The National tribune., 1908-11-05

some S12,000,000 of her mother S
money, to say nothing of the tidy for
tune she will inherit from her father,
between her and the grim specter Want.
She is a nice, healthy little baby, and
her happy mother is doing well.
Apropos of babies. while there is no
doubt that most babies are handled
and kissed too much, yet the extent to
which some mothers carry this germ
idea with regard to their offspring is
absurd. Babies have been squeezed and
kissed ever since the days when Eve
cuddled Cain against her breast, and
kissed his dewy little red mouth and
rose-leaf cheeks. And probably COM
paratively few babies have ever died
or been seriously harmed in conse-
a1Ience of this practice; still it Is just
as well to touch only its soft cheek
with the lips, as indeed mos: grown-up
people do. There is q young mother
in England, tho, who is not willing to
take any chances with her little nine
months-old baby, so she has placed
near the entrance to her home, so con-
spicuousy that no one could possibly
avoid seeing it, placard bearing vari-
ious instructions to her visitors, such
as: Don't kiss the baby" Don't ham
die the baby unless your hands are very,
very clean" Don't allow baby to touch
your face or hair" Don't talk, breathe,
whistle, blow, cough or sneeze into
b2by's face. We want him to live"
Don't use your handkerchief to baDy's
hands, face or mouth etc. This is
very courageous young mother, indeed,
and one, it would be presumed, rather
unfortunate in her friends. While she
has probably brought about the result
she desired has she not robbed her baby
Of something perhaps necessary to mis-
best development? Who knows?
A great light in the social world,
which had burned steadily for over
80 years, went out when Mrs. William
Astor breathed her last in New York
on the night of Oct 80. Mrs. Astor's
was a name to conjure with among the
fashionable set of the Metropolis dur
ing the hight of her power, and ones
social standing determined by her. An
invitation to Mrs. Astors functions was
an indication that you We're lin socie-
ty;' otherwise, you were out, decld-
ediy out For the past year Mrs.
Astor has been in retirement, and II
has been rumored that her mind was
somewhat affected, but until this recent
period she held undoubted and unques-
toned sway over the social destinies of
New York's 400. Indeed, it was from
Mrs. Astor that this famous designation
of New York society was derived, her
visiting list in the heyday of her glory
being confined to that number. Mrs
Aster's name was known all over this
land and Europe distinguished mem
bers of European society frequently
crossing the water to attend one of her
celebrated balls. At these she would
receive her guests, glttering with the
famous Astor enneralds, seated in q
very elegantly carved, high-backed
chair, placed beneath portrait of her
self by Duran. She was handsome,
imposing woman, possessed of infinite
tact and charm of manner. She felt
the responsibility of her power and the
duty it imposed upon her. and endeav-
ored honestly to give a true, elevated
tone TO New York society. Mrs. Astor
aimed at a restoration of the famous
French salon days, which brought to-
gether the distinguished poets, artists,
statesmen, etc, and IN which undertake
ing she succeeded better probably than
any other American woman. She great
ly deplored the lowered moral tone
which has crept into society lately not
only in New York, but all over the
country, and realized sadly that her
power and influence were waning. Her
husband did not share his wife's social
gifts or tastes, and was absent as fire.
quently as he could be from her enter
tainments. But ne was good. indul-
gent American husband, and probably
took pride in her successes. He died
16 years ago in Paris. Mrs. Astor had
five children, four daughters and one
son. OF these, two daughters and her
son, Col. John Astor, survive her. She
was 80 years of age.
Most of the present generation never
heard of the once famous Hutchinson
family, who travelled over the country
with their little parlor organ giving
concerts. They We're specially known
songs, and were quite a power just be-
fore and during the civil war. They
all had good, natural, unframed voices.
and sang with spirit and feeling. The
last member of that little sweet-voiced
group, John W. Hutchinson, died the
other day at the advanced age of 81.
To be brought up in a large family
is, or used to be so considered, a liberal
education in itself, and pretty well cal
culated to knock all selfishness and
meanness out of a child. especially q
boy. No one can say that this oppor-
tunity for desirable character building
was denied Castro, the despot who sits
on the throne of Venezuela, who could
not have done much successful "dictat-
ing" while he remained under the par
entail roof, as his 25 brothers and "a
sisters also had something to say. OF
course, all these 79 children were not
must always have been a good long
table full, with the younger children
wearing the cast-offs of the older which
is highly conducive to meekness of
character. Castro's father, still living
in the Andes at the age of "a, has
actually been the father of 25 sons and
"a daughters, all of whom are living.
His youngest child is only four years
old, and the old man has had six wives
There Is no one article of diet, Unless
1t be bread, SO universally eaten the
world over as cheese. Ever since the
days Of the Ark some kind of cheese
has been made, and while all cheeses
have milk as their foundation, no two
are alike. In some countries they have
custom of making a cheese at the
birth of child, and not producing the
same until the funeral feast of his son
or grandson, when 1t is eaten with high
relish. That seems a very long time
to keep cheese, but there are those
who declare that, like wine, the cheese
improves with age. It has been an
nounced by cheese experts that there:
are 229 known varieties.
On account of the $4,000, 900 which
Joe" Letter dropped in wheat a few
years ago it is said that Lady Curzon,
who was the beautiful Mary Letter,
returned to England with her husband
! and children with the family funds so
low that they could not afford to open
their magnificent London house, Lord
Curzon was quite without private means
when he married Miss Letter, and 1t
was her money which enabled his SAL