BUDGE AND TODDIE
OR
HELEN’S BABIES AT PLAY

DEDICATION

The Author of “Helen’s Babies”dedicated that book “To theParents of the Best Childrenin the World”; andhis commercial hintappended thereuntowas so generallytaken, that he is impelledby selfishness toseek even a larger classto which to inscribe thepresent volume.He therefore dedicatesit to

Those Who KnowHow to ManageOther People’sChildren.

vii

Introduction

The many indulgent men and women wholiked “Helen’s Babies” so well that theywished they had written it themselves wouldhave changed their minds could they havebeen compelled to read criticisms of a certainkind that were inflicted upon the author assoon as his name and mail address becameknown. Some people were in such haste torelieve their minds that they rushed intoprint with their charges and specifications,all of which were of service to the book, as somuch free advertising; at least, the publishersaid it was, and his opinion on such a matterwas entitled to special respect.

Some of the critics were parents of theearnest, forceful, but matter-of-fact kind thatdoes not doubt its own infallibility in familygovernment and regards all children as scionsof one unchanging stock and needing to betreated exactly alike, no matter in what directiontheir tendencies may be. A largernumber were unmarried persons with theoriesof their own which had not been marredviiiin whole or in part by anything so utterlycommonplace and exasperating as experience.These good people, whether uncles oraunts of children over whom they were notallowed to exercise any authority, or merebachelors and maids unattached to anybody’babies of any kind, joined in abusing Budgeand Toddie as the worst trained children thatever were tossed into print and in declaringthe boys’s Uncle Harry incomparably incapableas a disciplinarian, unless, indeed, theparents of Budge and Toddie were still lesscompetent to bring up children in the waythey should go.

Still another class was composed of professionalteachers who had taken long, seriouscourses of instruction in juvenile humanity,its nature, possibilities, limitations, dutiesand mental conditions at specified ages.Apparently these regarded a child as somethingcreated for the special purpose of beingsubjected to pers

BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!

Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR!