Year: 1878

In spite Of all the statements to the


contrary, there are men who take care


of their children. They are the kindest


and best husbands in the world. They


do not wish to see their wives overbur-


dened with care and worry, and they


intend to help them great deal, and


actually do. Yet it cannot be denied,


that their opinion concerning the value


of their services and their wives opin-


ion ON the same subject do not exactly


coincide. One of these good husbands


viii help dress the children for break


fast, and speak Of it with q grandly


yirtuous air, while the fact is that he


only washed the face of one while his


wife washed and dressed the other three.


He helps get the children ready for


church; that is, he buttons up Dicks


boots, and helps Jenny put ON her gloves
after he has leisurely and comfortably


dressed himself, while his wife ties


sashes, and hunts up odd gloves, and


puts on collars, and curls one child's


hair and washes another's hands, and in
the intervals "does up" her own hair,
and saves the baby from the razor, and
Jenny's best bonnet from the baby. He
stands patiently (?) in the hall as the


bell begins to toll, and mildly calls, at
is getting late, Maria" Which fact
Maria knows as well as he does, for her
hands are trembling 50 with nervousness
and haste that she hardly put single
pin in its right place. Just as the last
strokes of the bell are sounding, they
hurry off to church, losing entirely the
calming influence which comes from
leisurely walk on fine Sunday morning.
He takes the opportunity to remark,
with but shade of reproof in his gentle
tones, 81 can't understand why it takes
you so long to get ready. 1t really does
seem as if, with as much as I do to help
YOU, we need not be obliged to hurry so
at the last minute. 1 don't like to see
you 90 up the aisle with your face as red
as lobster, which, of course, is very
soothing to Maria's irritated nerves.


The father cares for the baby at night
in very much the same fashion. The
mother has lifted the child into her own
bed, and back into its cradle again, in
the vain hope that in one place or the
other he will go to sleep, has brought
@drinks of water" for him, rocked the
cradle and sung to its uneasy occupant
softly and sleepily foI an hour, till fin
ally she thinks that if she is to be in
this seHai-dmphibio1Ls state, half out of
bed and half in, the air from the open
window is too cool for her. She knows
if she tries to shut it herself the little
tyrant will instantly miss her presence
and be ten times wider awake than
ever, and all the hours singing and rock
ing will be labor lost. So, with much |
regret, she softly asks John to get up |
and close the window. He has lain re-
markably still and breathed rather heav- |
ily, and is somewhat difficult to arouse |
for a man who afterWard declares he |
was wide awake ali the time. But like |
the good husband that he is, he cheer !
fully closes the window, and gets an ex- |
ira blanket for the baby, and pleasantly |
asks as he settles down into the pillows |
again, "What makes the baby so uneasy |
to-nightP He manifests strange in |
difference to his wife's reply, and in |
fact nothing more is heard from him till |
morning, while his wife sleepily and
painfully works away for an hour
longer. But at breakfast, with what /
calm complacency does he speak Of the
trouble the baby made US last night,
with an ''usr fairly editorial in its COM
prehensiveness. The next night he goes
into a room by himself to sleep. He /
Cant stand it to have his rest broken |
So" but adds generously, sPn take care
of him the next night" And so he |
does till about twelve o'clock, when the |
baby wakes and cries, For ten minutes
he tries faithfully to get him to sleep
again, and then ANONYMOUSLY retreats
and calls for mammal