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HI Would you Ilk to hear something of
I what It means to be a Oerman baby? To
I be a baby In the fatherland la aa different
from bilng a baby In any other part or the
civilized world aa It IB to be an Indian
papoose. Here we Are the whole thing. We
am mu"h wanted how la It with you? A
marriage without us tklnder lose ehe) Is a calamity un
speakable. That we are the greatest thing In the world
la agreed upon by our progenitors and elders both Indi
vidual!? and corporately. We are the central pivot on
which everything turns both from a conjugal point of
view and a municipal one. The result Is that the science
of our health has been long and well thought out by all
of the doctors and great men. Our welfare tn public has
been made an affair of state. Our domestic conveniences
and accessories have long been and are more and more
becoming the chief concern not only of our mothers but
of all the women and many of the men In the fatherland.
On this account we nave 'acquired habits and belongings,
to say nothing of accommodations which you may like td
hear about.
I will begin by telling you about oir clothes. If you
could see mine you would stare. My shirt Is much like
yours except that It Is nearly always the kind which
fastens with one button. My nainsook slip, which is elab
orately trimmed with lace and run wltn endless ribbons,
Is as short as my shirt. Over this I sometimes wear a
crochet sacque.
German Baby Dresses for Health.
To the bottom edge of my sacque I appear much like
you American babies. But below this I am not bothered
with any long skirts. My legs are Incased In a loose
blanket fastened around my body and turned up over the
bottom of my feet, envelope fashion, which Is known by
the horrid name of a swaddling blanket. It feels better
than It sounds and does not show, because I, my body,
my feet, swaddling blanket, and all, are thrust into a
swaddling pillow which looks more than anything eUe
like a handkerchief sachet. It Is oval shaped at the top,
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where It comes up under my head and prevents it flopping
around In the dreadful way I have seen the heads of one
or two foreign babies do. It has a fine ruffled pillow slip
iWlth a fanciful piece hanging from the foot end which
turns up over me like a sheet and makes the top of the
pillow.1 This comes up to my arms, where It Is tied with
ribbons.
The part of the pillow case which comes up under my
head Is so elaborately trimmed with flounces that it is
becoming, and when I go out it gives me the effect of
having many sets of frills to my bonnet. This Is called a
" stech klssen," and we stay In them all the time until we
are 3 months old. The result is that we are not Jolted
about when we are carried, and picked up, and laid down, '
and held In lap, and ro we are none of ub nervous.
I don't often cry do you T except that I howled at flrst
when they gave me my bathand you won't wonder when
I tell you. But before I forget, there Is one more thing
that I want to tell you about the stech klssen. The old
fashioned ones used to have the ribbons wound several
times about the babies' legs and tied tight It was sup
posed to keep their legs straight, but It only made them
soft Instead, and It Is now entirely gone out, I am thank
ful to say. If you should see a picture of one put on In
this way you may know that It Is only on a doll, for even
a halfway sort of doll baby would not be without a stech
klnen.
J J
Bath Is of Tepid Water.
Now about our bath. For this we are laid on top of
a table made for the purpose. Our solo outfit Is a pad and
a towel to lie on and sometimes a rubber pillow. The wa
iter is not too warm, and the room Is not warm, either.
You would call It froeilng. Do you wonder I howled?
When we get used to It, though, we like It It Is better
than being twisted around In somebody's lap; they even
wash us this way until we ret to be 8 years old.
Everything Is done with the most tcientlflo Ideas of
cleanliness. We' would scorn to have our heads and our
heels washed together In the democratic fashion which I
hear Is done to the babies of some countries. I have my
plunge In the tub. my face washed In the bowl, and there
are three other little bowls one for my mouth, one for
my eyes, and one. my (father says, for " that little absurdi
ty they call my nose." These are each filled with Bterlllxed
water, with which Is used a little piece of absorbent cot
ton. Every time I eat they v&sh.out my mouth right after.
That's another time when I howl.
Everything disagreeable of this kind Is soon forgotten,
though, beoause early every morning, from the flrst day or
two after we arrive In, the world, we are off to the park.
If you are a " Lahmann baby " (he I the most radical
baby doctor there la) you go the next day after you are
Introduced to your mother and father. Unless It rains
or Is extremely cold you are not more than two or three
weeks old when you "0 and stay out all day.
' There Is a mattress In the bottom of my carriage and
Httle curtains to draw in tront In case it gets stormy, and
there Is a little drop bos let down undei the floor, where
are carried bottles and belongings.
My nursemaid Is a pretty sight. I He facing her so
that I can blink at ber If I want to. She flies streamers to
ber rap at the back and wears puffed sleeves clear above
ber elbows, even In winter.
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wet nurse, who Is one of the famous ones from the Spree
forest" Spreewalderin " they are called. 8he wears a
fancy skirt, with a black band around the bottom, a white
apron, a black velvet bodice, which Is cut low, and a fichu
of thin white. She also wears a white cap with stiff cor
ners, which stand out far on each side. Her hips are im
mense, and she wears six petticoats, and her dress turned
in at the top to make them stick out still farther. She
iwill walk In front of my mother, and she carries me on her
'left arm. She has a graceful way of doing It, because
there Is an open place In the seams of both my dress and
coat for her to slip her whole hand and arm through so
that she can put It around me comfortably. This does not!
wrinkle my dress and leaves It to hang gracefully.
The dress falls clear to the ground. It Is trimmed with 1
dozens of rows of needlework and Ince around the hot-
torn and with a wonderful perpendicular panel, which Is,
a mass of fine work up the full length of the front. This
Is edged with little ruffles up and down both edges. Some-!
times this parade Is made In a carriage, and then they
drive slowly so thait everybody ca,n see the baby and con-,
gratulate the mother. Then the nurse sits with her back
to the horses and holds the baby on her arm In the same!
way
J J
Poorer Babies Follow Same System.
Where a family Is poor this event Is not so ceremonious,
but In the houses In which only one maid Is kept and there
Is not even a real nursemaid the whole house Is revolu
tionized In honor of the baby. The mother gets up and
washes him at 6 o'clock. The little maid then takes him
to the park. The mother gets breakfast, eats, and then
goes to the baby. The nurse comes home, eats her break
fast, does the work, moes and buys all the things from the
market, and prepares the vegetables, and puts things over
for dinner. She then comes to the park again, and the
mother conies home and prepares the dinner. After dinner
she goes back with the maid, eats, and does up the work.
They keep this up all day, so that the bftby will not have
to come In.
Do you wonder that this Is considered a glorious coun
try for babies? I never have a cold or sneese. Do you?
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We have a beautiful time. We usually go to the Thier--
garten. There are hundreds of other babies there. Every
thing Is done for our convenience. There are large placet
set aside for us with benches" Klnderbank " they are
called and they are all beautiful shady spots. There are
little booths where our nurses can get the milk warmed
lo Just the right temperature. There are four or five for
esters' houses In the Thiergarten, where the maids sell milk
for the larger children at five " pfennig " a glass. The
" Klndermllch " It Is called. The grass In the Thiergarten
Is cut and saved for the cows which the city keeps to sup
ply the public dairies for the benefit of the poor babies.
Bo you see what I meant when I told you what the city
authorities think of js.
As to our family life, our mothers only await the day
when they can take us out on the promenade In state to
show us. This Is not dene until we are big enough to wear
a dress, and it Is usually when we are about 8 months-old
an after we are christened. . There is such pride In our
arrival that our mothers wish to dlsolay us to envious
eyes and receive congratulations. ' I shall have to go
through It soon, and I am expecting to oe dreadfully bored,
but It Is the thing, and I suppose I shall have to submit.
Baby's Debut a Triumphal Farade.
I have been listening to the details as they have been
talking them over. My mother will be dressed In her best.
Then we will go at the fashionable hour
strasse or imter den Unden. I am to be carried by my
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