rst been fertilized by the father, who
does so through his great love for the mamma, just as with the birds
and animals, though his love is of a higher kind than that of the
lower orders."

"And does the mother-woman warm the eggs as the bird in the nest does,
mamma, while the papa-man brings her nice things to eat?"

"Yes, dearie, only the mother-woman has the nest inside her body, as I
have said, and she keeps the little one safe and warm there much
longer than the bird sits on her nest. And think of all the years
after the baby is born that she waits on and cares for it! There is no
other love that equals in devotion that of the mother."

Elsie, without a word, her eyes swimming in tears, kissed her mother
affectionately. She had realized a little more of what she owed to
her.

"Now," said Mrs. Edson, "I must tell you how to care for this nest in
which, by and by, when you have grown up and have a husband and are
strong enough, you will be keeping a little baby of your own. Because
many girls who become married do not know these things there is a
dreadful amount of sickness and misery in the world, all needless. And
it does seem too bad--when merely a few words at the right time would
have saved it all!"

Of course Elsie was not old enough to understand how this could be, so
she said nothing, but sat looking earnestly at her mother as she went
on:

"In the first place, dear, you must know that the little baby's nest,
which we call the womb, is placed in the lower portion of the woman's
body, just above the 'private parts'. Perhaps it is put there because
it is the safest place for it in the whole body--for the eggs and
womb are very delicate, and must not be exposed to any danger of
injury. So it grows in the interior of the trunk, where outside
dangers would be less likely to reach and spoil it, so that the woman
would be sick all her life and never have any children. Many hopeless
female complaints, ending with premature and painful death, are caused
by lack of proper care of the womb and its entrance. That care
consists chiefly in preventing the womb from being touched by
anything, and keeping the entrance clean. It is very simple--just keep
the entrance clean and the womb untouched by anything. An observance
of such slight rules as these would have saved many and many a poor
soul from a life of continual misery and suffering.

"I have told you, dear, long ago how to keep the entrance clean. And
now that