54 with passion, and TO MOTHERS OF YOUNG FAMILIES. screamed loudly for about ten minutes. I then asked her if she would say, "Dear mamma!" " No, no," was still her reply. I then whipped her. She still continued perseveringly obstinate, crying "no, no,' to every command to obey. She put up her lips for a kiss, but I refused to kiss her unless she obeyed me. Upon reiterating her refusal, I alternately whipped, and shut her up. It may be thought incredible, but this contest for supremacy actually lasted four hours! At last, I gained the victory. The rebellious spirit was subdued, (I fully believe in answer to my silent prayers during our struggle,) and the little sobbing penitent called, "Dear, dear mamma," and repeated it several times, at her father's solicitation. I was encouraged to persevere, by recollecting the anecdote related in Mr. Abbot's "Mother at Home," of the little boy, who would not say A. Most mothers will probably recollect it. I thank Mr. Abbot from my heart for his valuable book, but particularly for this anecdote. It has been of great service to me and my child. She is now nearly two years of age, and generally obedient. She knows that her mother is not to be trifled with. Sometimes, but rarely, she is sent into the corner of the room for disobedience, but is easily subdued. In a few minutes, she says, "I will be a good girl,-always obey my own dear mother." Now it was of no consequence that this child should say, " Dear mamma ;” as regards the act itself, it was a thing unimportant; but it was of vital consequence that she should know that she must obey. This was her first lesson in obedience, and I believe it has been an impressive one. 3. Another reason why mothers do not insist more strenuously upon obedience from their little ones, I fear, has its origin in the fact, that very young children are too much left to the care of servants. I do not mean unprincipled servants, for no Christian woman would knowingly trust her children with such. But even granting the nurse's excellent character and principle, yet she is not endowed with a mother's authority, or a mother's love. Thus, how many little gusts of passion, how many fits of obstinacy, how many traits of vanity, are passed over without correction, to say the best of it; or worse, perhaps, laughed at as affording amusement. And why? Mothers, mark well the reason! Because the mother is away,-away from her post, a post which requires unceasing vigilance, and untiring watchfulness. Yes, young mothers, your homes are in your nurseries,-nurseries of immortal fruit, and unfading blossoms! If you do not assiduously sow the good seed, which will bring forth the golden" fruits of the Spirit," the adversary will not neglect to scatter his tares in wild profusion on the fertile and rich soil of the heart of your little ones. You must check, and if possible, destroy the growth of noxious weeds, and strive to introduce in their stead, the tender plants of purity and holiness. Be much at home, and have your children about you. This will furnish you many opportunities for storing their young minds with divine truth, and of disciplining their hearts and tempers, by the strong, but gentle sway of maternal influence. You have more power over your children than any other human being possibly can have. You are intimately acquainted with their different dispositions and habits, and you must "train them in the way they should go." I would recommend to EXTRACT FROM A MOTHER'S JOURNAL. 55 all parents the attentive perusal of two excellent works by Caroline Fry,— "The Listener," and Scripture Principles of Education." They will make every one wiser and better. Above all, dear Christian mothers, I implore of you to cultivate, both in your children and in yourselves, a humble spirit of prayer, and a spirit of submissive dependance upon the goodness of our Heavenly Father, together with a firm reliance upon the efficacy of the love and intercession of our blessed Redeemer and Mediator. ZILLAH. Philadelphia, 1834. For the Mother's Magazine. EXTRACTS FROM A MOTHER'S JOURNAL. (Continued.) MORAL DISCIPLINE. Should any parent ask how soon moral discipline should be exercised over a child, we reply without hesitation, as soon as, in any way, the child can be made to understand what we mean; and that, we believe, is at a much earlier period than many imagine. When parents leave their children to themselves, until all their evil passions have acquired a sturdy growth, they only accumulate their own labour, and the sufferings of their children under chastisement; if indeed, they should ever be able to subdue them. The effectual way to kill a weed, is to nip its first growth, as soon as we perceive it; and as often as new shoots spring up from the old root, nip them also; and in this way, its growth will become more and more stinted, until it will finally disappear. Many families of children are so noisy and turbulent that it is almost impossible to maintain family worship with any comfort. Before our daughter was a year old, we taught her to fold her hands, and remain quiet while blessing and thanks were pronounced at table. It is now several months since we have succeeded in teaching her to be quiet during family worship. And, although only about twenty-two months old, she will kneel regularly as any of the family, and generally remain quiet, until the exercise is closed. But the trait of character which we discover to be most conspicuous; which we suppose to be common to children; and which becomes an object of increasing solicitude as she grows up; is the disposition to imitate: to do whatever she sees others do. This impresses upon us the importance of having our own example, as well as that of every member of the family, such as she may with propriety copy; and of having all the family regulations decent and orderly. We have never allowed any of the family to talk babytalk to her, nor to speak incorrectly in her presence. She was perhaps longer in beginning to talk than she otherwise would have been; but for six or eight weeks past, she has improved greatly. She will now, with conside 56 EXTRACT FROM A MOTHER'S JOURNAL. rable distinctness articulate every letter in the alphabet, and repeat most words which she hears spoken. One trait of character we discover, which is somewhat singular; and which we are anxious to cherish and cultivate; when she sees any thing in the house out of place, she will not be easy until it is adjusted. On one occasion she came into the family room after it had been cleaned she took a minute survey of every thing, and appeared pleased, but, seeing the poker standing against the bureau, she immediately removed it to its proper place. These seem like small matters; but they show what minute observers children are, and how careful and watchful we should be in their presence. Many interesting incidents occurred, in the management of this child, before we thought of keeping a journal, which we cannot now recollect. We record these, with the hope that they may be of some use to us, in our subsequent endeavors to fulfil our vows. It may not, perhaps, be improper here to record also, that in all these measures there has been a cordial union and co-operation of both parents. From the foregoing facts and considerations, together with our general experience and observation, we draw the following inferences, and maxims, to guide us in the discharge of parental duties : 1. The intimate connexion between moral, intellectual, and physical education. 2. The necessity of union and co-operation between the parents, in the exercise of authority. 3. Avoid giving needless occasion for the exercise of authority, by bringing the disposition of the child to unnecessary trial, especially when it is in an irritable frame, from bodily infirmity, or any other cause. 4. When authority is exercised, let it be in a cool, dispassionate, tender and prayerful spirit, yet in a firm and decided manner. 5. Commence the moral discipline of the child, as soon as it can be made to understand the wishes of the parent. 6. In this discipline, every effort should be directed towards producing a right state of moral feeling in the heart. 7. Unconditional submission to the will of the parent should be the first lesson taught; but as soon as the child is capable of understanding them, the reasons of the parent's conduct should be explained in a spirit of tender expostulation. It need scarcely be remarked, that the child who is accustomed to surrendering his own will to that of his parent, will be much more easily brought to exercise the same feeling toward God, than the one who has been allowed to grow up self-willed and obstinate; and the earliest measures of instruction and discipline should have an ultimate reference to conversion. 8. No act of disobedience should be suffered to pass unnoticed; and correction should be administered, not as a punishment, but to enforce obedience. 9. When correction becomes necessary, such means should be used, and such a degree of chastisement inflicted, as will produce submission. Less than this will only tend to harden. More, would be cruel. 10. Correction should never be administered in a hasty and inconsiderate manner. This will only provoke the child to anger. When circumstances will permit, first retire and seek the direction of God in prayer, and ask the aid of his Holy Spirit to subdue the heart of the child. When this cannot be done, lift up a silent prayer for the same object. If the child is old enough to understand what it means, retire and pray with it. 11. Endeavor to suppress the first risings of depravity, and guard against little offences, and great ones will seldom be committed. 12. An even handed, firm, and decided course, will prevent the necessity of frequent chastisement. 13. Never speak angrily to a child. 14. Never punish for accidents, unless accompanied by inexcusable carelessness. 15. Early accustom the child to the practice of self-denial 16. Never give it any thing for which it cries. 17. As soon as the child is capable of making known its wants in any other way, do not suffer it to cry. 18. Suffer no incorrect, ungrammatical, or low language to be used in presence of the child. This will save much trouble in the early stages of its education. 19. Let every thing within the range of its observation be kept neat and orderly, and it will learn neat and orderly habits. 20. Have no person about the child, who is addicted to habits which you would not have it learn. 21. Strive to make every thing about the child comfortable and pleasant, so as to promote a cheerful temper-so as to give to the recollection of parents and home, the power of attraction, in all the subsequent stages of life. 22. Suppress the first appearance of selfishness; and accustom the child to share its good things with others, and to exercise a generous disposition. 23. Having thus prepared the ground, during infancy, as soon as the child is capable of understanding the simple truths of the gospel, with an humble reliance upon the grace of God, labor directly for its conversion. For the Mother's Magazine. MINISTERIAL INFLUENCE ESSENTIAL TO THE PROSPERITY OF MATERNAL ASSOCIATIONS. It is with no small degree of diffidence that we presume once more to solicit the attention of the watchmen on the walls of Zion, to the subject of maternal associations. As to the practical utility of such institutions, we beg leave to refer our clerical friends to the testimony of mothers themselves, furnished by extracts from the reports of these associations published on the cover of the 12th number of the Magazine, vol. I. and also in our prospectus for vol. II. To which might be added more than one hundred similar reports. It is presumed that the propriety and expediency of encouraging the formation of such associations, cannot be questioned by those who reflect that the whole mass of human mind, in its most ductile form, reclines upon the bosoms of mothers. It is the mother who must break up the fallow ground of the heart; it is her hand that scatters, most profusely, those seeds whose fruit is for immortality. Where shall be found the Christian mother who does not tremble, in view of such responsibility? And why should not the same facilities be afforded to her, which have ever been enjoyed by the other sex? Associations among men, have not been wanting to promote the general diffusion of knowledge, and to bring to maturity the more liberal "arts and sciences." Professional men frequently meet together. They investigate— they compare-they reflect-they analyze. It is only in the way of exercise that their mental and moral powers become invigorated. It is by means of facts and deductions, the fruits and labors of other minds, as well as their own, that they acquire the wisdom requisite to a faithful discharge of their appropriate duties, in a manner creditable to themselves, and useful to others. We might safely make the appeal, whether for the faithful discharge of maternal duties, women possess any superior qualities of mind or of heart, which supersede the necessity of those methods of improvement deemed indispensable to the other sex. If there is no fallacy in our reasoning, then mothers should not only be invited, but, if possible, persuaded to use similar means, for similar improvement. The sympathies of our nature may be wisely improved for all the practical purposes of redeeming a perishing world. The wisdom of providence in opening, in the mother's heart, a perennial fountain, where all the best affections of our nature are concentrated, is we fear too often over-looked by the ambassadors of Christ. By agitating this fountain, how powerfully might these ambassadors act upon the sensibilities of the husband, the father, and the child, and by means of this single influence ultimately lead those to holiness, who but for this influence might remain unsanctified through life. Let us present this subject, in another point of light; and here an important lesson may be drawn from the method adopted by the grand adversary, in seducing our race from their allegiance to God. He did not wait until they had increased in number, for he well knew that every accession to the human family diminished his chance of success-for some might be found who would persevere in their obedience to their Maker. But could he infuse the poison into the original fountain, he knew full well, that his grand purpose of ruin would be at once, and he trusted, for ever accomplished-the descending generations in all future time would be as polluted as the fountain whence they should proceed. Such was the principle adopted by the great enemy of God and man, and with what success the universal apostacy of the race but too well declare. It is an ancient maxim that it is lawful to learn wisdom, even from an enemy; and hence the principle upon which Satan proceeded in ruining the race may be, and should be, employed in restoring it to its primeval condition. To effect this, the fountains must be first purified. In vain is it that efforts are made to purify the streams while the fountains continue impure. We apply these observations, in a single word, to our purpose, the work must |