ng 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