Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-04-30
CONFLICT OF IDEAS.

Cynthia Woodbins, who has lately come
to New York from the south Ito see things"
and incidentally to take charge of her mis-
tress' children, has recently been through a
in the family, and Cynthia came for the
6rst time into contact with that person
loaded with theories, methods and anti.
septics, namely, the trained nurse.
Cynthia, with her ample figure and very
black face, with her feelings and instincts
and certain time.worn superstitions for her
only guides, had yet been very successful
child's nurse for 40 years. She had nursed
many babies through all manner of infan-
tine disorders, applying to them strange
remedies, rocking them in a certain direc-
ton, from east to west, because that is the
way the sun goes; never changing their fan
ncls on Friday, because Friday is a bad
luck day and babies are likely to catch cold;
dosing them plentifully with sweet teas,
smelling pungently, and composed OF fresh
fennel, hare-herb, catnip and wild orange
leaves. She had never lost baby" had
been implicitly trusted with their charge in
more than one family, and considered that
her measure of experience was full. The
| first time she saw the trained nurse, par
ticGlarly young looking person OF "a, in un.
| Improbable white cap and apron, holding
| her hands on her apron and sat down in the
nearest rocking chair, holding out her
arms
Good Lord, young miss, gimme dat
baby"
| The trained nurse looked over her unim'
peachable bib at the capless and sooty Gym
| thia-who had been cleaning out the stove
very coolly, and said:
81 have come to get little warm water
that has been boiled.''
But Cynthia, brimming with pity for the
crying baby, only reiterated:
"Oh, TO de Lords sake, gimme dat chile,
miss; 70 amt hold UNI right"
II want to give it some warm water" said
the nurse, decidedly, Ito relieve its collie
"Colic!" exclaimed Cynthia, two days
old baby amt got collie. De chile's hungry.
Il want sugar rag to suck"
The nurse turned look upon Cynthia and
kept tight hold of the baby. From that hour
those two were not good friends. Cynthia
was much moved. She went to her mis-.
tress.
Mis- Liza, I don't like to disturb you at
dis time, but surely, Mis- Liza, yo' amt go.
in TO- trua' your young baby wild mere
chile like dat one in yonder."
why not, Cynthia!" said her mistress.
"Shs's young, but she has been trained four
years in a hospital, and she knows all about
. babies"
: Cynthia looked at her mistress disbsliev.
, ingly.
Trained" she exclaimed, what is it to
be trained? She amt had no baby of her
own, reckon. She kin study all she want,
but if she amt had no baby of her own she
amt fit to take care of other peoples babies.
OATS de laws O. nature, Miss Liza"
But the nurse stayed, and came often into
Cynthias kitchen for this that and the
t other; all her arrangements and wants were
:, overlooked by Cynthia's jealous eye, and
I freely commented upon by Cynthia's unre
strained tongue. Whenever the baby cried
at such times Cynthia would cry out:
"Your baby's cryin'; run. miss"
ooh, " the nurse would reply, patronizing
ly chat won't hurt it. Don't you know
that it's good for young baby to cry? Il
Z, gets no exercise except by crying"
To which Cynthia, full of her owr
r thoughts, could make no reply. She looked
t upon the baby as martyr and often sale
/ to her own charge, little boy of two, wher
, the baby's wall was heard;
+ "Listen to yo' little sister. She aim
). lowed her little comforts like you use t.
have"
The young nurse did not allow the bah,
= to be rocked or jolted or trotted; it mus
be carried perfectly rigid, with a smoot
step. And when one sat down and held il
e it must be laid upon ones knees, on it
n back, with its head as low as its heels.
81 guess George Washington hisself wa
rocked, an comforted by it, too, remarke
Cynthia, when she received this mandate
). To which the nurse replied, kindly an
firmly:
:, We'll, that was the old-fashioned wa,
9 but we don't want the baby to swallo'
20 wind; rocking the baby gives it gas on il
~ stomach"
70 "Es if amt raised babies" grumble
70 Cynthia.
II And Cynthia would watch the nurse pr
N on her gloves in silence. Her set, black fac
20 was not naturally expressive, or her opinio
1t of these injunctions might have been rea
Iy upon It. She scarcely troubled herself
= listen to this young girls chatter; the in
portant fact was that the young perso
would be out of the way.
&c The amount of jumping up and down an
rocking that was lavished upon the bal
:, Nv during these short periods was sufficient. a
X cording to the nurses ideas, to have give
IL it wind collie for life; once or twice mi
~ Liza" fsebly expestulatsd:
O. "Cynthy, you know the nurse doesn't lii
ed TO have her handled. Perhaps-maybey You
rs better" but expostulation died in Il
a face of Cynthia's dizziness and experience.
Now, Mis- Liza, amt you here, an ain
you been handled?" Cynthia would inquir
somewhat unanswerably. "She mea
IN WE'LL" glancing at the properly folded c;
W and apron OF the absent nurse; II amt sa
Gu in nothin' against her intention, but s
q; amt got de required amount of discreti
OF fo' deal wild young baby" And the sir
gs ing and trotting would 60 happily on, mu
at to the satisfaction of Cynthia and app;
~ emily also to that of the baby. When t
nurse returned she would at once reclaim
HAS the baby walked? Has she had
warm water and soda?"
to- To which Cynthia would reply as kind
A as she could:
~, "Well, she amt had no occasion for wor
:" an fret since you been gone; amt kn'
III nothin' bout givin' young baby soda
ne water"
10 But time and the hour run through t
on longest day." and at last Cynthia anticil
ton was accomplished; the time arriv
when the nurse took her departure. S
spent several last minutes telling Mis- Liz
Isl Here is the solution of boracic acid; wa