
tions. Put him on his back and let him roll.
The kissing OF babies has also fallen into dis
repute. In no respect havo manners toward
children changed moro completely than in this
regard. Formerly people felt that they had to
the fond mother should think them lacking in
| appreciation. Nowadays one asks permission. of
tho particular parents before pressing kiss
around behind tho OF irresistible
| SSherub Once upon time these defenceless
d
nursemaids regarded 1t as a datterine attention
home The Of this iatserday tsf oissa
| tion is not so. She regards an approaching
Even the mother heart denies the mother lips.
and ysbe sign Ps Of an and ID n1asbie
micro6e. the conscentiou. mother gives her
way to kisses: A. for the pnregenerate father
who smokes. he is lucky to be allowed to stand
have spared @ now no words p to impress W upon @ him % tho
VIZ Sis tebseeG; y = tainted breath the fresh
TheTe have always been. and probably there
still are, parents who are ut subjects for the
this class is that OF the fathers and mothers who
| feed their babies on any, old thing that comes
enterteins him. Tho mother does it because 1t
| is easier than to refuse the child. For some
enormously proud when the baby eats cabbage
and pickles and fried sausage. He says that the
With HnSridied eee that his kid eat S1I ANYTHING hing
| you give 1t. II tho children OF such man live
to rise up and call him cursed, he gets no moro
The child cultivators t'row ats when they run
across such q man, They 60 to the other ex-
| tremes. In the centre. for instance, is the man
who seems to regard his child as garbage crem.
comes com its Way. At remote points around ir that that
centre are the child cultivatoTs; This one denies
admits a little meat, but shoulders, at potatoes.
| The next recommends potatoes. but rolls his
eyes At the mention Of meat. The. next ono
and ost%ea and wheat pr:pa
rations. Another puts his trust in a soft
boiled egg. And go It goeS 1t is bewildering
enough, but there Is encouragement in the fact
that mothers seem TO have grasped the idea that
If tho men and women to be. who are the ba-
| bies of this decade, turn ont TO be no better
physically than their parents and grandparents,
its life is scrutinzed as carefully as II the whole
sos exoeednFy deeate seen9e eS
tion; The temperature OF the air breathed must
houses one rarely has to guard against the
other extreme. The bath must be tested with a
| thermometer. the soap must be Of absolute puri-
" $50 advertised at leasID, the fannels must re
| imbuel with certain mysterious health-gving
QUALITIES inc DOuy must not De compressed DuL
must be supported; meals go by the tick Of tho
clock. and in all things pertaining TO infants as
in heaven also. order is the hrst law.
Mentally and morally. The baby OF to-day is
cared for with equal conscientiousncss. Maybe
the methods are wrong. but the lapse OF n few
decades will be necessary 10 prove that. II is
not the CORRECT thing nowadays TO punish a
chid's attention" 1t sounds simple. and some
mothers seem to find it so, When the baby
hows for the inkstnnd, which you do not want
him to have. you Just divert his attention to
| Yesterday newspaper, which quite
willing ho should have. That is the way 1t
works.
Unfortunately It Is not so simple as IL sounds.
Right at the start, for instance. you find your
self in trouble. On second thought you imme-
diately recognize the inpropriety OF giving him
tho newspaper. He will chew 1t as soon ne he
can get IL 10 his mouth. and every up-to-date
mother knows that printers ink Is an undesira-
BILE addition to a bdby's menu. Also. she knows
that paper is manufactured ont Of-somethinG.
she 10 not quite sure what, but old rags recur
to her mind with great prrsistency; Tho news.
paper will not therefore do. 80 baby mind must
be diverted second time
| or course the nearest thing Is the cherub'l
rAttle Thih has been selected ON strictly scien