unmovable, excepting his head, which
rolled and wriggled about from right to left, with the rocking of the
cradle, this rocking being deemed necessary for the purpose of inducing
sleep and silence in the child. My lord and husband protested against
this treatment, proving to me the evil effects of this wrapping and
rocking, by many and weighty reasons, and even said that it would injure
the little ones for life, even if they survived the outrageous abuse
they were subjected to. I was astonished, and said, how can this be? We
were all trained and treated in this manner, and yet lived and grew up
in the best possible style. All our countrymen have been brought up in
this way, and none of them that I know of have ever been injured in the
way you suggest. He gave it up, and allowed me to go on in the old way,
until something happened which suddenly checked the babe in his progress
in health and happiness. He began to throw up his milk after nursing,
and to grow ill, giving signs of brain disease, and then my lord said,
you must now give up these customs and take my counsel. So, on the spur
of the moment, I accepted his advice and gave up the cradle. I unrolled
the bindings and wrappings and gave up myself to putting things in due
order. I clothed my child with garments adapted to his age and
circumstances, and to the time and place, and regulated the times of his
eating and play by day, and kept him awake as much as might be, so that
he and his parents could sleep at night. I soon saw a wonderful change
in his health and vigor, though I experienced no little trouble from my
efforts to wean him from the rocking of the cradle to which he was
accustomed. My favorable experience in this matter, led me to use my
influence to induce the daughters of my race, and my own family
relatives, to give up practices which are alike profitless, laborious
and injurious to health. My husband also aided me in getting books on
the training of children, and I studied the true system of training,
learning much of what is profitable to the mothers and fathers of my
country in preserving the health of their children in mind and body. The
binding and wrapping of babes in the cradle prevents their free and
natural movements, and the natural growth of the body, and injures their
health."

The next paper is from the pen of Khalil Effendi, editor of the Turkish
official journal of Beirut. It appeared in the columns of the "Hadikat
el Akhbar" of January