22O 



PRENATAL CULTURE. 



Testimony of 

 Mothers. 



Prenatal 

 Education, 



Objections 

 Answered. 



dren. In some families, it is true, the factor of 

 maternal impressions is far less influential than 

 in others. As has been observed repeatedly, each 

 factor in the formation of a soul is an unknown 

 and every- varying quantity; but no factor is 

 more universally potential for good or evil, more 

 worthy of profound study, than the one under 

 consideration. Dr. Drummond well remarks, 

 "The Christian, like the poet, is born, not made." 



The more I study the influence of maternal im- 

 pressions upon the life, mentality and character 

 of men, the more I am led to believe that the edu- 

 cation and moral training that a child receives be- 

 fore it sees the light of day are the most influen- 

 tial, and, therefore, the most important part of 

 its education. 



The objections to the doctrine of maternal im- 

 pressions I shall consider at some length in the 

 chapter on "Abnormal Impressions." The prin- 

 cipal objection raised is that, since there is no 

 anatomical connection between the nervous sys- 

 tem of the mother and the embryo, it is impossible 

 for her to influence it other than in the matter of 

 nutrition. Even if this were true it would not 

 preclude the influence of her mental states, for 

 "the blood is the life," and every scientist knows 

 that the blood partakes of the transient conditions 

 of the mental states; anger, jealousy, joy, fear, 

 and all strong or unusual emotions perceptibly 

 change the character of the blood and modify its 

 life-giving power. This fact alone might account 

 for most of the physical and mental influences 

 exerted by the mother over her forming child. 



The physical relation, however, is not the only 



