Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-25

garden-that it's designated, for the
babies themselves, and ii anybody
feels any discomfort there it's the
grown-ups who stray in.
Now, you can't prevent a baby
from learning things all the time,
whatever you do with INN. It's the
learning age. But in a baby garden
n baby is helped to learn certain
necessary and valuable things.
Thus, they are taught TO help them
selves. as far as possible; to feed
themselves; as soon as they are old
enough, to dress themselves, and
even, at a very early stage, TO pick
up their toys after they have finish
ed play. Ahey are taught to be con-
siderate and unseltish with each 9TH
er and not eternally to be insisting
on the importance of mine"
They are taught to love animals
and to be kind to them. And they
learn familiarity with plants and
flowers, and something OF how these
grow. And whatever natural i'm
pulse they may have to make
things is as far as possible encour-
aged-whether with blocks or clay
or pencil And even the tiniest ones
learn to run and jump and climb.
A baby who is we'll and interest
ed and who isn't slapped and scold-
| ed doesn't whine or cry. So these
are happy babies.
Start Baby Garden.
A mother might admit that all
these conditions are desirable and
yet feel that the whole question was
settled by the fact that no baby gar
den flourished within reach of her
own family.
But it is perfectly easy. if not for
one mother. then for half q dozen
neighboring mothers, to start their
own baby garden. 1t will be i'm
mensely interesting to work out the
details of it themselves. And they
Will learn great deal while they
are doing it.
In any case, don't dismiss this idea
as mere fad or "frill." Did YOU
know that it is great deal more i'm
portant to provide the right con-
ditions for children who are too
young to go to school than for the
older ones? Did you know that the
time between nursing and school
age is really the critical period of
his life? That IL you ever are GO
ing to take pains" with his health
and education, you ought to do it
then, even though he hasn't reached
the reading, writing and arithmetic.
stage?
These years make up the most
impressionable period in the life of
human being. In what way are
you going to choose TO have YOUR
particular child moulded and train
ed?
IT'S. probably true that a mother
who can give her baby all he needs
at home doesn't need to send him
to baby garden. But how many
can?
The mother who employs a nurse.
or that underlined and totally un-
equipped creature called, a nurse
maid. for her babies, surely isn't
doing much for them. A nurse can
keep the children clean and take
them on more or less melancholy
little walks outdoors, but only. a su-
pernurse is fit to be entrusted. with
all the questions of their health,
happiness and general training.
The mother who cannot afford TO
hire any relief for herself. and who
has to combine baby tending with
cooking, dishwashing, sweeping.
sewing and the personal demands
made by her husband and older chill
dren, may love her baby very much
1t is true. She may cuddle him mas
sfonately whenever she has time.
and she may love to feel him cling
ing sunshine and running brook