Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1903-06-24
BABIES AND THEIR RIGHTS

ouSuI 10 10 RUE In the nursery
never to disturb the infant when
1T is happy and quiet. Older chill
dren, too, two, three and four
years OF age, who are amusing
themselves in peaceful, content
ed way, ought not to be wantonly
lnterfered with. | have often
seen a little creature living in it's
crib cooling, laughing, grooming to
itself In the sweetest baby fash
ion, without care in the world
to vex its composure, when in
would come mamma or nurse,
seize it,cover 1T with endearments
and eilectually break up it's tran
guilty. Then, the next time,
wnen these thoughtless people
wanted it to be quiet, they were
surprised that it refused to be so.
1t is habit and training which
make little children restless and
fretfUl, rather than natural dis
position, i'll multitude oi Cases.
a healthy babe, coolly and loose
ly dressed, judiciously fed, and
frequently bathed, will be good
and comfortable if it have not too
much attention. But when it is
liable, a dozen times day, to be
caught wildly up, bounced and
jumped about, smothered with
Kisses, poked by facetious fingers,
and petted till it is thoroughly
out of sorts, what can be expected
of it? How would fathers and
mothers endure the martyrdom
to which they allow the babies TO
be subjected?
Another right which every baby
has, Is to its own mothers care
and supervision. The mother may
not be strong enough to hold her
child and carry it about, to go
with 1T on its outings, and to per
sOnally attend to all it's wants.
Very often it is really better for
both mother and child that the
strong arms of an able bodied
wsman should hear it through it's
months Of helplessness. Still, no
matter how apparently worthy of
trust nurse or servant may be,
unless she has been tried and
proved by long and faithful ser
vice and friendship, a babe is toe
precious to be gwen unreservedly
to her care. The mother herself,
or an elder sister or auntie, should
hover protectingly near the tiny
creature, whose lifelong happi-
ness may depend on the way It's
babyhood is passed.
The lover of little ones can al
most always see the subtitle diff
ference which exists between
the babies whom mothers care
for, and the babies who are left
to hlrelings. The former have
sweeter, shyer, gladder look than
the latter. Perhaps the babies
who are born, SO to speak, with
silver spoons in their mouths. are
better off than those who came to
the heritage of a gold spoon. The
gold spooners have lovely cradles
and vassinets. They wear Valen-
ciennes lace and embroidery,and
fashion dictates the cut Of their
bios, and the length of their flow
ing robes. The little silver spoon.
ers,on the other hand,a ARE arrayed
in simple slips, which the mother
made herself in dear, delicious
hours, the swoetest in their my5
tic JOY which happy womanhood
knows. They lie on the sofa, or
on two chairs with a pillow plac
ed carefully to hold them, while
she sings at her work, spreads the
snowy linen on the grass, moulds
the bread, and shells the peas.
The mothers hands wash and
dress them, the father rocks them
to sleep, the proud brothers and
sisters carry them to walk, or
wheel their little wagons along
the pavement. Fortunate babies
Of the silver spoon
Alas and allck for the babies
who have never spoon at all,
not even horn or leaden one.
Their poor parents love them.
amid the squalid circa instances