Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-07-30
A Model NURSERY.

A Model Nursery.
Every baby in the land ought to be
deeply interested to learn that at the
national congress of mothers held in
Washington, recently, one of the nota-
BILE features was model nursery de-
signed to instruct mothers how to care
in an up-to-date way for their tender
offsprings.
Babies yet to appear among man
kind are cautioned to choose mothers
who will give them nurseries like the
model exhibited here. Il WIS pro-
nounced a success by every member of
the Mothers Congress-.
Mrs. Dubois, wife of Senator Dubois,
of Idaho, is sponsor for the model nur-
sery. and has taken a. deep interest in
all its workings, going so far as to
lend her baby girl, % months old, to
illustrate how the model nursery oper-
ates. Elizabeth DUBOIS, the baby, is
vigorous youngster and seemed to
rather enjoy the attention she re-
ceived. She did her best to prove her
mamma the greatest model nursery
managed ever. Other babies were al
so introduced to the luXuries Of the
model nursery.
Mrs. Dubois, in furnishing her model
nursery, used only such articles of
furniture and dress as had been tested
by experienced mothers and found TO
be the best for the health and comfort
Of the babies in which they were per-
sonally interested. There were baby
basket AID a layette especially ds-
signed to make the first month of a
baby's life one for the child to look
back upon in future years lith keenest
joy. This model wardrobe for newly
arrived infants did not include band
or handage of any kind, and all the
clothing was constructed so as to hang
gracefully from the shoulders. The
dresses were just sufficiently long to
cover the Dabies' feet, and none of
them had court trains.
"The land which rocks the cradle"
may have ruled the world in less en-
lightened age, but it didn't do any
rocking in the model nursery. There
was no cradle and Eary rocker. The
crib was on good, solid legs, and had
a not particularly soft mattress. Model
nursery babies don't use soft mat
trasses, and they scorn pillows. They
just lie fat and sleep. The more they
sleep the better the mothers (and
fathers) are rleased-especially along
about three a. m. Little Elizabeth Du-
bois, during the first y,o;: of her life,
slept 20 hours out of every "a, and
took pride in it.
! in the model nursery was little
wire inclosure, or baby corral, so to
speak, fitted up with cushions and
playthings. The idea was to put the
baby into the corral, say There you
are!" and leave it to amuse itself, or
sleep, in its judgment it thought best.
The consensus of opinion of the
mothers was that the less baby is
handled and dandled the better.
Then there was a steaming tent for
croup-for even the modelest kind of
a model baby has Group sometimes
and there were ohther contraptions for
treating ailing babies without the use
Of medicine. No sick babies were ex-
hibited, bu ,.-e mothers who were ex-.
perienced until in saying that every
baby with ordinary common sense pre-
fcrred to set along without taking me-
dicine.
Baby's aesthetic tastes were con-
suited also in fitting up the model
nursery, and only the best engravings
and aquarelles were allowed to hang
on the walls. There were growing
plants in the windows and singing
bird and globe of goldfish. The baby
was to be encouraged to feed the gold
fish daily, of course, avoiding giving
them shoe buttons, safety pins and
other articles which might ruin the
pistcatorial digestion.
The whole scheme of the model nur-
sery was to make the babies comfort
able, happy and healthy. No baby in
a model nursery must be forced, or
even led, but must be free to paddle
its own canoe, as it were, along the
lines of least resistance.
The model. nursery was voted an
enormous success and showed to
crowded houses from the start.-New
\ ork World.