Year: 1873

In .his age OF inquiry, it is customary
to search into the beginning OF things.
The first printing office; the first steam


boat; the first railroad and sewing ma
chine, are matters of history. But what
about the first baby or the first cradle :?
| 10 reccOllect reading in some old book
an account Of the first baby; but the
origin Of cradles is still i'm the dark; al
though il Will not be denied that to the
first named must be given the preference
of antiquity. These two articles appear
from necessity connected together and
dependant upon each other. The his
tory of the first baby does not prevent a
very bright chapter in human nature.


The boy it is said killed his brother,
and afterwards ran away from his par
ents and set up business for himself. 1t
occurs to Us that the boy was raised
without cradle and that was why the
child was spoiled; not having felt the
soothing influence OF good ''rOck-a-
by,n his passions became rufiled and
sour, and hence his bad end. 1t is
worthy of remark that babies are first
introduced into - newly formed house
hold and cradles soon follow, and both
are successors of matrimony. If any
one knows Of an exception 10 this rule
let him speak, but everything is sub
ject to improvement. The first cradle,
perhaps, was only q rude trough made
from log of wood. The last, a splen-
didly ornamented crib, swinging on
pivots and running on castings; but
how is it with the babies? What inn
pruvements has been made with them
since the first; are they any larger or
better formed, or are they more intel
lectual or of better morals; or have they
lost in physical as well as moral and in
lellectual powers, are questions which


we leave at present for Others to settle.
Speaking of babies reminds Us of the
fact that we once had crib in our


house, hut no cradle; wife cOntended
that n cradle was needed, that with one,
baby would not cry so much, would be
easier managed, that she could save


much time for other work. But | had
studied the matter perfectly, and said it


was all a habit, without the knowledge
of one he would not feel its wants,
would sleep so much anyhow; and our
baby was not worth 4 cradle, and so !
carried my point for six months, all the
while things grew worse at head quar-
I tiers; one day following the dictates of
| habit, l came home to dinner, was in a
/ hurry, dinner was not ready, baby was
cross and the cradle question came into


review. had argued the question long
enough, and resolved to put a clencheI
on the whole matter; so l went down
street to a furniture store and bought
/ the best cradle I could find; took it home
and we soon had it in readiness, and
reader how do you think we made it
/ I'll tell you that little rascal went for it
| like young duck for the water, and lie


took the biggest sleep, and everything


in our house went lovingly after that


/ am always on hand fof an argument,


but the cradle question is one that is
settled. There is no use in discussing it
any longer, one baby will set up all the
arguments against.


And now young mar, my closing ad-


monitlOn is, if you contemplate matri-


mOny, count in also with the chances,
the cost Of q eradle.-People's lLo'oal
Paper.