The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-13
HARDY JAPAN ESE BABIES.
Put to Bed and Dressed Winter
Mornings IN a Frisid Temporal
fUrP.


New York, Jan. u.-According to our
modern scientific IDEAS as to the careful
treatment of babies, those of Japan would
seem to have a hard time and yet there
are no healthier nor fatter looking little
mortals on the face of the earth. We
insist on a fixed temperature. on steril-
lied milk, and all sorts of improved things,
while the Japanese baby gets a good dose
of Nature, and seems to thrive on ii. It
is dressed and undressed in frigid tenn
perature in winter. and in summer it's
tender little eyes are always exposed to
the full glare of the sun as it is carried
on it's mothers back. 1t is to be feared,
however, that this latter treatment often
docs affect the eyes of the children though
they get over it later i'm life.
The japanese are a very Clearly race in
all main particulars, but these do not al
ways embrace the little baby faces which
are sometimes quite smutty. This suits
the baby all right in fact any baby would
tell you that it was far more humane than
that compulsory treatment with unsolic-
tied soap and wateri Perhaps this is the
reason that the Japanese babies are said
never to cry. Such a statement is an
| exaggeration of the truth; while they are
good-natured above the average, they can
! bawl as loudly as any one when occasion
/ demands
[ 1t would be impossible to find a more
| fascinating sight than a clean japanese
! baby in its fresh robes. These are made
! of crepe of the brightest and gayest de-
! sign ana color In winter the small head
| is covered with worsted cap of the same
I shades. The bright black eyes hook out OF
( a round face which has the most exquisite
/ 0ln Of cd he
| black hair Is cut in all sorts of fastastic
ways, just like the hair of the japanese
| dolls imported into this country. The
whole family take the deepest pride in the
baby and especially the father and
mother. who are often foolishly indulgent.
! Some parents seem incapable of denying
their children anything, and many is the
household entirely ruined by small ~
| rant Of girl or boy. liz this way there
are often spoiled children in Japan.
The babies of the lower classes are gen.
orally carried on the back of the mother
| or little sister, sometimes the small
! brother Is obliged to be the nursery maid.
| The "kimono' IS made extra large at the
back, with a pocket large enough to slip
the baby in, and its round head reaches
the back Of the neck of the person who Is
carrying it, 1t is not an uncommon sight
| to see children who are barely Old enough
to todde themselves burdened with a
small brother or sister sleeping peacefully
on their backs. At first you open your
eyes in horror, and expect to see the
the small one stagger and fall beneath
the weight, but apparently none OF its
movements ore impeded, and IT plays with
the other children as unconcernedly as IL
not loaded down with another member OF
the family.
At Nagasaki amongst the women coal
ers who coal the ship, you sec many with
ia bies on their backs IN this way. The
mothers work all day IN the rain. or the
sun. or the snow, and there baby sleeps
Indifferent TO everything, ~the top OF It's
head alone visible, while the movements
OF the mother do not seem in the least
hlndered. and she accompllshes as much
work az the men. II seems as II tho ba-
bles OF this class were born stoics.
Anna Northend Benjamin.