Children's teeth are a chief source of anxiety to the mother even
before they make their appearance.

Troubles in teething are generally due to innutritious and illy-digested
food. Sometimes, however, when the food is all right, the teeth will
still have difficulty in coming through the gums. Whenever the mother
observes that her crying child refuses to bring its gums together on
anything, she should examine them, and, if they are swollen, have them
lanced.

The "milk-teeth," even though they are temporary, should be looked after
carefully, as their decay will often spread to the coming permanent
teeth. Besides, they should be preserved as long as possible, and in
the best condition, to aid in mastication. Accordingly, young children
should be taught regularly to rinse out their mouths and to use
a tooth-brush and tooth-powder.

A child should run barefoot as much as conditions and climate permit.
When it wears shoes, these should conform as much as possible to the
shape of the foot. With such footwear, the active child may form for
life the habit of a natural gait, especially if parents will point out
the beauty and advantages of this, and praise the men and women of their
acquaintance who possess it. It is about the time when a girl is
learning _Virgil_ in the High School that she is tempted by vanity
and the desire to be "like the other girls" to put on French heels.
Then it is that the teacher or mother should quote to her the line of
the _Aeneid_ about Venus:

"The true goddess is shown by her gait,"