Duties of the Mother 269 



"It is the mother that shapes and molds the charac- 

 ter of the girl. If she is sweet spirited, looks out 

 upon the world hopefully and desirous of seeing the 

 best in men and women, her daughters will as a rule 

 have the same sort of outlook. If she permits gossip 

 and fault-finding at the table, her daughters may 

 reasonably be expected to do likewise. If she sharply 

 criticises the preacher's sermon at the Sabbath 

 dinner, she need not expect her daughters to become 

 devout. If she is a poor housekeeper, how can she 

 expect her daughters to excel in that finest of all 

 arts ? We know something of the depth and tender- 

 ness of a mother's love, how earnestly she seeks the 

 welfare of her daughter ; but if she has a wrong con- 

 ception of what is best in life, even this unspeaking 

 affection may be the source of evil instead of good. 



" One of the first things you should consider about 

 that girl of yours is her health. Give her plain food 

 and plenty of it, sensible clothing, a well-ventilated 

 and well-lighted room, and all the exercise that she 

 wants, even if she does seem to be something of a 

 tomboy; and, barring accidents, she will usually be 

 healthy through early girlhood. When she begins 

 to develop into womanhood is the time for you, 

 mother, to do what no one else can. Tell her about 

 herself, about the changes that must come, and about 

 the care she must take of herself if she is to be a 

 healthy and happy wife and mother. A mistake 

 here through false modesty is often the source of 

 trouble for years to come." 



