The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-05-12
THE LADY AND THE CRADLE.
Doctors Are Discovering That, the
Baby of All Countries is Put to
Sleep in the Wrong Way.

The latest discovery Of the scientist
! is that an infant, instead of being
lulled to sleep by a gentle swaying
movement, must fall off into slumber.
| stationary, as it were, with all parts
/ of the body resting III absolute reposa.
The body of tie child say the medi-
| cal experts, lis never at rest in a era
| die; and this perpetual movement of
| the muscles tends to injure the spine
and to tire the body. The child should
sleep upon a bed, with light, warm
| coverlids, and not be disturbed until
waking"
From all ages the cradle has been
the resting place of the young of the
human race, and this new dictum
against it's use will cause CONSERVATION
in all countries of the world; for no
| land but has it's own style of cradle
1t will be laughed at, that is sure and
possibly it may die the death of I'M
popularity.
Even the Laps have their cradle, and
ingenious ones they are. The lovely
soft moss of Lapland is gathered and
is used for a lining. The queer-looking
receptacle, reminding you of a subma-
rine boat is fashioned out of Dliable
wood. This is suspended from tree
and is lined with moss After the baby
is laid in his soft cradle a thick cover
of moss is placed over him, and in this
sweet home he rests, gently swayed by
the Zephyrs in the tree to which his bed
ia swung The Laps have little cotton
and wool and the soft moss takes the
place of bedspreads and coverlids
The Indians made a cradle of deer
skin fitted to a wooden foundation,
which can be strapped upon the back.
When the Indian mother desires to
rest she stands her cradle against a
tree; when she goes on again she picks
up the bed and straps it to her back;
so she and the papoose journey along
in each others company, until the lit
tie one can walk.
In some tribes they have a very
pretty mourning cradle, corresponding
to our little white collins. The cradle
is made of fancy woods and dressed
with grains. When a baby dies it's
mother carries it in this cradle if she
be on the march, or she tenderly lays
it in this bed and the simple funeral
rites are performed over it.
The Indians are fertile in the inVen-
ton Of cradles. In one tribe a fiat
head is considered a mark Of beauty:
and the little occupant of the cradle is
provided with a board which comes
down over his forehead and 1attens it.
performed by degrees, and the fiat
headed Indian boys grow up as strong
az their white cousins who have never
been subjected to such a process. The
cocoon cradle is another Indian in
vention 1t is madetfT6m tough water
tight skin andni SeWed up in such a
way that only the head of the infant
protrudes The inside is soft and COM
Portable and when the baby wishes to
sleep he can draw in his head and
snuggle down in the depths of his bed.
Some of the. cradles are very in
genious. The SWedsS place their babies
in little hamnocks suspended above
the mothers bed. At night, if the lit
tie one be- restless, a touch from the
mothers arm win set the cradle swing
ing. This plan is adopted in some
parts Of this country. and the sight OF
pretty grass hammock swinging
gently over a handsome bed is not an
infrequent one in houses Of plenty. The
Swedes also have q. springing cradle,
which constantly jumps the child,
gently or not. 10
The Chinese employ balancing sys-
tenn which is very easily arranged. The
baby is placed in a wicker basket which
is tied to one end OF a balancing rod,
on the same plan as a "See-saw." A
weight is attached 20 the other end of
the rod And go the Saby see-saws all
day long. If there be two cradle oc-
cupants in the family, both ends of the
balancing rod can be well employed.
The Norwegians utilize their abund
arce of eheepslyin for. the making of
these little swinging beds. Taking a
skin, they fit it to afrope hammock. |