“Dog-days,” they say, “give children cholera infantum,” when the truth of the matter is, the accustomed food has been reduced both in quantity and quality, and they are compelled to eat or suck candies, swallow pieces of nuts, fruits, cakes, pickles, or anything the larger children choose to give. “Baby must go to ride in the carriage;” yes, and remain for hours without food, or, what is as bad, given milk to drink from a bottle that has lain beside the warm body for hours. In fact, the child thus treated may continue to pine, and really starve at the very time it should have been more lavishly fed. The system of infants has to be guarded at all times and in all places; but more especially in our New England climate, where the atmosphere is so extremely varied. Even if a child does suck the breast, it can be fed through the day, now on oatmeal and milk, and again on plain Indian meal or flour pudding. By these means, warmth is supplied to the blood, and strength to the nerves and muscles. I hope no one will understand me as advocating heat alone as a life preserver, for I do not. It is heat alone that renders the systems of many children so susceptible to colds. It is uniformity and moderation in their whole management that I am trying to impress upon the minds of all who may desire to profit thereby. CHAPTER XIII. TIME FOR WEANING. It is claimed, and no doubt rightfully, that it is the children of the poorer classes who suffer most in large cities from bowel complaints. To this too many are ready to say, “Amen.” But there are duties involving upon each and all, rich or poor, from which none can expect to be excused till the last known part has been performed. As the chances now appear, there need be no lack of the common comforts of life in most of our large cities and towns. This is a land of opportunities; in it the laborer gets, or should get, his hire. It therefore becomes his privilege to aid by prudence, industry, and economy, in elevating his family to the discouragement of pauperism and wilful neglect of the laws of health. It very often happens that those very persons, who claim to be too poor to obtain the necessary comforts of life for their little ones, will not hesitate to purchase some extortionately high-priced article, for which they must enslave themselves to pay by the week or month, and which is of far less value than their own or their children’s health. I would suggest here that an extra ten-cent piece be deposited in safe keeping each day as a surety for a baby’s comforts for the first six months; which should afterward be increased to twenty cents a day, and thus continued during its childhood.