The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-11-02
Strap Children TO Boards.

Prof. Frederick Starr saws in the
Times Dispatch
Young mothers strap your babies
to your backs like The clL sine Indian
squaw did.
You are deforming your children by
permitting them to crawl or .oddle
about. Their legs are weak. Their
shoulders are stopped like those of
inhrm old men. Their legs are bowed.
fasten the child TO board. Strap
the legs together straight and firm;
and strap his shoulders 80 that he
will develop liho an Indian.
have watched the young people
around me getting more and more
stoop shouldered. Each year it SCENE
to me that they are bending over far
ther.
The board the Indian mother carries
on her back is simple affair. It is
three feet and half long and about
lo inches wide. 1t is swung over the
shoulders and hangs down the back.
A harness-like arrangement makes
the weight fall easily, and it is we'll
distributed.
The child should be put on board
just about the time it begins to.crawl.
Two straps come oriss-oro over the
chest and keep the shoulders pressed
tight against the board. Two more
criss-cross straps come over the thighs
and else tend &c keep she knee in
shape. Then, at the bottom, strap
is bound over the little ones ankle.
All the time the haby's back is to-
ward that OF its mother.
AS to clothing, I advise as lietle as
possible. Bring the child up 20 be
accustomed to weasassF.u In GUNNER
o light cloth foruipgas5ag, with the
board as one side, 10 kant. In winter
che cloth should be changed to q
blanket.
The Indian woman walks with an
easy, eWinging stride. Her s.:==:: are
not tired; her sides do not aohe; her
back is not lame.
Now let as look at she modern
mothers wsy OF doing thinge. The
infaut is a2ravling around on che floor.
Sometimes it 10 heaped up With cloth
ing and sometimes it 10 not. Yet,
when ors|ling, it's hands are on the
floor and it5 shoulders droop. When,
il not in babyhood, do che muscles
begin to assume definite shepe7
There are the dorssl muscles and the
lumbar muscles. AS the child spravls
these are strained and pulled OUT Of
shape. 4;
Pretty soon, when mamma isnst
looking, the child grabs hold OF some.
thing and stands upon its feet, with
| o heavy head and body that are either
forcing the knees outward or inward
anyway making chem unshapeJy.
| The anklee also are weakened.
| Now, l want it understood that
do not advocate keeping baby tied
down all the time. Neither doe ehe
Indian mother. There are always
ce.Sa;n periods OF the day when the
saby is not strapped, and, under
watohful care, 10 allowed TO roll around
and squawk and Grow ell il wanto.
| When it is time for the baby Co no
back into the straps, IL any muscle
has been strained it soon gets bsok
into the natural shape.
| In most cases the little one should
be carried on the back in sh;s manner
until about year old. Then il be.
gins to get strong enough 60 walk, end
the experiment should be made, bus
not repeated too often ct first. An.
other thing that may seem remarkable
to young mothers today-ths Indian
babe walks much earlier than che ov-
erage white child. The reason is ap.
parent. The white child weekens L..
self when q few months old, end henoe
is slower in getting about.
Ihave never known osae 10 the
east where woman had che courage
to rear her little ones Indian fashios.
!