The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-27
TAKING CARE OF BABIES.
The Topic Discussed By Spinster
and a Childless Benedict.
(Chicago Inter Ocean.l

J (Chlcago Inter ocean,
! Their voices were raised above the
volume of tone good form allows, and
( their faces were flushed in the heat OF
argument. One was what the cruel
/ world is wont to refer to as an odd
maid" of long standing in the sister
hood. The other was d callOW youth
some q years Of age, only three months
married, but who felt he was well quail
| flied to discuss the subject in hand.
| They were standing in a downtown Of
flee 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-run cradle that you
speak of is all bosh." said the young
man, warmly. It's the rankest kind Of
nOnsens9 10 imagine a baby needs
rocking"
I beg your pardon" Interrupted the
old maid. All babies are not alike. 1t
is absolutely necessary that some chill
dren be rocked. If they happen. to be
colicky nothing viii soOthe them like
the motion of a gently rocked cradle ."
I'D like to hear you tell my sister-in-
law that sort of rot" put in the young
man. She has a boy of years who
would be insulted if any one said
cradle or even rocking horse in his
presence, and he never lost any sleep.
and my Sister-in-law was never pros
ecuted for cruelty to children, either. >"
Your sister-in-law' baby may be an
unusual child, and that case does not
prove anything. l have a friend who.
when her baby was old enough TO sit
up. set him on the floor. surrounded
by chairs. stuck a few feathers from a
feather pillow on him. and the baby
would amuse himself whole hours,
picking the feathers off one hand only
to have them stick on the other, and
in like manner removing them from the
other hand She tried the same plan
on the next baby that came. and il
didn't work at all But little Willie
would sit and crow by the hour
Il don't approve of that sort of pas
time for young children" interposed the
young husband. They are apt TO get
so interested that their minds become
unbalanced. 1 don't believe in chill
dren's growing. anyhow, but don't
wonder at il. with feathers for toys"
And the young man laughed, half in
scorn of the old maids MISGUIDED no.
tions. and half in appreciation of his
own joke. which the old maid chose to
ignore.
How large a family have you.
madam put IN the rather OF nVe
bO-rs.
Sir snapped the old maid tartly.
Then. as she noticed the elderly man
looking quite grave. she added: 4
have no family. but 1 am member
of the Cooperative Mothers society
and know a thing or two about the
care of children"
And yOu?" queried the nther. turn
ing TO the young husband.
oh, bother exclaimed that youth
full individual. You know as well as
do that l haven't any family, except
ing a wife. l lived with my sister-in-
law, however, long enough to know
how to bring up a child. But you have
had plenty of experience and ought to
be able to settle our dispute. To rock
or not to rock, that is the question
And the young man laughed <.ebly, so
as to appear at his ease.
Ne? Don't ask me. 1 don't know
anything about it," said the father
of FIVE boys. as he walked slowly
away, wrapped in deep thought.