A XIXth CENTURY PARADISE,

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 24, 26 February 1881, Page 244

A XlXth CENTURY PARADISE,

BIRTH OF CAIN — astonishment of the parents—other CHILDREN BORN— INVASION OF THE PARADISE.

When the tAvo innocent inmates of the •'XlXth Century Paradise" Avere little more than children their lirst baby Avas born. Dr. Oehschlager treats the Avhole matter concerning the birth of Cain, as his royal patron, the Ameer, immediately named this infant, with art air of ponderous jocularity that appears to me simply repulsive. To a young ancl inexperienced child — for Eve Avas only 15 at the birth of her first baby — the fear and bcAvilderment over which the doctor makes merry were perfectly natural. For some time before her illness she lost all her usual spirits. She refused to play about the garden Avith her only companion, and she sat moping for clays under the shade of a glorious orange tree, apparently brooding over the trouble in store for her. A subtle instinct seemed to tell her that there Avas clanger at hand ; but Adam had no idea that anything Avas seriously Avrong till Avithin a day or tAvo of +he birth of the child. Up to this time neither of them had suffered in any Avay from ill-health, in spite of the bad treatment to which they had been subjected. But Avhen the idea began to daAvn upon Adam that his child-Avife and companion Avas really ill he Avas deeply affected. Much of Dr. Oehschlager's account of this important eA^ent in the lives of the prisoners might Avith propriety be omitted from his book — at least in an edition intended for general reading — but there is certainly nothing in it that does not cause the young father to rise in our estimation. He waited upon Eve during the Avhole of her illness Avith a care ancl attention that most husbands avlio have enjoyed the blessings of civilisation would think it beneath the^m to slioav. For hours he neA'er left her side, but lay Avith his hand in hers, trying to soothe her and sympathise with her. He constantly bathed her head AA'ith water that he brought in a large pitcher-shaped leaf. When she Avould complain of the time he Avas absent, he Avould kiss her hand, cheeks and forehead, ancl slioav his

affection by murmuring every avoi-c! of endearment in his limited \ r ocabulary. It seemed to relieve her Avhen he held her' Avrists tightly Avith his hands, ancl he sat in that position as long as it seemed to please her ; and when her pain Avas at its heighth, ancl she gave vent to her suffering in cries and moans that filled tbe doctor's heart Avith joy on account of its saving him the trouble of inflicting pain. Adam Avent nearly mad Avith sympathy ancl grief on her account. _ When the child actually came, the description given by the doctor of the joy ancl astonishment of the young parents, avlio found themselves thus unexpectedly in sight of a new human being, is one of the most interestingparts of the book. "Adam took the infant ancl looked at it for a feAV minutes in silent Avondering admiration. Then he kissed it all over in a most impassioned manner ; but, immediately on a avoi-cI from Eve, handed it to her Avithout a struggle, and as though he recognized her superior right to it. Tlie child cried after this, ancl the concern of the parents over such a common everyday matter of infantile life was positively ludicrous to see. They first looked at each other Avith an expression of alarm on tlieir faces most comical to see Avhen the cause is considered. They then bent doAvn oyer the * sufferer,' murmuring to it, patting it, kissing it, and shoAving their concern in a thousand different Avays. The child cried again, when, as though his feelings Avere too much for hi in, Adam jumped up, pulled his long hair, and ran about the garden in a state of extreme discomposure. Eve meamvhile pressed her little treasure closely to her heart, Avhere it continued making violent efforts to find out Avhere the nutriment Avas kept that nature told it Avas stored up someAvhere about its mother's person. Adam brought the child a large leaf full of all the fruits that greAv in Paradise-gar-dens, but Eve had sufficient sense or motherly instinct to prevent it from more than tasting some of the repast. She alloAved the child to drink Avater, Avhich it seemed to like, but got cross Avith the father Avhen he persisted in offering it other food. With all my care and vigilance," Avrites the Doctor, "I regret I am unable to say Avhether the infant first discovered its Avay to the maternal fount, or Avhether the mother herself offered the breast to tlie child. The birth took place a little after noon on Sunday, the 10th June, ISG9. Up to the very last moment that light Avould permit me to Avatch the young family, the infant had not found its Avay to its natural food. The young couple lay down to rest in tlieir usual Avay, but Avith the baby betAVcen them. For the lirst hour or lavo there Avere occasional cries from the little one. From that moment there Avas not a Avord spoken by the parents, nor a Avhimper from the infant. About twelve o'clock I lay cloavii for a few hours' sleep, leaving Mr. Inglis to conduct the observations. All that he had to report, Avhen he aAvoke me just before daybreak, Avas that the family seemed to have slept Avell through the night, as he had heard nothing but the regular quiet breathing of the parents. At the lirst grey daAvn of tlie morning, I Avas at my post of observation, anclAvhen 1 was able to distinguish objects I was astonished to see the father and mother fast asleep, while tlie child with its eyes Avide open Avas eagerly engaged in the "delightful task of assuaging its appetite with its natural food. The mother was *o tired out Avith all she had suffered for some clays that she did not stir. No doubt she felt theVithdraAval of the milk a great relief, for there Avas on her face a look of calm, exquisite, peaceful, enjoyment that Avili always remain impressed on my memory. Every few moments the child woukl stop drinking and let a stream of milk gurgle out of its mouth, Avhile its hand Avould clasp the breast as though it feared to lose its hold of such a blissful supply. But I shall never forget the look of- horror Avith wliich Adam regarded his offspring Avhen he aAvoke ancl became aware of Avhat Avas going on. He evidently regarded the baby in the light of a youngvampire, and his first impulse appeared to be to stand on it and trample its young life out. But, instead of this, he snatched child from its sleeping mother, and then, touching her on the shoulders, aAvoke her, and then pointing to the baby ancl then to the breast, said, " Hishhum!" This Avas the Avord that had been forced from them by the poisonous sting of the immense Ajmeer mosquito, and the idea that he intended to coiwey to her Avas that the infant belonged to this class of insects and had bitten her on the breast. But Eve soon dispelled his alarm. She took the baby from him petted ancl kissed it according to the manner of all young mothers, and then, Avith a sort of ostentatious formality, again set it to the breast. The triumphant air of superior knoAvleclge Avith Avhich she regarded her husband, and her fondling caressing manner Avith her little one Avere indescribably pretty. I Avas not in the least surprised to see Adam stoop cloavii and Aery fondly kiss his Avife." Many other children followed Cain. Dr. Oehlschlager for a longtime trembled for the reason of Adam, Avhen on the fourth increase of his family tAvins appeared upon the scene. The tAvin children Avere singularly alike, and the most humorous part of the Avork is that cleA r oted to the extraordinary mistakes that Avere made alike by their parents ancl their brethren as to their identity. The pain attending the appearance of each child caused additions to be made to the Paradise language, Avorcls coming quite naturally to express the ideas that were suggested by the appearance of the little ones. The doctor gives the entire vocabulary of this little community in the appendix to the second volume of his work, ancl all that I can say of it is that though he takes much pride out of it it appears to me singularly uninviting, being in fact nothing more than a bare string of names Avithout inflection and Avithout grammar to bind them together. I must- refer the student in languages to the Avork itself for the gratification of his philological curiosity. But that my space is more than exhausted, I should like, to give as an extract the Avhole of chap. 42 of Vol. 11,, in AA r hich the account is given of the invasion of Paradise Gardens by the doctor, his royal master, and some of the officers of the household, when it Avas determined to set the prisoners free. As I am unable to give it in full, I merely call my readers' attention to it,

and leave theni to derive the same amusement from it that I have experienced. Adam may not have defended the young nation of which he Avas the head Avith the heroism of a Wallace or a Tell, but no one avlio reads the narrative can say that he did not demean himself in Avhat to him must have appeared an hour of the most intense peril Avith a dignity and courage Avorthy of the highest admiration. The public Avili look forward Avith considerable interest for the book Avhich the doctor has promised of the opinions of Adam on the society of the civilised Avorld, into Avhich his freedom has throAvn him, upon Avhich his late gaoler is at present engaged.