While a woman is nursing she should eat plenty of nourishing food—­milk, oatmeal, cracked wheat, and good juicy, fresh meat, boiled, roasted, or broiled, but not fried.  Between each meal, before going to bed, and once during the night, she should take a cup of cocoa, gruel made with milk; good beef tea, mutton broth, or any warm, nutritive drink.  Tea and coffee are to be avoided.  It is important to keep the digestion in order and the bowels should be carefully regulated as a means to this end.  If necessary, any of the laxative mineral waters can be used for this purpose, or a teaspoonful of compound licorice powder taken at night.  Powerful cathartic medicines should be avoided because of their effect upon the baby.  The child should be weaned at nine months old, unless this time comes in very hot weather, or the infant is so delicate that a change of food would be injurious.  If the mother is not strong her nurseling will sometimes thrive better upon artificial food than on its natural nourishment.  By gradually lengthening the interval between the nursing and feeding the child, when it is hungry, the weaning can be accomplished without much trouble.

A young mother should wear warm underclothing, thick stockings and a flannel jacket over her night dress, unless she is in the habit of wearing an under vest.  If the body is not protected by warm clothing there is an undue demand upon the nervous energy to keep up the vital heat, and nerve force is wasted by the attempt to compel the system to do what ought to be done for it by outside means.

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HOW TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN.

1.  PARENTAL INFLUENCE.—­The art of having handsome children has been a question that has interested the people of all ages and of all nationalities.  There is no longer a question as to the influence that parents may and do exert upon their offspring, and it is shown in other parts of this book that beauty depends largely on the condition of health at the time of conception.  It is therefore of no little moment that parents should guard carefully their own health as well as that of their children, that they may develop a vigorous constitution.  There cannot be beauty without good health.

2.  MARRYING TOO EARLY.—­We know that marriage at too early an age, or too late in life, is apt to produce imperfectly developed children, both mentally and physically.  The causes are self-evident:  A couple marrying too young, they lack maturity and consequently will impart weakness to their offspring; while on the other hand persons marrying late in life fail to find that normal condition which is conducive to the health and vigor of offspring.

3.  CROSSING OF TEMPERAMENTS AND NATIONALITIES.—­The Crossing of temperaments and nationalities beautifies offspring.  If young persons of different nationalities marry, their children under proper hygienic laws are generally handsome and healthy.  For instance, an American and German or an Irish and German uniting in marriage, produces better looking children than those marrying in the same nationality.  Persons of different temperaments uniting in marriage, always produces a good effect upon offspring.