Year: 1879

panied one of the fifty physicians ap- pointed to visit the city's tenement houses and relieve cases of infant sick ness. The writer says:

 When the doctor inquired on the first floor of No. 55 Forsyth street if there were any sick children, woman made him answer, No, sir, neither sick nol well; poor people can't afford to have any children" which left the inference that she had none herself. It was ob- served that the women whose children were in good health were themselves in good spirits, as though they were parti- cularly favored by Providence in this exemption of their offspring from the current ills of infantile humanity. On the top floor in the rear of this number an open door revealed three half-clad children sprawling over the floor, which was in very dirty and confused con- fused condition, a bucket of slops being half spilled in one corner, while old boots and shoes and rags of every conceivable description were Uttered around. A tall, broad-shouldered wo- man, in her bare feet, stood in the mid dle of the floor, and as she looked at the doctor she appeared to be making ready to spring on him and throw him down stairs, but it turned out she had no in tention of the kind, but, on the contrary, felt like clasping him to her bosom, for >ne of her children had the whooping- ough, another diarrhea and the third measles. Here, indeed, the doctor was a most welcome visitor, and his pre- scriptions were looked upon as a pre- cious boon. Big and strong as the woman seemed she was perfectly helpless in the presence of this varied visitation of sick ness, and her children lay about the fool pale, languid and dirty, as if they had no mother to look after them.

 In the rear of No 45 Forsyth street pale, handsome, black-eyed woman opened the door to the doctors sum- mons. She had pale, puny child in her arms. and the doctor thought this was a case where fresh air and trip to the seaside would prove the most potent medicine.

 Better take a ticket and go on one of the free excursions with your baby" said the doctor.

 But l have three more babies" sine replied

 Well, take them all along"

 Cant do it, for there would be no one left at home to cook supper for the old man."

 This was only one of hundreds of cases where poor women, unable to keep a servant, have to toll and nurse along from morning till night through the whole hot season without ever getting D chance to see the green fields and eetthe country air for themselves and their babies On Q top floor of this rear building, and occupyingjust two rooms, was sad case of sickness and destitu- tion in the persons of an old man who was paralyzed and rendered unable to work and his wife laid down with cholera morbus. They had no soul near

 lelp them and no money or food. A German family at No. 46 Forsyth street, on the second floor, called the doctor to see a little girl of eighteen months who in teething had had convulsions. She was worn away to a thread, and her eyes had an intensely weary expression. Her hair was mass of blonde curls and she had evidently been @ beautiful child before her sickness. The family were all solicitude about her and the doctor took pains to assure them that she would be all right soon, though the chances looked against her. On the floor above this a young woman, whose life had evi- dently not been passed on a bed of roses, showed the doctor poor pale-faced child that had bnnn Sl1ffnriOor from ii arrhea for eight days.

 What have you been giving her?" was asked.

 ''Coffee and little bread" - ."That won do. Why don't you giv her milk?"

 "She won't take no milk and I don't know what to do with her."

 The room had deplorable look of poverty. The window curtains were in rags, and an old mattress, with the con tents protruding here and there through the covering, lay on the floor, which was without a shred of carpet or oil cloth, while a rickety chair and table constituted the rest of the furniture. The woman said that her husband made S1.50 day when work was steady, but that had not been for long time; but it was easy to tell in the prematurely worn face of the young wife that the usual cause of the misery of the poor was I at the bottom of this sad case of destitu- i tion.

 | Baked Bible.

 There is . Bible in Lucas county, Ohio which at one time contained some very