fect seed sown in poor ground means a
sickly harvest.

16. HEALTHY PEOPLE--MOST CHILDREN.--The most healthy classes have the most
numerous families; but that, as luxury enervates society, it diminishes the
population, by enfeebling parents, nature preferring none rather than those
too weakly to live and be happy, and thereby rendering that union
unfruitful which is too feeble to produce offspring sufficiently strong to
enjoy life. Debility and disease often cause barrenness. Nature seems to
rebel against sickly offspring.

17. WHY CHILDREN DIE.--Inquire whether one or both the parents of those
numerous children that die around us, have not weak lungs, or a debilitated
stomach, or a diseased liver, or feeble muscles, or else use them but
little, or disordered nerves, or some other debility or form of disease.
The prevalence of summer complaints, colic, cholera infantum, and other
affections of these vital organs of children is truly alarming, sweeping
them into their graves by the million. Shall other animals rear nearly all
their young, and shall man, constitutionally by far the strongest of them
all, lose half or more of his? Is this the order of nature? No, but their
death-worm is born in and with them, and by parental agency.

18. GRAVE-YARD STATISTICS.--Take grave-yard statistics in August, and then
say, whether most of the deaths of children are not caused by indigestion,
or feebleness of the bowels, liver, etc., or complaints growing out of
them? Rather, take family statistics from broken-hearted parents! And yet,
in general, those very parents who thus suffer more than words can tell,
were the first and main transgressors, because they entailed those
dyspeptic, heart, and other kindred affections so common among American
parents upon their own children, and thereby almost as bad as killed them
by inches; thus depriving them of the joys of life, and themselves of their
greatest earthly treasure!

19. ALL CHILDREN MAY DIE.--Children may indeed die whose parents are
healthy, but they almost must whose parents are essentially ailing in one
or more of their vital organs; because, since they inherit this organ
debilitated or diseased, any additional cause of sickness attacks this part
first, and when it gives out, all go by the board together.

20. PARENTS MUST LEARN AND OBEY.--How infinitely more virtuous and happy
would your children be if you should be healthy in body, and happy in mind,
so as to beget in {227}