its expansion and more complete influence on the human race)that the first influence of the introduction, and the chief influence of the spreading of christianity in the world is to restore parental affection. You recollect that Paul has said, that one of the characteristics of the heathen is, that they are "without natural affection;" and you recollect, that when our missionaries went to the Sandwich Islands they found them rapidly undergoing depopulation by "infanticide, and mothers would dig the graves of their own infants yet living, bury them, throw the earth upon them, spread the mat over them, and (while the child was perhaps yet struggling) eat their meal in self-complacency." That is the stern picture of man without the Bible, and that, in greater or less degrees, pervades all pagan countries and every country, just in proportion as the Gospel of the Son of God fails of effect; and the first meaning of this prophecy I understand to be the restoration of parental love. And the second I take to be the proper inclination of parental love. For now the grand evil in christian countries is, not that parents do not love their children, but that their love is often the ruin of their children. Misguided parental love now characterizes nominal christendom. The great care of the greater part of parents is for the earthly welfare of their children; but when the Spirit of God shall come, as predicted in Malachi, parents will begin to feel that their children. are immortal, and that they are to train them for glory and immortality, and not for honor-the bubble that bursts in the hand of him that seizes it-and not for the pampering of the fleshand not for the attainment of a station, from which death can cast them down to perdition, but for the attainment of those seats of glory, from which he shall never be cast out that once has possession by grace. The restoration of parental affection, and the guidance of parental affection, are to characterize the advancing march of christianity through our sinful, wretched world.

In every age of christianity there have undoubtedly been individual parents that have understood (to a remarkable degree, compared with those around them) their parental duties. We mean not to say that there are not now in the churches a great many mothers that have a very wide, comprehensive, active

view of parental duty; we mean not to say that there are not now in the churches women who, if their character, and their maternal history, and their domestic life could be held out to the world, might be a model to the world. We speak not of these blessed exceptions, we speak of the general fact; and all the remarks which we make upon the subject must be understood in their general accuracy and general bearing. But we believe that a day is dawning, like the day prophesied by Malachi. And one of the first fruits, perhaps, of the wide awakening of the consciences of mothers and the hearts of mothers has been the formation of MATERNAL ASSOCIATIONS.

Association! The world is just beginning to understand its power in some of the highest interests of man. And I confess that it was not without surprise, coming from a country in which these associations for mothers are rapidly spreading, and coming from a church, in the bosom of which I have witnessed, from year to year, their blessed influence-it was not without surprise that I found intelligent and devoted christian mothers here, with strong and even insuperable objections to the existence of Maternal Associations. I therefore come with this embarrassment; I come as an American, acquainted with American institutions and American society, and unacquainted comparatively with English institutions and English society, and therefore I may not speak wisely; but you will understand what I say to be spoken with that degree of light that I possess, and for that alone can I be responsible. My impression is that mothers ought to associate; under what circumstances,' and by what principles to be regulated, must be left to the wisdom of those that are in the particular locality, judging of local circumstances and of local habits; but I know not why the great and glorious principle of combined strength and combined counsel, when two are stronger than one, should not be brought to bear upon the general duty of mothers. I can conceive of but one general objection; and that is, that mothers may feel that their duties are discharged by being members of, or going to, the Maternal Association; whereas that would be an utter perversion, for the design is to fit mothers for the duties of home by mutual counsel and mutual encouragement.

My commission is to recommend to you, this day, the formation and the universal adoption (under whatever modifications you may find best) of Maternal Associations. And as your patience will allow me, I will dwell in confirmation of this position upon the arguments that are most prominent before my own mind.

(To be continued.)

EDUCATION.

PART I. HISTORY OF EDUCATION, ANCIENT AND MODERN. PART II. A PLAN OF CULTURE AND INSTRUCTION, BASED ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES, AND DESIGNED TO AID IN THE RIGHT EDUCATION OF YOUTH, PHYSICALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, AND MORALLY. BY H. L. SMITH, A. M. PROF. IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT GETTYSBURG, PENN. NEW-YORK, HARPER & BROTHERS, 1842.

We have given the whole title-page of this book, that our readers may see at once the design of the work. We have seldom perused a work with as much interest as the one before us. Every young mother should possess the book. It would save a vast amount of unnecessary suffering on the part of the infant as well as the mother.

Part I. Contains the History of Education, commencing with the Old World, and thus coming down to the christian or modern world. This part, as a matter of history, is interesting, especially as it shows what christianty has done towards perfecting education. "What no Priest on the Ganges, the Nile, the Euphrates could accomplish with all their wisdom and their mysteries; what no teacher like Zerdush, Confucius, Pythagorus, or Socrates had been able to achieve, that was done by poor fishermen from the obscure sea of Tiberias." "Such is the nature of Christianity. It cultivates, it forms the individual to resemblance of God, and it develops the human race to the attainment of its destinies." Especially is this true when applied to woman. But our object in noticing this book was more particularly to call the attention of our readers to the second part. This "plan

of youthful culture and instruction" is divided into three heads, physical, intellectual and moral.

Under the head of physical culture, the Author notices three principal errors in the training of infants. 1. Inadequate protection from cold. 2. Inappropriate food. 3. Improper domestic medical treatment.

1. The exposure of infants to a low temperature, whether from deficient or improper clothing, will prove injurious to them. "The researches of Doctors Fontanelle and Trevisano, of Italy, also sustain these views: from them we draw the following conclusions: 1. That out of one hundred children born during the winter months, sixty-six die in the first month of life. 2. Out of one hundred born in summer, only seventeen die during the first month. 3. Out of one hundred born in spring and autumn, only about one half die during the first year; and, 4. That the mortality is greater among children born in northern than those born in southern climates.

"From these physiological principles and facts, so clearly ascertained, it is evident that infants should be furnished with a greater amount of clothing than adults. Agreeably, however, to the present mode of attiring infants, especially in fashionable life, not only are they more thinly clad than the parent, but large portions of the surface are wholly uncovered. Nothing is more common than to see children with their arms, necks, and upper portions of the chest bare, thus exposing these parts to the continued sedative influence of a low temperature.

"When we reflect on the close sympathy that exists between the skin and the internal organs of the body, we have under such circumstances, no difficulty in deciding upon the probable cause of disease in the liver, lungs, stomach, bowels and brain; and hence croup, catarrh, fever, diarrhoea, cholera, and convulsions are frequent consequences, but constitute parts only of that wide outlet to infant life which deficient clothing creates. Some endeavor to justify their practice by maintaining that such exposure is calculated to inure their children to the impressions of cold, and to render them hardy. This may be the result with those who have stamina sufficient to survive the experi

ments, but, before the system is thus invigorated, the child may be carried off by some inflammatory affections produced by such exposure. I have often had occasion to admire the ruddy health which characterizes the children of the plain people of the country, who, in matters of this kind, follow the indications of nature and the dictates of common sense. These cover from the commencement, the entire surface of their children in winter with warm flannel, and in summer with cotton; they rarely have any diseases among their children except such as are natural, and these, in a majority of instances, are so mild as not to require medical treatment. I do not remember, during a practice of fourteen years, to have been called to a case of croup, catarrh, or cholera in such a family; and I have frequently met with such families, who had raised from ten to fourteen children without having at any time had occasion to call in a physician. The pure air of the country, I am aware, also exerts a healthful influence; but we have there also seen undue exposure producing disease; while in town we have known many instances of ameliorated health by the adoption of more suitable clothing, in families whose children had previously suffered in consequence of improper clothing."*

2. INAPPROPRIATE FOOD.-Under this head the author notices the abundant provision which the benevolent Author of all being has made in the mother, the proper and only food for the infant, art cannot supply nor does nature afford any adequate substitute for the milk of the mother. When therefore, in consequence of sickness or death, it becomes necessary to deviate from the regular course of nature, "the first food given should differ in its properties as little as possible from that which the infinitely wise Creator has himself supplied for the first stage of human life."

3. IMPROPER DOMESTIC MEDICAL TREATMENT.-The following extracts will give a true picture of many families: "Were proper attention paid to infants in their diet and clothing,

These extracts we learn were furnished by D. Gilbert, M. D. of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,