Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-03
TAKING CARE OF BABIES.
The Topic Discussed by n Spinster and
n ChiIdIess Beuedict.


Their voices were raised above the vol
ume of tone good form allows and their
faces were flushed in the heat OF argument,
relates the Chicago Inter Ocean. One was
what the cruel world Is wont to refer to as
an odd maid" of long standing in the sis
terhood. The other was a callow youth
some 81 years OF age. only three months
married, but who felt he was we'll qualified
to discuss the subject in hand. They We're
standing in a down town ofice at an hour
when business was light and the argument
had just reached its height when an elderly
man, the father of five stalwart boys Joined
the group and became an interested listener
of what was passing.
Your electricity cradle that you
speak Of Is all bosh,' said the young man,
warmly. ut is the rankest kind of nom
sense to imagine baby needs rocking"
II beg your pardon interrupted the old
maid. "All babies are not alike. 1t is alb
solutely necessary that some children be
rocked. If they happen to be collicky moth
Ing will soothe them like the motion OF
gently-rocked cradle"
I'D like to hear you tell my sister in-law
that kind of rot" put in the young man.
"She has a boy OF years who has never
been rocked in his life. He would be in
suited IL any one said cradle or even rock
ing horse in his presence and he never lost
any sleep and my sister in law was never
prosecuted for cruelty to children, either"
Your sisterin-law's baby may be an
unusual child and that case does not prove
anything / have a friend who. when her
baby was old enough to sit UP, set him on
the floor, surrounded by chairs, stuck few
feathers from a feather pillow on him and
the baby would amuse himself whole hours,
picking the feathers off one hand, only to
hnp tI.,,, OF thn thor md IN
manner removing them from the other
hand. She tried the same plan on the next
baby that came and it didn't work at all.
But little Willie would sit and crow by
the hour
81 don't approve of that sort Of pastime
for young children" interposed the young
husband. 'They are apt to get 80 inter-
ested that their minds become unbalanced.
I don't believe In children growing, any
how, but don't wonder at 1t, with feathers
for toys" And the young man laughed, half
in scorn Of the old maids misguided notions
and half In appreciation Of his own joke,
which the old maid chose to ignore
"How large family have you, madam"
put in the father Of the five boys.
"Sir!" snapped the old maid, tartly.
Then as she noticed the elderly man look
ing quite grave, she added: II have no
family, but am member Of the Cooper
atve Mothers society and know thing or
two about the care of children"
"And you?" queried the father, turning to
the young husband.
ooh, bother!" exclaimed that youthful in
dividual "You know as well as l do that
haven't any family, excepting a wife.
lived with my sister-in-law, however,
long enough to know how to bring UP a
child. But you have had plenty Of experi-
ence and ought to be able to settle our dis
pute. To rock or not to rock, that is the
question" And the young man laughed
feebly, so as to appear at his ease
me? Don't ask me. I don't know any
thing about It," said the father of five
boys, as he walked slowly away, wrapped
in deep thought