The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-13
G A = u AL
G. Q M NJ f N T

What a variety of that kind of knowl-
edge which makes ignorance bliss. DO
have showered upon US nowadays. Here is
a professor of great wisdom. who either
never observed babies or never tried baby
talk on them, announcing that mothers
mustn't talk baby talk TO their babies, or
else the babies will talk in the same way.
Did anybody, from London to the ends of
the earth, wherever the English language
is spoken, ever hear a baby say 'Itty toot-
sey-wootsey lovey-dovey," or anything like
it? Babies know perfectly well that that
kind of talk is merely a feeble attempt
to say goo-goo. and converse with them In
their tongue. In their serious at
tempts at learning English, they initiate the
language as commonly used by their elders,
not the cooling remarks addressed to them
personally How young they begin 10 talk,
and how distinctly they speak. is a ques-
ton of race and heredity, not of hearing
baby-talk. Infants i'm an American family
of bookish tastes, begin to say words at
from six to eight months of age, and talk
fiuently, and, except for a few difficult
sounds, correctly. by the time they are two.
Babies of a different heredity are often
amount of baby talk they have heard has
nothing to dc with it IN either case.
One of the members of Our Club recently
went to see her first grandchild. and was
informed by the proud young mother, an
Kindergarten, that the baby was not
to hear baby talk, so that he should learn
to speak plainly. Said the grandmother,
I'm the eldest of one large family and the
mother of another. 1 have watched thir-
teen babies for every day of their lives.
They heard oceans of baby talk, and every
one of them learned to talk very young
and spoke very distinctly; and so will this
baby-whether he hears baby talk or not"
XXX
1.-The apple fritters are the best thing
there is for dinner announced Geraldine,
eating with much satisfaction.
but they were meant for dessert" said
the gentle mother. with a slightly troubled
look.
"But 1 like to eat them now" coaxingly;
'let's do without dessert and have the
fritters.'
ITO do without dessert and have the fritz
ters,' is the plan on. which Americans
usually live. Probably 1t is a wise plan.
To live extravagantly in the present and
make no provision for the future, is wrong,
certainly; but perhaps it is even worse to
rob life of all present pleasure and COM
fort, i'm order to be rich in the future. To
give the children good, nourishing food,
warm rooms in winter, suitable clothing,
that they shall not suffer from mortifica-
ton among their companions, reasonable
amount of pleasure and entertainment, and
a fitting education-this is far better than
to pinch them In every way in order to
leave them a fortune by and by A happy
childhood, with mind and body well nour-
ished, is the best of legacies.
xxx
"But what about the children who have
neither-neither present comforts or pleas
ures, nor the prospect of future wealth."
To any one with physical health there
always is the prospect of future wealth in
this country-always reasonable chance
that they can gain it for themselves; and
for the present happiness, parents who
have not the money to buy pretty clothes,
fine toys, a beautiful home and costly
pleasures for their children, can make
them a happy life out of other things, If
they will. Smile, mamma, SMILE" little
fellow used to beg of his mother, she
went about her work, studying painfully
the world-old problem of making both ends
meet. If mamma smiles, and especially if
papa does, the child lives in sunshine-a
sunshine lacking which no outward luxury
can make happiness. Given cheerfulness
and hopefuiness in the parents, it is easy
TO make a child happy-the toys children
make for themselves, the plays they invent,
are more interesting than anything that
can be bought or taught.
1 recall a case 1 have seen, where a
poor man, frail in health and with a small
farm, yet found innumerable WAYS to