mals, dia not this fish magnetize the woman, and thereby impart to her of its fish magnetism, which she, of course, imparted to her embryo, thus causing it to assume a part of the magnetism, that is, of the NATURE of the fish, and consequently of its form of body?

And this theory is strengthened by the fact, that the magnetizer imparts of his magnetism to the magnetized, and the latter is impregnated with that nature. Thus, being magnetized by one who has a headache, toothache, or rheumatic affection, will cause the magnetizer to lose his headache, toothache, etc., and the magnetized to receive them. Hence, being magnetized by a well person, generally invigorates the magnetized, but frequently exhausts the operator.* Being magnetized by an intellectual person brightens up the ideas and quickens the flow of thought; but being magnetized by a slow, or an easy, or a good, or a bad person, makes the magnetized slow, or easy, or good, or bad. That is, the one magnetized, receives of the mental and physical nature of the magnetizer.

This theory is introduced, not because it is fully adopted, but because it explains these and kindred admitted facts better than any other, and shows that the embryo might be so related to the mother as to receive marks and deformities from her mental and physical conditions, But, be it true or false, the point at issue, namely, that marks and deformities are of frequent occurrence, and caused by the mother's state of mind, cannot well be doubted. Nor do physicians who dispute this doctrine, pretend to deny its facts. They are compelled to admit them, and yet they evade them by saying that they are anatomically impossible.

* See "Fascination or the Philosophy of Charming."

"But," say the doctors, "this point being admitted, still, its promulgation will render all our women miserable merely with fright, fearing lest any unusual thing they see should mark their children. Better keep them in ignorance of this principle, and deny it stoutly, so as to quiet their fears." Rather tel women the facts of the case, and let KNOWLEDGE put them on their guard. Properly to fortify mothers on this point, is to spread light, so that they may know what to do, and what to expect. Besides, to make women believe that these things do not mark their children, is utterly impossible; for the whole community, high and low, intelligent and ignorant, are compelled either to believe in the doctrine, or else deny the evidence of their own senses-to disbelieve what they see and feel. Hence, since this fear cannot be prevented, let it be properly directed. Let them know what conditions will prevent their feelings from marking their children, and how to avoid feelings likely to do injury.

But, by another method still, should I advise mothers to avoid these evil consequences-namely, by STRENGTHening their nerVOUS SYSTEMS by air, exercise, and preserving and invigorating their health. It is not the strong, healthy, and robust that mark their children, but the weakly, the nervous, and those easily impressed, that is, easily magnetized. But, if our women would follow the advice. given in preceding sections, so as to keep up a full tide of health and vigor, they would seldom mark their children, because they themselves would seldom be impressed with these foreign influences, but would generally resist them.

SECTION III.

NFLUENCE OF THE VARIOUS STATES OF MATERNAL MENTALITY, OR THE PRIMITIVE CHARACTER OF OFFSPRING.

431. THE CHILD'S MENTALITY DERIVED DIRECTLY FROM ITS

MIND.

MOTHER'S.

But, however much may depend on the PHYSICAL nutrition of the embryo, more depends upon its being well supplied with food, for the development of its All that the child gets, it obtains from its mother 418. And as all its material for the formation of bone, flesh, and organ, must be furnished directly by her, so all the materials for the formation of nerve and brain must come from this same maternal source. In fact, she must supply its entire MENTALITY, as well as its entire anatomy.

Then, however important that she furnish it with vitality, is it less so that she supply the materials for intellect and soul? And as she cannot supply the former unless she possesses them herself, can she the latter? Can she whose intellect is dull, and whose feelings are obtuse, bear smart, strong-minded children? Be it even that the father is highly mental, and stamps his cerebral image upon them, that mentality must be fed from day to day with its appropriate food, or it will become nearly starved before it is born. Hence it requires a superior mentality in вогH parents to produce highly-endowed offspring.

But to canvass this whole subject, of the various states of the mother's mentality on that of offspring, in the light of FACTS-yet, to attempt to PROVE this point, seems to be superfluous; for who that has observed or thought upon this subject but admits it-but mainly to IMPRESS IT DEEPLY upon mothers-to brand into their inmost souls an ever-present consciousness, that their states of mind and feeling, while carrying their children, will be faithfully daguerreotyped, in all their shades and phases, upon those children, AND REMAIN THERE FOREVER, growing clearer and deeper as their existence progresses.

The real philosophy of this whole matter, is thisthe blood is the grand porter of the entire system. All the materials for forming the embryo, bones, muscles, organs, nerves, and brain, are derived directly from the mother's blood. And since the foetal blood is secreted directly from the heart's blood of the mother, of course all the ever-varying states of her blood enter into the formation and organic constitution of the child's body and brain. So, too, all the mother's mental states affect her own system throughout. The brain is the organ of the body quite as much as of the mind. It generates all those influences and powers which keep the entire system in motion. It holds perfect control over the entire body. All its states ramify throughout the whole system. A disordered state of the mind does far more to disease the body, than that of the body the mind, and remedial agents applied to the mind are far more potent than those administered to the body merely. The absolute tyranny with which all the states of the mind. lord it over heart, lungs, stomach, muscles, nerves--in short, the whole body-to break down and build up

to expel disease and to invite it—to promote and retard digestion, circulation, etc.--to drive off fatigue or induce it-to even protract life and to cut it short-is beyond computation. This great practical truth-how little is it realized!

Now this law applies with the same power to the body of the embryo, as it does to that of its mother, and to its brain and nerves as to hers.

Does it not seem reasonable-is it not accordant with all we know, as appertaining to this subject—that in exactly that proportion in which the mentality as a whole, and each of the faculties in particular, abound in the mother, will they be woven into the texture and tone of the child's constitution? As plants obtain from the soil just those qualities which abound in the latter, so, if the mother, while carrying one child, has her Combativeness unusually excited, that child will take on most of the combative spirit, because it abounded most in the mother at this particular period-no matter whether it be NATURALLY large or small in her; but if, while carrying another, Benevolence should be powerfully wrought up, it will take on a proportionate quantity of goodness and humanity: and thus of the mother's intellect, or wit, or fears, or devotion, or acquisitive, or vain, or amiable, or any other temporary characteristics. In short, while the parentage—that is, the stamping of the original impress of life-may be called the warp of the child's physical and mental constitution, the mother's states of mind and body, during carriage, are the woof or filling of that warp, and variegates its color, texture, tone, durability, and primitive constitution, in accordance with itself. This is the inquiry to which we now address ourselves.