114 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



by preparing the system for the event would be flying in the face 

 of the Creator. As the female who observes a suitable regimen 

 will, ceteris pa?ibus, always enjoy more tranquillity botii of 

 mind and body and incur much less risk of injury to herself and 

 child than she who, giving a free rein to her appetite, indulges 

 to excess in the use of improper articles of food, and as reason- 

 ing from analogy with the animal kingdom — the book of nature, 

 the handwriting of God, bears on every page evidence of his 

 wisdom and goodness — I am inclined to believe that this sup- 

 posed curse was rather an inference of the sacred historian from 

 what he witnessed, than a correct report of an actual sentence of 

 the Almighty. The Rev. Joseph P. Tliompson, D. D., LL. D., 

 in answering his own inquiry, whence came the account of the 

 creation but from God himself, " conjectures " " that what is 

 given as narrative passed before the mind of the .original nar- 

 rator in a series of retrospective visions," and we wish to give 

 women the benefit of this " conjecture," that they may learn 

 tlmt the functions of gestation and parturition are as natural as 

 digestion, and should be attended with as little pain. 



Is there any farmer here who would undertake to shut his 

 cows up in the barn, girt them tightly round the waist, feed high, 

 and expect them to have calves without pain ? We know that 

 we cannot get a cow safely through parturition unless we give 

 her plenty of air, nutritious but plain diet, and all the exercise 

 she needs. If we undertake to tie her up without exercise and 

 feed lier on rich grains, she is very likely to slink her calves, 

 and have a great deal of trouble in dropping them. 



I apprehend that the assembled wisdom of the legislature, 

 wlio generally control this subject, and especially that class of 

 them who consider that the farmer should not be educated, 

 because if he is he won't do any work, may criticise our friend's 

 remarks in relation to the breeding of the inferior animal, man, 

 and contend that we ought to confine ourselves to the considera- 

 tion of the superior animals, the ox, the cow and the horse. As 

 to these subjects, it is almost impossible for any man here to 

 continue the discussion, after the remarks that have been made 

 by the lecturer ; but we have had such a mass of facts given to 

 us to-day that we cannot digest them all, and perhaps it may do 

 us good to bring out one or two salient points. 



In relation to this matter of breeding, it seems to me we have 



