fare of my children? the answer is this, by endeavoring to be precisely what we want our children to be. We must cultivate most assiduously in ourselves, the same traits of character we wish them to possess. Let your children never, under any circumstance, hear from your lips an expression or a sound which you would not be happy to hear from theirs. Do you wish your children to love God, to manifest a cheerful and grateful trust in his goodness? Then cherish habitually this feeling yourself. Let it shine forth in your countenance, in your expressions, in all your demeanor; in your cheerful acquiescence in the Divine will continually, on every bright as well as every dark day. Do we desire that our children should in all respects possess the spirit of Christ; that they should love their Savior, imitate his character, receive the impress of his image, and be educated for a happy immortality? Let our children see the image of Christ reflected brightly from our own hearts, and continually endeavor to adorn our characters by all the graces of a christian spirit.

Nine years since, last February, this society was organized, and in looking over our records I feel that we have much cause for gratitude, both in a temporal and spiritual view. There are now twenty-nine mothers connected with our society, and thirtyseven children, and none of them to my knowledge are hopefully pious; yet there are twenty-nine adult children of this association whom we hope are the followers of our blessed Savior. Since our last report, two years ago, death has been commissioned to enter our dwellings, and has taken two beloved mothers, who ever manifested a deep interest in this association, and are now, as we trust, reaping the reward of the faithful. We have also been called to mourn the loss of four children; two of them had arrived at mature age, and were taken from us suddenly under circumstances peculiarly trying and affecting.

And now, my dear sisters, let us pledge ourselves anew to the work of bringing up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, ever looking unto Him for direction, who has said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." C. S., Secretary.

April 19, 1843.

For the Mother's Magazine.

66 'TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO, AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT."

This quotation from Holy Writ has become an ordinary adage. It is regarded as the precept and encouraging words of a wise man. We feel that a reasonable duty is enjoined, and this being fulfilled, there is a rational hope that the promised consequence will follow.

But of this, and of many other passages from the inspired writings we are apt not to take in the entire meaning, in all its strength. We look upon promises and assurances made from such high authority, as a foundation for rational expectation of a general fulfillment-not a fulfillment in all cases-as a foundation for hopes not to be always realized, but usually—a general law, subject, however, to many exceptions, and not therefore to be confided in as absolutely sure.

We deal not justly with the Bible. If these be the words of inspired wisdom they mean something more-they import verity -absolute certainty in all cases whatever. The parent who has not failed in giving his child the right training, may rest assured with undoubting certainty that that child in age will walk in the paths of rectitude. It is as certain as the infiniteness of Divine wisdom.

Yet the promise does not extend in its absoluteness to the entire life. Temptations amidst the turmoils of life may draw the youth and man aside, but if his early training have been such as it should be, these aberrations will not be perpetual. He will return to right paths.

We do not hesitate to say that christian parents, exercising from early infancy, through childhood and youth, their best powers to secure in their offspring a virtuous and christian character, may feel an undoubting assurance that such offspring will not fail to become the subjects of saving grace.

It has been said by flippant tongues and careless observers,

that the children of the strictest religious parents become the most irregular in their conduct when released from parental restraint. Nothing is farther from the fact, though we admit that there are occasional melancholy instances of this. But there would be found, on close investigation, probably in every case of this kind, some deficiency in the early training. Strictness is not all that is demanded. Something more than a frigid law is required in the training of children. Yet, with all the defects of christian parents, it requires but moderate accuracy of observation to discover, that of those converted in early or later life, a very large proportion are the children of pious parents; and the instances in which the descendants of parents, who have exhibited good evidence of piety from the birth of their children, have died impenitent, are extremely rare-much, very much rarer than from the frequent and great defects in their right training we should have good right to expect. And perhaps few parents when they see their children, one after another, exhibiting evidence of a change of heart, have not wondered that God had shown such kindness, and in bestowing a blessing promised to their fidelity, had so mercifully overlooked their glaring and conscious deficiencies. They feel self-condemned while blessings so rich descend on their families.

To train up a child in the way he should go implies much. It is not enough, as before suggested, to devise and enforce right laws in the family. The inculcation of correct principles, enforced by constant example, must be commenced early and continued late. In very many things the child may be made to understand what is right and what is wrong before his tongue can utter a word. The parent must begin here; and at this age, and for long after, it is scarcely necessary to remark that the mother's care, and skill, and fidelity are vastly more important than that of the father. The writer cannot remember when the duty of always speaking the truth, of implicit obedience to his parents, and of using no prophane language were first impressed on his mind; yet he is conscious that at some period to which memory cannot reach, a mother made him feel that these were cardinal virtues, or rather that their violation was a sin against an all

seeing God of fearful magnitude. His principles and feelings in regard to these would appear to him innate, if they did not always seem in some mysterious way connected with his mother. There are but three duties or principles, yet, when fastened firmly on the conscience, they are as a hedge around the youth, guarding him from a thousand vices.

A conviction in the child that an unseen eye is ever upon him—that to a holy and ever-present Being he is answerablethat power and justice are attributes of this Being, may be fixed on the mind in early infancy; he may be made to feel this, and conscience be thus awakened so soon as he can understand our language. The conviction must be firm and unwavering. To effect this something more than precept and verbal instruction is wanted. While these ideas are conveyed into the mind of the child, the mother must give proof, by her conduct, that she feels and acts herself on the conviction of their truth. If a child is told by its mother that a thing is wrong and will draw down the displeasure of God, one single instance of the commission of that wrong by the mother, seen by the child, will make him feel that in her instructions she has been dealing only in fables. She may feel the bitterness of grief and deep contrition, but this is usually unseen by her child, and the act, to his mind, belies all her professions.

The earliest impressions made on the mind are of the longest continuance. The old man in his dotage forgets the events of his active life-all to him may be a blank since his early days, but yet the scenes, and events, and feelings of his childhood are in his memory as things of yesterday. And the character of the mind and its bent through life may be taken from the very playthings of his childhood. Ambition for good or for evil may be so awakened that no after power can utterly quell it.

It is not our purpose, nor is space allowed us, to enter into the details of parental duties. This would demand volumes rather than a few paragraphs. Our sole object is to make parents feel that there is absolute certainty in the quotation from the words of the king of Israel placed at the head of this article. Let the christian mother think of this—give earnest and continued

fare of my children? the answer is this, by endeavoring to be precisely what we want our children to be. We must cultivate most assiduously in ourselves, the same traits of character we wish them to possess. Let your children never, under any circumstance, hear from your lips an expression or a sound which you would not be happy to hear from theirs. Do you wish your children to love God, to manifest a cheerful and grateful trust in his goodness? Then cherish habitually this feeling yourself. Let it shine forth in your countenance, in your expressions, in all your demeanor; in your cheerful acquiescence in the Divine will continually, on every bright as well as every dark day. Do we desire that our children should in all respects possess the spirit of Christ; that they should love their Savior, imitate his character, receive the impress of his image, and be educated for a happy immortality? Let our children see the image of Christ reflected brightly from our own hearts, and continually endeavor to adorn our characters by all the graces of a christian spirit.

Nine years since, last February, this society was organized, and in looking over our records I feel that we have much cause for gratitude, both in a temporal and spiritual view. There are now twenty-nine mothers connected with our society, and thirtyseven children, and none of them to my knowledge are hopefully pious; yet there are twenty-nine adult children of this association whom we hope are the followers of our blessed Savior. Since our last report, two years ago, death has been commissioned to enter our dwellings, and has taken two beloved mothers, who ever manifested a deep interest in this association, and are now, as we trust, reaping the reward of the faithful. We have also been called to mourn the loss of four children; two of them had arrived at mature age, and were taken from us suddenly under circumstances peculiarly trying and affecting.

And now, my dear sisters, let us pledge ourselves anew to the work of bringing up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, ever looking unto Him for direction, who has said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." C. S., Secretary.

April 19, 1843.