mothers are, as a rule, soft marks, are they not?

It is difficult to answer fully a question of this sort, as so much
depends on the child's temperament and environment. A frail, delicate
child with the promise of high mental development requires a finer and
softer grade of nutriment than one of a coarse animal nature with
strong, well-developed digestive organs.

All healthy children, especially boys (as Mr Saxon will attest!), are
full of mischief and restlessness, which it is the duty of a mother or
a nurse to divert into right channels.[3] The display of temper is
probably an indication of this not being done, though it _may_ be due
in part to the raw diet not suiting the child.

[3] This correspondent, and all mothers of difficult children, should
study the works of Mary Everest Boole, published by C.W. Daniel, Ltd.;
also _The Children All Day Long_, by E.M. Cobham.--[EDS.]

The advice I would give would be to alter the diet and make it
lighter.

From my point of view, Dr Montessori has not given sufficient
attention to the other side of the diet question, preferring to remain
more on the side of orthodoxy. Moreover, her own work has been done in
Italy, where a climate prevails which does not call for so free a use
of vegetables and salads as is the case in our own cooler and bleaker
clime.

I suggest, as a beginning, the following diet might be tried, but it
is necessarily impossible to guarantee good results unless the cause
of the puffy eyes and temper have been definitely located by personal
examination:--

_On rising._--A raw ripe apple, finely grated, or simply scraped out
with a silver spoon.

_Breakfast at 8._--A scrambled egg on a Granose biscuit with a little
finely chopped salad or finely grated; raw roots appetisingly served
with a dressing of oil, lemon juice and a little honey. This to be
followed by an "Ixion" or "P.R." biscuit, with fresh butter.

_Dinner at 2._--Home-made cottage cheese, or cream cheese, or a nut
meat (served cold out of the tin, or, better still, home-made). Two
casserole-cooked vegetables, done with a little fruit juice and lemon
to retain colour. This to be followed by a baked apple with cream and
a little home-made, unfired pudding made of dried fruits.

_Supper at 5._--A slice of "Maltweat" bread, and butter, and a cupful
of clear vegetable soup, or some hot water with some lemon juice
added, and slightly sweetened with a little honey.

GIDDINESS AND HEAD TRO