children, there are in those young hearts the seeds of evil; and it needs but that a note be taken of what passes in the every-day life of a child, to convince that all is not so amiable as at first sight appears, but that the heart hides dark deformity, headstrong passions, and vicious thoughts.  And to a mother’s lot it falls to be the instructress of her children—­their guide and pattern, and she fails in her duty when she fails in either of these points.  But it may be said, that the requirement is greater than humanity can perform, and that it would need angelic purity to be able fully to meet it; for who shall say that she is so perfect that no inconsistencies shall appear between what she teaches and what she practises?

It would be, indeed, to suppose mothers more than human to think that their instructions should be perfect.  The best of mothers are liable to err, and the love a mother has for her child may tempt her frequently to pass over faults which she knows ought to be corrected.  But making due allowance for human incompetency and human weakness, still will a mother be bound to the utmost of her power to be the instructress of her child, equally by the lesson she inculcates and the pattern she exhibits.

There is, indeed, too much neglect shown in the instruction of children.  Mothers seem to think, that if amiable qualities are shown in the exterior, no instruction is necessary for the heart.  But this is a most futile attempt to make children virtuous; it is like attempting to purify water half-way down the stream, and leaving it still foul at the source.  The heart should be the first thing instructed; a motive and a reason should be given for every requirement—­a motive and a reason should be given for every abstinence called for—­and when the heart is made to love virtue, the actions will be those of virtue; for it is the heart which is the great mover of all actions—­and the moment a child can distinguish between a smile and a frown, from that moment should instruction commence—­an instruction suited indeed to infantine capacities, but which should be enlarged as the child’s capacities expand.  It is very bad policy to suffer the first years of a child’s life to pass without instruction; for if good be not written on the mind, there is sure to be evil.  It is a mother’s duty to watch the expanding intellect of her child, and to suit her instructions accordingly:  it is equally so to learn its disposition—­to study its wishes, its hopes and its fears, and to direct, control, and point them to noble aims and ends.

Oh! not alone is it needful that a mother be solicitous for the health and happiness of her child on earth:  a far higher and more important thought should engage her attention—­concern for her child as an immortal and an accountable being.

To all who bear the endearing name of mother, thus would we speak: