"It is no little thing, when a fresh soul And a fresh heart, with their unmeasured scope For good, not gravitating earthward yet, But circling in diviner periods, Are sent into the world.

"Children are God's apostles, day by day Sent forth to preach of love, and hope, and peace."

- James Russell Lowell.

"All heaven, in every baby born,

All absolute of earthly leaven,

Reveals itself, tho' man may scorn All heaven. "Yet man might feel all sin forgiven,

All grief appeased, all pain outworn,

By this one revelation given.

"Soul, now forget thy burdens borne; Heart, be thy joys now seven times seven; Love shows in light more bright than morn All heaven."

- Swinburne.

"Give him liberty, and keep his confidence. Let him choose bis course; but be so good and close a friend that he will not think of making an important choice without asking your advice. Spend much time with him; talk much with him: but talk about his little interests, not your grand ideas. Never evade an honest question, or put off a legitimate curiosity. Make sure that his first intimations of the significance of sex are suffused with an atmosphere of reverence for its sacredness. Never weary of the interminable prattle about his exploits in play, the characteristics of playmates, the hardships of school, the mechanism of locomotives, the aspirations to become an engineer, a stage-driver, or a soldier. Undoubtedly this union of perfect liberty with perfect confidence is rather an expensive process in the time, patience, and sympathy of the parents, but the reward is great and to be had with certainty on no cheaper terms. It is the one way to insure in the child a character which is at the same time strong and good."

- Wm. De Witt Hyde.

Many volumes have been written concerning the duties of children to their parents, but very little has been said of the duties of parents to their children. A careful and thoughtful analysis of the whole question would show that parents are debtors to their children for more than has generally been supposed. Let parents once realize how much more there is in life because of their children, how child-life tends to call out the better side of their natures, how much happiness comes to them through their children, and how much the example of a child's life means, and they will know for a very truth that the trouble of rearing children is more than offset by the blessings which they bring. The trustfulness and faith of the child-nature, the optimism which enjoys the present, forgetful of the past, careless of the future, is a necessary example for parents, who have lost sight of some of the vital conditions of well-being. Truly, the kingdom of God lies all about within and without the life of a child. A valuable lesson may be learned in the natural way in which children think and act, as well as in their true democracy, where race, creed, color, or previous conditions play no part. Whether the lesson be heeded or not, the influence of children for good is of untold value.

Prenatal conditions must be taken into consideration when we approach the subject of the rights of children. A thoroughly harmonious marriage, in which there is freedom of thought and action on the part of both father and mother, is the first requisite for the true recognition of child-rights, and the only firm foundation on which to establish the rights of children. The ancient Greeks, understanding the value of prenatal influence far more than the people of the present, surrounded their wives with the most harmonious and beautiful conditions. Many lessons might be learned from their customs tending to raise the standard of moral and physical well-being.

Marriage and the bringing of a child into the world are the two most sacred mysteries of life, and are fraught with greater importance than all other events, and if thought and care are necessary in any phase of life, surely they are demanded here.

Parents need not expect harmonious children if they are inharmonious themselves; neither need they expect strong, healthy children if their minds are discordant; because their mental discord acting upon the life of the child, will produce mental and physical disturbances. Up to a certain stage in the development of the child, the minds of the parents act upon him in such a way that he reflects their varying thoughts and emotions, and is in no way responsible in his own little life for any mental discord or physical disturbances. As yet most parents do not realize the truth of this, but when they do they will understand that they are responsible to the very fullest degree for their children's health.

There is a new life coming for mankind - one wherein the vital questions will be thought out and worked out as they never have been before; one wherein a knowledge of the inner life and its laws will give to us the key to the gate which leads to health and happiness. The old order of things is passing away, and a new order has come, or is near at hand, wherein man will realize that he has dominion and power, not alone in the external world, but dominion and power over his own thoughts, his own actions, and the power to control and direct the full force of his own life.

A shock may come to those who are dwelling continually on the wisdom and justice of God's plan when they think of little children having to suffer for the wrong-doing of their parents. They may question such wisdom and such justice, but after all this condition only goes to prove that humanity is one, that we are parts one of another, that if one part suffers all suffer to some degree. It goes still further to show that if humanity is one body, happiness, health, and strength are not only for every part, but for the whole; that there is no real salvation for the whole if any part of the whole is excepted. The law that saves the part is the law that saves the whole.

There is one thing that parents can not be too careful concerning, and that is filling the receptive mind of a child with false or unreal ideas of life. There are so many ways of doing this that one needs to be on his guard pretty much all the time when in the presence of children. As an illustration, almost any one can go back in mind to the time of his childhood and remember some disagreeable story or tale told by some one that filled the little mind with fear and made it unhappy for weeks afterward. The habit that some parents have formed of talking about sickness, disease and pain when children are listening is harmful in the extreme, as it fills their little minds with morbid unreal thoughts. If a child has a vivid imagination he may often become really sick because of such conversation on the part of his parents. Let me impress on the minds of parents and all the necessity of always being as bright and as happy as circumstances will admit. And also to keep the conversation thoroughly wholesome and uplifting. If the state of fear is once established in the mind of a child, that in turn begets cowardice and lack of self-reliance and to a degree may affect all of his after life.