Then we put it into boots, We crush its delicately fashioned fect into hideous leather instruments of torture." That is the sort.of phrase that is hurled at us. 'The picture conjured up is that of some fiend in human shape, calling itself a seizing some hello-s cherub by it, and, while drowning its pathetic wails for merey beneath roars. of demon Inughter, proceeding to bind about' its tender bones some ancient curiosity dug from the dungeons of the Inquisition, If the young gentleman fresh from College or the maiden lady Understander could: be, only for a month or two, a father! Tf only he or she could guess how gladly the father of limited income would reply "My dear, you avo wrong in saying. that the children must have boots. That is an. exploded theory. The children must not ave boots. I refuse to he s party to crushing their delicately fashioned feet into hideous leather instruments of torture, The young gentleman fresh from College and the elderly maiden Understander have decided that the Children must not have boots. Do not Jet me hear again that out-of-date word—boots."
Li. there were only one young gentleman fresh from College, oe maiden Indy Undorstander teaching us our duty, life would he simpler. But there are so many young gentlemen from College, so many maiden indy Understanders on the job—if I may. be permitted a vulgarism; and as yet they are not all agreed. It is distracting for the parent anxious todo right. Wo put the little dears into sandals, and then ab once other young gentlemen from College, other maiden lady Understanders, point to us as would-be murderers. Long clothes are fatal, short clothes ate deadly, boots are instruments of torture, to allow children to yo about with bare feot shows that we regard them as Incumbrances, and, with low cunning, are seeking to be rid of them.
I knew pair of parents. I am convinced, in spite of all that can be said to the contrary, they wore fond of their Child; it was their first. They wore anxious to do-the right thing. They road with avidity all books and articles written on the subject of Childrem 'They read that a child should always sloop lying on its back, and took it in turns to sit awake o' nights to make sure that the Child was always right side up. But another magazine told them that children allowed to sleep lying on their backs grow up to be idiots. They were sad_ they had not read of this before and started the Child on its right side The Child, on the contrary, appeared to have a predilection for the left, the result being that neither the parents nor the baby itself for the next three weeks got any sleep worth speaking of. Later on, by good fortune, they came across treatise that said a Child should always be allowed to choose its own position while sleeping, and their friends persuaded them to stop at that—told them they would never strike a batter article if they searched the whole British Museum Library. It-troubled them to find that Child sometimes sleeping curled up with its toe in its mouth, and sometimes flat on its stomach with its head beneath. the pillow. But its health and temper were decidedly improved.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.