El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-21
THE NEW BABY'S FATHER.

THE NEW BABY'S FATHER.
He. Also, q New Institution Almost.
Nearly as Serious as the Child.
New York Commercial Advertiser.
The father of the new baby takes the
to be called the new father. He views
the baby with absolute seriousness.
Il am unable, quite unable, he said. in
an interview, Ito treat the new baby
with even occasional lightness. That is
why hate to have anybody dandle,
shake, or tickle it. 1t seems to be the
desire of relatives and friends to 60
through some violent contOrt1on in or
ner to extort some violent emotion in
special way and that special way Is an
extravaganza way but there is no reason
why the baby should not be treated So
oerly, like any body else.
"Tnese people, who thus. strife with
the baby's nerves, are not 80 much 10
crested in the baby as they are in
themselves. They seek to attract the
boys attention to establish relations
between themselves and the baby.
That is not the way to take the baby
seriously: it is selfish and superficial. l
am 40 much interested in the baby that
[ do not feel that there are any rela-
ions between it and me. With others,
with grown people, feel that both
give and receive; l have to do with
hem because 1 wish to establish a re-
G, procal relation. But I take the baby
absolutely. I never think of its feel
ings or relations to me, but solely OF
it's good and it's future. and, therefore,
let it alone as much as l can. know
IL cnifo nf all that
AN do. talks and laughs to 1t too much
aud 80 1 keep away from it as much as
possible. Sometimes when it is lying
alone in it's crib and pass the open
ioor, it yells to me, with all the force
Of it's 8-months old lungs, and wants
me to come in; but do not, although
[ love nothing more in the world than
to look at it without speaking as it lies
quietly in it's crib. / know that others
excite it 80 much that 1t is my bust
ness not to add to its feature weakness
and hysteria.
"When do not 60 to see it l look
at it with anxiety, sweet anxiety, but
yet anxiety, rather than naive delight,
for always think then of its future
And when I am alone, too, after my
work, think of its future. how its life
would be affected by casualties which
might happen"
81 was told the other day." said the
visitor, that the doctor had said that
it was necessary to shake the baby oc-
casionally for the sake of it's digestion,
and that consequently, you had in
formed the nurse that she MIGHT agi-
tate it gently now and then, but never
to do 90 when the baby wanted it, and
always to stop when the baby began to
show pleasure. for then the nervous
excitement would bs too great.
The father smiled Q patient, beatific
smile. "Of course" he said, "People
they can. Parody is easy. often in
dulge in parody myself, but never do
10 m alters in which I am profoundly
interested or which are very impor-
saut. What I really said to the nurse
was that she should not make the doc
tors d maud an excuse for illeeitima,e
excitement of the baby; that she
should not use the plea of the baby's
digestion as an excuse for satisfying
helpless little creature.
"The present nurse loves the baby.
That, in itself, is no fault, but it leads
lot of senseless babble and harm
full eesticulations. I have to watch
her carefully, but she 1s preferable to
the last nurse, who took no interest OF
my kind in the baby. The last nurse
seemed really rather inhuman about it..
She seemed to see no more in the baby
LAY, and such insensibility points to
700 small soul to have child intrust-
ed to.
1--WE must" continued the father,
turning to the grandmother, get q
larger crib for the new baby. In the
morning when 1t wakes up and finds it.
self go narrowly 'cabin'd, cribbed, con-
dned' that it can't dart it's strengthen
ing little neck from side to side with
out bumping its blooming head, it ia
peculiarly inclined to protest"
eyes," answered the grandmother,
land when take it out of the crib and
out it on the bed it rolls over in ply
-ical glee and bowls with freedom and
delight. Oh! Oh! the dear little thing!
And the doctor said it ought TO be
rushed up and down the hall for it's
1igestion's sake. And the poor little
hing does look SO pathetic in the
morning with that bandsge around it's
head to keep its ears down."
The visitor emboldened by the trend
Of the grandmother's remarks, said to
new baby from enjoying itself? 1 have
remarked that It stretches it's neck in
evident delight in it's muscles and
gives vent to deep and changing tones,
Indicative of interest in the develop
ment of its throat; that it laughs and
smiles whenever it sees anything
which is not black
The father didn't feel that it was
necessary to answer what seemed to
him frivolous question, but .. little
later he confded to the visitor the
deep and growing horror he felt for in.
dividuals who could not take serious
things seriously.
"Apropos of your recent question, I
may say that it is not remarkable that
tho baby takes such delight in itself,
for at present it is about the only
thing it has to be joyons about
This remark OF the father might
seem to indicate that he himself fel,
that his own method in training . new
baby had elements of som berness
But in every deep and serious
religiou-aud the fathers attitude to
ward the new baby is distinctly
religious-there is somber ele'
ment
|GEWIELSNELRIJ UOETRAPPEUDNE