MATERNAL IMPRESSIONS. 239 



nature then by cultivating a purely mechanical, 

 practical, matter of fact way, she will generally 

 be able to withhold the excessive esthetic tendency 

 from her offspring. 



In addition to the general training of all the 

 esthetic faculties, if the mother is anxious to over- 

 come any weakness that she has reason to believe 

 might be transmitted by one or both parents, this 

 is the time to build the brain and form the 

 mentality desired. For instance : I knew a family 

 in which both father and mother were deficient in 

 musical talent. The mother took music lessons 

 during this period with each of her three children. 

 With all her training she was barely able to play 

 simple church music, yet her children learned 

 music readily, the youngest being very clever. 



Again, if there is any particular quality, talent, 

 or phase of genius, arising from these faculties 

 which the mother desires to increase, training at 

 this period will tend to produce the desired results. 

 Nearly all great musicians, painters, poets, artists, 

 writers, inventors, orators, and men o-f letters, . f r 



opeciai Lieni 



whose superior qualities were due to maternal 

 impressions, received their prenatal training from 

 the sixth to the eighth month. This is indeed the 

 seed time for mothers. Thoughts and truths now 

 implanted produce an abundant harvest in the 

 mentality of offspring. But, since the law of 

 "each after its kind" is as true in mind as in 

 garden or field, it is highly important that the 

 pictures, images, songs, dreams, ambitions and 

 aspirations occupying the mind are of a proper 

 character. 



What was said relative to baneful influences of 



