The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-08-27
FOOLISH MOTHERS MISTAKE
Dressed Her Little Girl Too Finely 30
Be Happy and Warped
Her Nature.

Al summer resort, along the shore
Of a beautiful lake, we were watching
the children at play. Wading IN the
water, digging in the sand, running
along the beach. bareheaded in the
sunshine, full of life and ffoilc anu
health. They were having such good
time that we enjoyed watching them.
What healthfu1 little things they Were.
Tanned and sunburned and rosy, says
Medical Talk for the Home.
The mothers, or some attendant, had
come down to the beach with them,
and with fancy work or book sat near
by on the benches, under the trees,
where they could keep u watchful care
over the children.
The children were dressed sensibiy
m some kind OF wash goods, SO that
it mattered little if they got splashed
by the waves or covered with the
sand. Their clothes could be washed
and made to look as good as new. The
mothers had undoubtedly dressed them
SO they could have good time With
out bothering about keeping their
and stockings to be worried about
they were all barefooted
What happy, healthy, care-lree little
things they were. How they laughed
and played and ran and jumped and
rolled and kicked.
All but one little girl. Her foolish
mother, who sat near by watching her.
had dressed her in beautiful, dainty,
pink silk frock, with fresh-laundered,
elaborately-tr trimmed underwear. White
stockings and patent leather slippers
She was among the children, but she
could not join in the sport. She stool
by and watched them wistfully. She
stopped to dig with them in the sand,
but her mothers voice warning her
not to sit in the sand would spoil it
all She tried to sail little boat
along the waters edge, but the mother
called her away for fear she would get
her shoes wet.
Time after time the mother called,
Daughter, come here. impatiently
the child would go to her mother, only
to be reminded that she must not play
| with the other children or her clothes
would be spoiled Back to the children
she would go, hardly able to restrain
her childish longing to romp and play.
| But the yigilant eye of her mother and
her incessant call, daughter, daughter
| kept her at a staadstill.
| The child became cross and fretful
and the worried, anxious mother child
ed her because she was not goodsIta-
tured and happy as the other chill
| dren.
| The mother, instead Of enjoying the
| beauty of the place, the cool breezes
and the warm sunshine, or joining in
| the social chatter of the other mothers,
spent her whole time, tired and nery-
Gus, watching her daughter, for fear
she would spoil her clothes.
How much more sensible it would
have been to have dressed the cEild in
a plain gingham frock, and barehead-
en- and barefooted, To let her join her
little companions at play. In her silken
garment she was beautiful child,
pale, faxen-haired, but frail and ten
i der as a houseplant. In the wind and
the sunshine she would no doubt have
! become tanned and frec,led, but her
Little body would have become stronger
and rounder and the whiteness of hey
skin have taken On the ruddy hue Of
health. Instead OF a fretful, peeyisl,
unhappy shild she would have been a
wholesome, healthy, good-natured lit
| tie girl