Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-11-14
A Chinese Baby.

off home land, take my hand and
come with me througb,a narrow, dirty
street to the home of little Chinese
child
We enter the door, and what do
we see 2 A small room which is low
in the ceiling, brick floor, a table
with tea urn and bowls, couple OF
stools and possibly a few Chinese pic
lures on the walls, also some papers,
gods, and an ancestral tablet, which
the family bow down before and wor-
ship every day.
Then we notice the brick kang, or
bed. We hardly recognize this as
bed, when we think of the snowy
white beds in our own little cham
bers at home. In cold weather there
can be FIRE made under the bed to
warm it. Although this FIRE smokes
very badly, it does not trouble the
people in the least. On the top of
the bed is mat made Of coarse straw.
This mat is covered with q thick,
heavy blanket. Miscellaneous ar
ticles, such as a garment, an old shoe
partly made, rice bowl and chop
sticks, fragments left from a lately
eaten meal, and many other things
are likely to be found on the bed also.
But among all this. what do We see
that interests us most A baby.
There on the hard brick bed lays
the baby, with its little head on a
round, hard pillow of wood Gf it has
any pillow at alD, sleeping as peace
fully as though it were tucked in one
ofour little babies cradles at home.
Ifit is summer, baby is not trou.
bled with much clothing. One loose
garment is considered sufficient, and
many times he has not even that.
But in the winter, when the weather
is very cold, the child wears many
garments, one over the other. A
Chinese baby has no nice little warm
under-hannels like babies at home.
But all his clothes are outside gar
ments, which are wadde,i and lined,
most of them being made Of scarlet
materials, so that he looks very pretty
when these garments are new, with
his little round head and sparkling
black eyes pesring out at us from
within the little scarlet hood, which
matches his dress.
Around his wrist you will see
red string. This is considered a very
matter by his parents, and
serious consequences are dreaded if
this should be neglected. This Gus
tom is practiced' to make baby obe-
dent and docile when he grows up
If child is naughty and disobedient,
it is a common saying: Surely his
parents must have forgotten to bind
bis wrist" Around baby's neck is
another cord, with several trinksts.
which are supposed to keep of evil
spirits and disease. This makes a
very good plaything, and he enjoys
playing with it very much, for he has
no pretty playthings such as our chill
dren have at home.
When baby is month old his head
is shaved for the first time. LIE is
seated before the ancestral tablet, and
considerable ceremony is associated
with the fret head shaving. All the
head is shaved, but one or two little
round patches of hair, which makes
him look very odd indeed. These
little patches Of hair are kept very
short until he is quite large; then
the hair is allowed to grow, and these
little patches are braided into little
pigtsils and tied with a red string.
while the rest of the head is shasen
smooth at regular intervals.
If baby is girl. her cheeks are
painted brilliant pink, and her lips
are also Redeemed, while large paper
roses of gay colors can be seen in her
hair. Such is the Chinese mother's &
idea Of beauty.
Chinese babies are given names,
much like babies at home-sometimes
several names. If baby has any de-
formity, like harelip or bumped
back, he ia apt to be nicknamed by
the deformitY and this is very dis
tasteful to the poor little creature.
When baby Is year old all bis
relations are invited to feast given
in his honor. At tnis time many
valuable presents are given him.
one-of the principle features of thi,
feast, and very important event in
baby's life, is giving him a test to see
what professiop- he will probably fol.