the feet and hands will be cold to the touch. It is very apt to be inactive, refuses its food, and young infants will attempt to nurse with difficulty and fretfulness. If at this time the mother will herself turn to that faithful guide, the thermometer, it will indicate a rise of temperature. The clinical thermometer is an instrument with which parents should be familiar. Its use is simple and easily acquired, while any indication, either above or below the normal, 98 degrees, is a sure indication of some disturbance that requires attention. With proper, careful treatment at the first stage, bronchitis is one of those diseases which can often be aborted, or much lessened in the degree of the attack. When the attack is likely to be severe, the dilatation of the nostrils is a prominent and serious symptom, as is also a blue appearance of the face.

In all cases there are at the beginning more or less catarrhal symptoms-that is sneezing, watery and red appearance of the eyes and discharge from the nostrils. Cough is a constant and ever-present symptom; it is frequent, hard, and in the earlier stages, dry. Later on it may become moist, but sometimes it is dry and hacking throughout. The face is flushed, the skin hot and dry. There is a common and much more severe type of bronchitis in infants, known as capillary bronchitis or suffocative catarrh. It dif fers from the ordinary attack, in the complete prostration and signs of suffocation. The disease is most dangerous and fatal, of a somewhat similar appearance to pneumonia.

But it is to the mild form of bronchitis that I wish to confine myself, for I trust it may never be the lot of any of my readers to be without medical aid in so alarming a condition as the severe form.

Bronchitis, when it remains confined to the large tubes, is not a dangerous disease, although in some constitutions, especially those of inherited tubercular tendency, it is apt to become chronic. In cases where one or both parents have died from consumption, children frequently inherit a disposition to repeated attacks of bronchitis, which, appar

ently of slight consequence, may lead to results of a chronic and serious nature. Such children are generally of a delicate constitution, pale, inactive, and perhaps over-bright in intellect. Preventive treatment alone will be all-important in these cases.

Domestic Treatment.

In the beginning of mild cases, before the physician is called-if the bowels are constipated or the tongue coated-a dose of castor oil is advisable. A warm bath is one of the most effectual of all remedies. One word in regard to the mode of giving the latter. Have the room warm; undress the child under a blanket, cover all parts of the body with water as warm as can be comfortably borne. Have the tub covered with a blanket, in which carefully envelop the child afterwards. Ten minutes' time in the bath is generally sufficient. Cover the little one warmly and carefully, and encourage free perspiration for two hours. When the breathing is laborious and the cough annoying, cover the chest, back and front, with warm flaxseed poultices, frequently changed. Make them light, keep them warm and moist. Relieve the thirst by iced milk in tablespoonful doses. When the physician arrives he will prescribe the necessary medicine if any be needed. The syrup of ipecac can be given by the mother, in small doses, if the cough is dry.

Preventive Measures.

Bronchitis can generally be prevented. Somebody is always to blame for an attack. It may be the careless nurse, who allows the over-heated child to become suddenly chilled, or the child may be exposed to a change of air, or taken from a room of high temperature to one of lower. The blame may go further back than all this, and parents with lungs already diseased may give to their offspring an inherited taint that will predispose them through life to frequent and serious attacks of bronchitis.

The temperature of the home should be maintained at an even and moderate degree. The rooms should be supplied with pure, fresh air, frequently changed. Few people

understand the proper mode of ventilating a room. For at least fifteen minutes daily, a free current of air should be supplied to every room. In order to accomplish this, windows must be open top and bottom. In addition to this, where proper ventilation is not arranged, the windows should be left lowered a little from the top, and draft prevented. This allows a constant circulation, even where the space is very small. An open grate or fire-place is an excellent means of ventilation. It is equally important that the air of the room at night be fresh and pure. The nursery or living room should have plenty of light and sun. A location facing south is always most desirable, and an upper room is preferable.

The baby, almost from its birth, should be made accustomed to daily cold bathing, and out door air in all seasons of the year. Four to six hours a day in fine weather should be spent out of doors. The parks and places least frequented are always best. When the day is very windy or stormy the daily outing had better be omitted. Cutting winds and cold rains are always to be avoided, being more apt to cause chill than if the day is bright

and sunny and the thermometer near to

zero.

The bath in early infancy should be warm, and gradually lowered in temperature, until about as warm as rain water in summer, 95 to 98 Fahr. This should never be neglected, and only discontinued when the child's age will be so advanced that the duty can be safely transferred. The daily tepid bath, in this climate, is one safeguard against bronchitis. It should always be taken in a comfortably heated room, and there should be subsequent friction with a towel sufficient to cause reaction.

The clothing should cover every part of the body except the face; that is, in cold weather. Bronchitis is rather more common in boys than girls, but that is not sufficient reason why the clothing of the latter should not be as warm as that of the former. The girl, who is given by nature a frame more delicate than her brother, cannot be permitted to dress in a manner more exposed than he. both, the clothing should be of flannel, light and warm; especially should the limbs, hands and feet be always warm. All clothing worn during the day should be changed at night.

For

to take two or three hours out of each day's work, and devote them exclusively to the education of her children. But, oh, what grand opportunities her daily occupations offer to familiarize young minds with the workings of nature, to skill young hands in such work as all children may learn to do! Arousing their understanding by teaching their eyes to see and their ears to hear intelligently; that is what we should do for our children before they enter the school-room.

Make your farm or country home a kindergarten in the true sense of the word; make your children's study or work play, and their play study or work. Come, let us live for our children," says Froebel; I wish to add: "Let us live with our children." Great Nature herself, from her three vast kingdoms, will furnish an inexhaustible supply of object lessons, full of interest, ever new and ever varied. We all know how thankfully and eagerly our little ones receive all information that we are willing and able to impart to their young minds. The materials on hand let us bestow on them liberally but wisely. The city kindergartner may call to her aid all that art has produced to imitate nature; let her spare neither trouble nor expense to .procure models, pictures and representations of animal and vegetable life in all its forms; yet how inadequate these helps must appear in the presence of living objects-plants in their natural growth, animals in their native element. All we teach our children can be entirely practical; we need no artificial aids in the country. We wish our children to learn to work intelligently and systematically from the beginning, and above all, they should always work cheerfully. They are not naturally fond of work; they are much like grown people in this respect. None of us take a delight in doing things we cannot see the use of unless stimulated by the remuneration we expect to receive. Therefore I say that children should either distinctly understand why they are doing any kind of work, and be made to feel an interest in it, or receive some kind of reward, no matter how small. In their childish eyes the most trifling things often assume a great value. Whenever chil

dren work grumblingly or unsatisfactorily, we may be sure that the fault lies in us. Let us never impose on our children a greater task than by reason of their childish nature they are able to perform; work with them or rather let them work with you; urge them on by words of encouragement and praise, and you will be surprised how much even very young children can accomplish.

Let us begin our work on a warm sunny day in spring. The last lingering little heaps of snow in the fence corners have disappeared in the warm rays of the afternoon sun; the sweet notes of the meadow-lark have called our little ones out on the lawn. We will join them for a little while; our coming will make them glad; they know we shall show them many things that will please them, while teaching them lessons of practical value. The dry grass and leaves of last autumn have to be removed a good opportunity to teach the little ones the use of the rake. Then the little wagon is brought out, and accompanied by merry songs and laughter all the trash that had accumulated during the winter is removed. Now, we can enjoy together the nice, clean, smooth appearance of the lawn that looked so brown and ugly before our work on it commenced.

The object lesson will follow next, somewhat in this manner: Let us see what grows on our lawn that makes it look so green? We may uproot a single plant of the grass, point out the peculiarities of its nature, explain that though dead to all appearance, it lived through all the storms of winter ready to put forth its fresh green blades in the first warm rays of a spring sun. After dwelling a little while on the different uses that are made of grass and its varieties, we can gradually lead the conversation to other topics.

The children have thus acquired a little knowledge, ever so little to be sure; but what a vast amount of learning will be stored up in their little heads in the course of years through a daily lesson of this kind.

I have frequently observed that on some of our best cultivated farms everything living and growing seems to receive better care and attention than the children of the house

hold. They are mostly left to their own resources from the time they leave mother's arms and are able to run about until they are sent to school; spending in idleness three or four years of their lives that might be so well employed, precious years in which they might gather so much useful knowledge. The skill our little ones attain during those early years is of the greatest value in after life. Let me repeat the statement that a busy mother may often find the work she is employed in the very means of training her little ones, without devoting much of her time to the task, if she will give the matter the earnest consideration it well deserves. Let the children ever deem it a privilege to be allowed to help mamma or work under her guidance; never let them feel that we are imposing tasks on them, and we shall find our own well-trained children the most delightful companions in our work, while they in their turn will seek no better friend than mother, their kind and patient instructor in the work they so much delight in.

We propose to teach this lesson while planting the vegetable garden on a delightful balmy day in April. The little ones have been full of eager anticipation of the happy time when they will be permitted to help mamma make the garden, and a shout of joy greets the announcement that the work is to begin. We made a plan of it some time during the winter in the children's presence. They understand perfectly well the meaning of the lines in the drawing that we will now use for a guide in our work, for they were attentive little listeners when thus we taught them their first practical lesson in geography.

The ground has been ploughed; the seeds have been selected, and our little friends made happy with a set of good garden tools suited to their strength and size. I think it is a great mistake to give children tools of any kind that are only toys, and not calculated to do the work they are intended for. There is nothing that will so discourage a Ichild as to have a tool break and bend in its first attempt at useful labor.

Everything is ready now to begin the

work, and a happy little band is wandering forth to the garden spot. See with what energy the little hands are leveling and smoothing the earth. Then comes the best of all-the sowing of the seed. It is really surprising how well very small children can learn to do such work. I have seen a little boy four years old planting several long rows of peas and beans, placing the seeds at even distances, or as nearly so as is necessary. With a little patient teaching very young children will learn to handle small seeds equally well. To have them understand what depth the seeds should be sown, it is well to assort according to their sizes all the seeds to be planted at one time. Then begin with the smallest, as lettuce, parsley, etc.; show that they must be sown in very shallow drills and lightly covered, because their fine germs cannot push through a thick layer of earth. Peas and beans must be planted much more deeply, so that they may be firmly rooted. When we come to potatoes let us teach our little ones that what we plant are not seeds (though usually called seed-potatoes), but portions of the bulbous formation of the roots of last year's growth. Let us reward their efforts by tracing the initials of their names in the ground, and have them sow cress seed into the drills thus made.

We must be very cautious never to compel nor induce our children to continue their work until they grow weary of their task; if we do they will be apt to remember the fatigue they endured rather than the pleasure their occupation had afforded them, and will cease to love labor. It is the nature of childhood to require frequent changes; let earnest work be often relieved by merry play, as Our master Froebel prescribes. Our children have preeminently the right to be made happy, and it is the privilege of us mothers to make them so; therefore we should study what pleases them as much as what will instruct them.

When the task for the day is completed, we will clean our tools and put them where they may be readily found the next day. Each lesson in manual labor should be made