The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-05-02
NURSERY COOKERY.
THE HALF-GROWN CHILD AT
TABLE-HIS DIET.
By Christine Terhune Herrick.
Continued from last week.)

Most sensible parents observe GER
tain supervision over the meals of their
little children. Such watchfulness is
usually strict while the baby is tooth
less or teething more indulgent when
he becomes able to walk and talk, and $
too often entirely relaxed by the time
the boy is ten years old,-a period which
seems to be regarded by many people
as the age of discretion.
While the mistake of permitting
child complete freedom in the choice of
his food may be less likely to have dan
gerous results when the subject has
reached his ninth or tenth year, 1t is
none the less a serious blunder. Up TO
that time he has been in a degree guard
ed and guided. SO long as imprudence
in eating is liable to be followed by sud-
den and swift retrbution in the shape
of sharp attack of Indigestion, the
mother will probably exercise a restraint
over her child's food. AS he grows older
the trouble may assume a less acute
form, owing largely to the increased
amount of active exercise the chi d
takes. This will enable him to digest
food that would once have lain I'M
changed in his stomach until Nature re-
lieved him by a violent attack of nausea.
But although this especial form of in
digestion may have ceased that Is no
sign that the gastric powers are not
overstrained. They may still manage
to do their work, but it is against heavy
odds. Sooner or later the stress is bound
to show itself. 1t may not appear until
the boy has become a man and has
Joined the great American army of dys-
peptics. Even If the dyspepsia does not
manifest its presence In actual pain or
distress. i, will declare itself in some
other form that Is no less trying,-in
chronic headaches, perturbed nerves,
mental depression or some other of its
many ingenious DISCUSSES. An aston
ishingly large proportion of the ailments
from which mature men and women suf
fer are the outcome of childish impru-
dences In eating.
Cowardice is often at the root of the
indulgences granted half-grown chill
dren. Perhaps they have been recently
promoted to a place at the grown peO-
peoples table, perhaps they are admit
ted to feasts from which their tender
age has hitherto excluded them. What
ever the reason, they want to eat of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil
and to find out for themselves the error
OF the ways from which they have until
now been protected,-much against their
own will. 1t is only natural that they
should wish to try a taste of this or
Spoonful of that unfamiliar dish.
Just a mouthful cannot hurt them"
says the lndulgent mother or father. ut
is rather more likely to be the father
than the mother.)
And proceeds to SOW the seeds Of trou-
BILE by granting the desired taste. If 1t
is agreeable to the child's palate, he
straightway demands more. If it has
failed to please him, the harm is no less
done, for since he has tasted one dish
he may test another, and he hopes for
better luck next time.
have known mothers who were too
weak to refuse sup of this or frag-
ment of that to teasing child, who
found 1t easier to put pepper or some
other pungent seasoning upon the NOR
sci. that the child might thereby be-
come disguised with 1t than to refuse
| the taste in the first place. 1t should
| hardly be necessary to say that the very
| principle Of this is wrong. To begin
| with, it Is deceit, and when the child
| grows older and Is able to taste the food
| as it really Is, he will discover the de-
ception and lose a measure of faith In
| the parents truth at the same time. The
mother who in deed or word lies to her
| child runs a great risk.
After all, 1t is no such terrible ordeal
to be obliged to refuse a child an arti-
| Gle of food, unless he has been, by un-
due indulgence, accustomed to eat any
| thing he wants and to want any thing
he sees. The formula, THAT is not good
for little children" is simple and should
be sufficient.-if there were not so many
silly parents in the world.
Never mind, Harry. II you can't
have any mince pie, Papa won't take
any either" said one of the fathers who
was too fond of his boy to refuse him
anything"
And the mother yielded, and Harry
had his piece of mince pie. and hard
stomach ache to follow it. which latter
was the gift of the too fond" father
quite as much as was the pie
Continued next week.)