Intellectual and moral associations in childhood stamp the character of the brain's functions all through life.*

* If men could be born without mothers, then the policy of not elevating woman to exercise a higher position, socially and politically, would have some weight. It has been the slavery of woman's position which has reacted on man, producing the most debasing consequences. Let woman but feel her responsibility, by cultivating her self-esteem and self-reliance in the higher walks of life, and the inevitable consequence - self-respect - will become the leading characteristic of the sex.

The somnambulism of Jane Ryder, seventeen years of age, so ably reported by Dr. Belden, is probably the most remarkable case on record, where during the ordinary condition of the waking state no particular aptitude or prominent faculty of brain was manifested. Yet during the abnormal state her mental powers were exalted to such a degree as to astonish every one. She conversed on most subjects fluently and correctly: during the paroxysms she inwardly thought it was daytime. At the commencement of the paroxysm she appeared like a person going quietly to sleep. Her eyes were closed, the respiration became long and deep; her attitude and the motion of the head resembled a person in a profound sleep. She differed exceedingly in different paroxysms. She recollected during one paroxysm what occurred in a former, though there was no recollection in the waking state of what had occurred during her somnambulism. At the termination of the paroxysm, she sank into a profound sleep, accompanied by long and deep respirations.

Like all somnambulists, she appeared fatigued; her morbid symptoms were manifestly aggravated by the constant trial of her powers.

If women are "physically and mentally weaker than men," it is the evident duty of man to cultivate to the highest degree the source from which he owes all that he possesses physically and mentally. The higher the condition of the mother, the more fitted is she to imprint those early impressions, which are the basis of the man's character, intellectual powers, all through life. The principal retardation of civilization, is this remnant of past savage times, when woman was treated as a vassal and considered as unfit to hold any other office than that of the mere animal mother.

My fellow student, Dr. Thomas Laycock, seems to think that woman should not exercise virile occupations. Perhaps Dr. Laycock will define what he means by such a sweeping expression. Let him remember what was considered a virile occupation for woman when he was a student of medicine; now she is most efficient in its execution.

What Dr. Laycock means by moral and maternal instincts it is impossible for me to divine. "A great change has come o'er the spirit of his dreams" since last we met.

Women are no more possessed of instincts than men. I would discard all these antiquated ideas. Let woman be encouraged in the efforts that the few energetic and courageous are making to tread the path of intellectual progress. Those who make impediments by such spurious arguments as that a prurient imagination may be incited, place a very low standard before the student of medicine. The student who could allow his studies to be impeded by the presence of ladies, would not be the most sanctimonious young gentleman when outside the university, or the most eligible, morally, in the practice of his profession.

During the paroxysm she would learn with a rapidity truly surprising any subject, no matter how difficult or abstruse. She acquired a perfect knowledge of chess, so as to beat the best players; though in the waking state she did not even know the moves. The paroxysms would sometimes last for twelve hours, though generally seven or eight hours. Jane could read in the darkest room with the eyes bandaged.

This case, like that of "Nancy," previously given, indicates that the brain was not sufficiently supplied in the ordinary waking state with vitalized magnetism or nervous fluid, in order to manifest more than faculties common to most dull, uneducated girls.

A few moments during the dreaming and somnambulic states of brain, will cover a period of time which in the natural state would require months to accomplish. It often occurs that during the most incredibly short period a whole life's history has been passed in review before the mental faculties. In fine, the capacity of brain function is so marvellously increased when there is any extra supply of vital electricity or nervous fluid, that we cannot, according to ordinary standards, measure the lapse of time. How could we conceive the waves of light striking the retina, taking the velocity of light at 186,000 miles in a second, and reckoning 33,866 wave breadths to the inch for the extreme red, 43,197 for the yellow, and 70,555 for the violet? "We find for the impulses on the retina per second which produce these sensations of colour, the following numbers: - Extreme red, 399,101,000,000,000; soda yellow, 509,069,000,000,000; extreme violet, 831,479,000,000,000. Yet these are distinct intervals of time, as compared to which a minute is an eternity.

The extreme delicacy and intense sensitiveness of the nervous apparatus of the visual organs of man and animals in the normal state is thus exemplified; still this is as nothing to the increased functions of the brain during abnormal states, when the functional supply of nervous fluid is much increased. There are also states of brain when the most abstruse and complicated mental formula are presented; these are received and retained unconsciously, and years may elapse before a condition of brain occurs in order to throw off these impressions.

We knew intimately that extraordinary writer Edgar Allan Poe. He was obliged "to tune himself up " to use his own expression, before he could write a line. His brain would not throw off until it was stimulated to the functional condition. We have known Poe drink a pint of whisky. All his famous productions were written under the stimulus of drink.