Year: 1874

BY t. ADoLPHUs SMITH.


WRITE as son, as husband, and as a
man of family. My subject is one of the
utmost Importance to the married and
embarrassing community. | believe in
writing to the papers upon subjects of
| family interest. 1t is a good thing.
Ofcourse | have no sympathy in COM
mon with the silly people who ask for all
Sorts of information from the family
newspaper" AS, for instance, where " a
young man just in society" wants to know
what he is to do with his napkin when
he Is invited out to a "swelln dinner
party and The editor tells him that he had
better take the "article in question" home
and have it washed. That is absurd, of
coursel


SO, too, when a "miss in her teens"
confesses that she walks and flirts with a
married man every night and wants to
know if there is anything wrong about it.
That, of course, is ridiculousl


Or where lone just commenced life"
writes to know what business will make
him rich in three years, without any in
vestment of capital or expenditure of
labor on his part. He must be an ass


write upon n such ridiculous mat
tcrs But the subject upon which l
scratch these few lines reaches every
fathers heart; aIdas you answer it you
will cIrry joy o many household.


To come at it then-we are married.


RS- we I mean IphigenIa and I. call
her "Pheegie" for short and as pet
name. But mother doesn't believe in pet
names and calls her plain Iphigenia.


Mother lives with us. | think it is
quite an advantage. But somehow Phee-
gle don't seem to think so. | am the
youngest of seven sons. When father
died and | was married my brothers said
that as they were older than /, and had
had more of dear mothers care, it would
be only fair to me to have mother spend
the rect of her life in my family. /
thought that it was real atfectionate and
self-sacriicing on their part But some
how Pheegie don't seem to think so.


Dear mother is very sensitive about
being in the way. If she says it once
day she does a dozen times, that If we
feel she is trespassing in the little room
she occupies we have only to say so, and
she will lind humble cot in some retired
spot and there pass her widowed days
praying for the welfare of her children.
think this is very touching and sweet
on her part. But somehow Pheegie don't
seem to think so. She says: Suppose
we take her up some day-how much cot
do you suppose she would retire to?"


| don't like the sentiment. How could
indorse it and have the assurance 10 look
tor the length of days promised in the
fifth commandment?


But this is not my subject What /
want to ask you about is our baby. We
have got baby. | mean Pheegie and l !;
and ii IL had not been for dear mother
don't know how we could have got along
Just as soon as the little thing was a
month old mother took it TO sleep with
her. She declared that never would a
wink Of sleep come TO her eyelids if she
left that child for young and inexperi.
enced parents to roll on and smother.


But when she took our little darling in
this tender way to her grandmaternal
bosom, dear mother said, in just so many
words, that if her affection for the infant
was mIsconstrued, or if we grudged her
the playful caresses which the child
might Inadvertently bestow upon her, we
had only to say as much, and she would
find humble cot in some retired spot
and then pass her widowed days praying
for her beloved children and grandchil-
dren.


Pheegie said, ooh, bother the hum
BILE cot!n But don't think my dear wife
understands mother. l thought there
was something very touching in this dis
play OF grandmamma's devotion. But
somehow Pheegie don't seem to think so.


AS said, however, we have got baby.


He is boy. He is also very bright
child, indeed. For that matter the worthy
nurse told Pheegie that she did not know
as she had ever nursed brighter young
one. Our own baby is six months old
now, and is very healthy. Dear mother
says that she don't exactly like the way
in which it shakes its head every now
and then. think it is queer too, for its
head certainly does shake at times with
out the slightest occasion for it. some
times feel quite serious about it, But
| Pheegie don't seem to feel so, and when |
said thought | ought to speak to the
doctor about il she said that | might also
tell him that the child's toes wriggied
peculiarly. didn't like her saying that
aud l noticed that dear mother didn't
laugh. | agree with her that God gives
us these precious wards to take care Of
Pheegie says that she supposes that God
also makes the precious wards head
shake. There is something in that. But
| wonder If Pheegie really loves the
childS Mother often says that she hopes
she does.


We keep a nurse. She is young Irish
girl. confess | don't like her much
and doubt whether she feels very deeply
for the child, Often and often the little
thing cries at nights, but never yet has
that girl come down to see what the mat
ter was. If she would only do so once
in while, at least, It would be showing a
little interest in her charge.


But what | want 10 ask you is this
What is the reason that doctors neve
think that babies are sickS They never
do unless the poor little things are faI
gone with scarlet fever cerebro-spinal
meningitis, OF something dreadlully fatal
Let the child be teething, or have collie
or wind on its little stomach, or anything
Of that kind, and doctors never seem u
feel interested in the patents case. They
say that the little things will "outgrov
It," or something OF that sort. Now, tha
is absurd.


put 1t to you, Mr.. Reader, as a mar
of feeling. Suppose you had pain II
! your person and were really suffering