THE BABY-CLASS TREE.

We little folks planted a wee, wee, tree,
      The tiniest tree of all;
Right here by the school-house door it stands
With two little leaves like baby’s hands,
      So crumpled and soft and small.

And I really believe it is ever so glad
     That we planted it there to grow,
And knows us and loves us and understands,
For it claps them just like two little hands,
     Whenever the west winds blow.

The Flannel Binder.—­The flannel binders for baby should be cut from the softest kind of flannel and on the bias to increase their elasticity.  They should be about five inches wide and twenty inches long, with the edges raw, or pinked, perhaps, but not hemmed.  After the first six or eight weeks the knitted, circular band which can be bought ready made or may be crocheted at home, is substituted for the flannel binder.

LOVE.

Over and over and over
  These truths I will say and sing—­
That Love is mightier far than Hate;
That a man’s own Thought is a man’s own Fate,
  And that life is a goodly thing. 
                   —­Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

Wholesome Pleasures.—­Pleasures for the little ones should be wholesome and sensible, and the dangers of excitement cannot be overestimated.  Their minds so ready to receive impressions should receive only the best and most beneficial, the wholesome air play in the park, or the country, not too much company, nor too much noise, nor too many toys.

FROM “THE CHILDREN’S HOUR”

Between the dark and the daylight. 
   When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,
   That is known as the Children’s Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me,
   The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
   And voices soft and sweet. 
                             —­Longfellow.

Scrubbing Tender Faces.—­Children have tender skins as a rule, and yet mothers are very apt to scrub the little faces with soap and water and send them out to play.  Think of such treatment in connection with your own skin.  If the children are going out at once after the washing, use warm water with plain unscented soap, then rub a little good cold cream into the skin.

[806 Mothers’ remedies]

From Longfellow’s “Village Blacksmith”

Toiling.—­rejoicing,—­sorrowing,
   Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begun,
   Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
   He has earned a night’s repose.

Saving the Coverlet.—­It is discouraging to the mother to find the eiderdown coverlets becoming soiled where the children rub their hands over them.  This can be avoided by making a tiny sham of swiss or other similar material and basting it across the top of the coverlet.  It can be pinned into place at the corners with tiny baby pins or caught with a few stitches.  These shams edged with narrow lace add a really attractive touch to the coverlet, and they can be quickly removed and easily laundered.