said about tight-lacing, illustrates this remark in one particular, and nearly every thing which fashionable females essay to do or become, is of the same childruining piece. How long shall these things be? How long shall women spoil themselves, spoil their issue, and spoil the race, just to be fashionable? How long shall woman waste her whole being on these insignificant nonentities, when such momentous destinies are hers to wield? If woman's office in the economy of nature were insignificant, this expending of her time, her money, her very self, in ribboning, and padding, and bustling, and curling, and painting, and flirting, and playing fool, might pass unrebuked; but since she fills an office more exalted, and wields destinies more momentous than archangels, what earthly language can express her folly or her guilt? If to bury one small talent is wicked, oh, how awfully criminal to turn such a talent to such a use! Girls, young women, bearing womenwoman as a sex-do be persuaded, entreated, implored to learn, and then fulfill your maternal duties and destiny. Our world is soon to be regenerated—the deeree has gone forth the millennium, ordained from everlasting, is at hand. But a little longer is our world to be scourged with physical suffering, so universal, so aggravated, with intellect so crippled and distorted, with vices so many and so monstrous, with all the godlike capabilities of humanity thus perverted and depraved. Words utterly fail to express either the inherent capabilities and perfections of humanity, as it came from the hand of its Maker, or its present state of corruption and distortion. But the regenerating process has commenced. Republicanism in this country opened the first seal. It snapped the fetters, in which the human mind and body had

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been bound from the first. It begat a spirit of scrutiny and inquiry, which is eventuating in the rejection of man-destroying errors and application of man-improving truths. It set the mighty car of human improvement, freighted with every conceivable facility of human happiness, in rapid motion. It snatched the French crown from its ignoble wearer, "and a nation was born in a day.” Republicanism, and with it the highest happiness of the mighty many, is now the world's irrevocable destiny. Heretofore, society has not been in a fit state to render highly-organized human beings happy. Too much sickness and vice—too many graters of all the finer susceptibilities of our nature-have every where abounded, to allow a high order of human beings to enjoy themselves, because there was so much more to lacerate their keen, pure, delicate susceptibilities, and torture high-toned moral feeling, and outrage correct and powerful intellectual perceptions, than to gratify those thus exquisitely organized. But this will soon have passed away forever. Society will soon be in a state to delight, instead of torturing, those thus delicately constituted. What we therefore now require, is highly-organized children, adapted to this progress of the race, and calculated to put it upon a still higher pinnacle of goodness and happiness. And you, prospective mothers, must furnish them. To you you ALONE-we look. From no other source can this, the great salvation come. Others can carry forward other departments of human reform and improvement. The temperance reform, and prison reform, and governmental reform-the social, religious, educational, and other reforms-will be vigorously prosecuted by others; but it remains for you to regenerate and purify the origina stock of humanity—to uproot the very germs of de

pravity, and plant in their stead the seeds of virtue and talent. Oh, mothers, sleep no longer over this momentous subject. We implore you to render our earth again more lovely than Eden, and its occupants more holy and happy than those of Paradise. First, then, apply every energy of your being to the acquisition of light on this subject. Learn precisely what your destiny requires you to do, and then fulfill it. Address your whole selves, soul and body, to their fulfillmentto the bringing forth and bringing up magnificent children—and then proclaim these things to every prospective mother whom you can possibly reach. Let your one passion be, not rich furniture, or fashionable dresses, but FINE CHILDREN, and a regenerated world will pour forth thank-offerings and hosannas, in their highest strains, here and hereafter, forever.

SECTION IV.

DELIVERY-ITS PAINS LESSENED.

435. SEVERE LABOR-PAINS UNNATURAL AND AVOIDABLE.

Though the great thought of this book-namely, that the states of the mother's mind and body before birth similarly affect offspring-is now developed, so that we might with propriety here suspend it, yet a few general remarks on Delivery and nursing will doubtless enable prospective mothers to lighten materially those agoniz. 'ing pains too often consequent on childbirth, and relieve themselves of many of the burdens of nursing. Not

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unfrequently, these pains are more terribly severe than those of death itself, and in general, in civic life, they are indeed dreadful.

But this is not the worst of it. The pains themselves do far less injury than the DREAD of them, because the former pass off with the mother's confinement, while the latter stamps the impress of fear and terror upon the PRIMITIVE CONSTITUTION of the child itself, which imbitters its whole life with indefinite apprehension of impending calamity, when there is none. He who can essen

tially mitigate the pains and dread of parturition, will render incalculable service to mankind.

But to dwell on the FACT of these pains, or on the injury, they occasion mothers and children, is not our purpose, because they are too palpably apparent to require it. We therefore pass to the inquiry,

ARE THEY NECESSARY?

Many think them ordained by God, and rendered inevitable by the fall. They interpret, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children;" as pronouncing special judgment upon Eve, and through her upon universal woman, for tempting Adam; and hence infer that there is no obviating them.

But is this opinion tenable? Not at all; either in the light of philosophy or fact. It is in direct conflict with both. How ungodly to sentence all women for one sin of one woman! Or if the Deity should pass so unrighteous a sentence, would he not EXECUTE it? "Hath he said, and shall he not fulfill?" Since this sentence was passed upon all women ALIKE, of course there is no absolute need, as far as this sentence is concerned, that

one should suffer any more than another. If these laborpains were really the fiat of the Almighty, would he be so doubly unjust as to impose, as a special judgment, so much MORE pain on one than on another? And the fact that some have so easy a delivery, is positive proof that, in spite of this-judgment, ALL might have as easy times as ANY now do. Since the labor-pains of some women are so trifling as not to be worthy of a second thought, therefore this sentence, passed upon those of easy delivery just as much as upon any others, will not prevent EVERY woman from having as easy a delivery as any woman that ever has lived or may live. This idea that women are COMPELLED to bear children in sorrow, is contrary to nature, disapproved by fact, and a practical libel on the character and government of God: nor can any reasonable construction be pu upon this passage other than as simply declaring what was then a fact; for if it curses woman with severe labor-pains, it curses ALL WOMEN EQUALLY, whereas some have but little pain, and a rapid recovery.

NATURAL DELIVERY EASY.

Though I do not believe in "childbirth without pain," yet I do believe that where nature is allowed her per fect work, these pains will be too slight to deserve a moment's consideration, and especially to awaken previous apprehension. One of my female friends says, she "rather bear a child than have a tooth drawn." I have seen many women who have done all their own nursing, and all the housework for their families during their confinement. How slight the sufferings of many Irish and German women at these times! How many of them are up and about house the very next day!