[Hardy-l] re: kittens

[Jackie Wilkinson]

Dear Carolyn - love the joke! I should hate to have been singed! I hate to
disillusion you, however, but these babies, illegitimate twins were NOT
still born. This happened to a member of my husband's family (not for
general consumption) and as we both agree the sting of illegitimacy was too
great to be borne by the family and so. . . . . What I found difficult to
come to terms with (and at first I thought it was an urban myth) was the
almost nonchalant way in which this tale was told, as if 'Well, it happens,
you know.' Because of following events I know that this was not an urban
myth but an actual occurrence. Then, whilst working in Burnley I heard of
stories just such as the one Rosemarie told where babies were thrown down
the 'long drop' toilet as it was called. In fact, in the house where I was
born we had just such a toilet and my mother's waters broke whilst she was
sitting on it!! Thank God I was wanted - although my brother believes this
was a huge mistake!!!!!!!

All the very best,

Jacky

 

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From: hardy-l-bounces at coyote.csusm.edu
[mailto:hardy-l-bounces at coyote.csusm.edu] On Behalf Of carolyn mcgrath
Sent: 11 August 2007 17:03
To: hardy-l at coyote.csusm.edu
Subject: [Hardy-l] re: kittens

 

'My Mum would kill me! (Not literally, of course!)'

 

Thank god for central heating!

 

 

Hi Jackie

 

No problem and I'm glad you haven't taken offence at me - and I hope my poor
taste in humour doesn't get me into trouble again! 

 

I know you, like me, were a teacher for many years and so have seen how
people strive, or not, to overcome the difficulties facing them. I am
probably oversensitive to the possibilty that people reading your words
would consider that because something was more common among a certain class
of people, they mechanistically felt less about it. As regards comments made
by other contributers, traditions of name-giving and so on or public
expression of grief, these do of course change and have different meanings
for different communities and over time but that does not mean the
stillbirth or infant death was not remembered or mourned by those who
suffered it. If you can't afford to feed yourself and suffer a stillbirth as
a consequence and it is expected that no burial will be provided for that
stillborn, the back of the fire is as good a place as any. A wanted child
will be grieved whatever other unfortunate circumstances surround it. The
remarkable thing, considering the high rate of infant mortality and death in
childbirth was that the population exploded at that time - a pattern that
relentlessly repeats in LEDC today. Hooray for progress!

 

best wishes

 

 



Carolyn McGrath

  

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