and portions of Scripture, catechisms, and hymns. And beside the pains she took with me, often commended me with many prayers and tears to God; and I doubt not, but I reap the fruits of her prayers to this hour."

Now, some cottage mother, who reads the foregoing testimonies of the efficacy of parental teaching, guidance, and supplication, may feel disposed to say, or may say to herself, "These mothers were people of station and education, whereas I am poor and ignorant;" and she may so say truly: but what mother is there, even, "the lowest," who has it not in her power to be kind and gentle to her children, yes, and to pray that her children may become the children of God? Will she say that she knows not how to address God in their behalf? She may not in a well-ordered form of words: but God sees the heart, and to him the desire of the heart is acceptable prayer. Let her say, let her feel a desire to say, "Make these children, O God, thine!" She will not lose her reward. But let her be especially careful, if she would have her prayer, her desire, heard, that she prove to her family, by her own meek, kind, and contented disposition and conduct, that she wishes for them what she values and practices herself.

It is almost an invariable rule that a good mother has good children. Understand, however, what is meant by a good mother. It is one who rules her own temper, and who regulates her own conduct by the word of God, and the example of Him" who was meek and lowly of heart."-London Cottager's Visiter.

[Selected for the Microcosm.]

DILIGENCE.

Great results will accrue in a very short life, or a small portion of a life from DIligence. This one word—diligence, is of more moment in the economy of life than any other word in the whole vocabulary; and there ought to be more lectures made over it, and more lessons inculcated in sight of it, by mothers, teachers and tutors, than any other. Genius and great parts, and opportunities, those mystic and dazzling names, lose all their lustre, and become insipid and charmless sounds by the side of this simple word-DILIGENCE. Look to the history of man for proof of it-look any where around you.

Begin then the inculcation of the precept and the habit early with youth. Take good care first that the bent and the aim be right, but let the watchword at all times be diligence. It is not constantly enough in our ears and on our tongues. It surprises us to see in the biography of uncommon minds, how short a life of hard study has made great scholars, and how short a life of hard thinking has brought about prodigies of mind. But there is nothing to amaze in this-there is much to stimulate and encourage. Geniuses abound among our children, with parts enough, and advantages enough; and it needs nothing

Do not deceive Children.

31

but the early inculcation, and the industrious inculcation of diligence, to produce us ten Chattertons, Kirk White's, and Urquhart's, where we now have one.

It is a matter worthy of reflection with anxious and ambitious mothers, that most of the instances of extraordinary diligence and consequent extraordinary early endowments, have been cases where the mind was also imbued with piety. Two or three things may be inferred from this-that early piety is almost the only prompter to dili. gence in our duties, to be relied on in youth; and that pious mothers are almost the only sure prompters to early piety.

DO NOT DECEIVE CHILDREN.

A physician once called to extract a tooth from a child. The little boy seeing the formidable instruments, and anticipating the pain, was exceedingly frightened, and refused to open his mouth. After much fruitless solicitation, the physician said, "Perhaps there is no need of drawing it. Let me rub it a little with my handkerchief, and it may be all that is necessary; it will not hurt you in the least." The boy trusting his word, opened his mouth. The physician, concealing his instruments in his handkerchief, seized hold of the tooth and wrenched it out. The parents highly applauded his artifice. But the man cheated the child. He abused his confidence. And he inflicted an injury upon his moral feelings, not soon to be effaced. Will that physician get his handkerchief into the mouth of the child again? Will he believe what the physician may hereafter say? And while conscious that his parents approved of the deception, will he not feel it to be right for him to deceive, that he may accomplish his desires? It destroys his tenderness of conscience. And it teaches arts of decep

tion.

Let compulsion be resorted to when necessary, but deception never. If a child cannot place implicit confidence in his parent, most assuredly no confidence can be reposed in the child. Is it possible for a mother to practice arts of deception and falsehood, and at the same time her daughter be forming a character of frankness and of truth?

A mother once tried to persuade her little son to take some medicine. The medicine was very unpalatable, and she, to induce him to take it, declared it did not taste bad. He did not believe her. He knew, by sad experience, that her word was not to be trusted. A gentleman and friend, who was present, took the spoon, and said, "James, this is medicine, and it tastes very badly. I should not like to take it, but I would if necessary. You have courage enough to

swallow something which does not taste good, have you not?" "Yes," said James, looking a little less sulky.

bad indeed."

But that is very

"I know it," said the gentleman, "I presume you never tasted

any thing much worse." The gentleman then tasted of the medicine himself, and said, "It is really very unpleasant; but now let us see if you have not resolution enough to take it, bad as it is." The boy hesitatingly took the spoon.

"It is, really, rather bad," said the gentleman, "but the best way is to summon all your resolution, and down with it at once, like a man." James made a great effort, and swallowed the dose. And who will this child most respect, his deceitful mother, or the honest dealing stranger? And who will he hereafter most readily believe? It ought however, to be remarked, that had the child been properly governed, he would at once, and without a murmur, have taken what his mother presented.

[Selected for the Microcosm.]

TRUE OBJECT OF FEMALE EDUCATION.

As the designs of nature are never thwarted with impunity, so, those women, who, disdaining the feminine sphere, usurp the business and ape the manners of men, are punished for this usurpation by the loss of their attractions. The spectacle of a Hercules plying at the distaff, or that of a venerable judge taking his seat in a female dishabille, would scarcely be more absurd and ridiculous, than that of a woman affecting the air, the manners, and the peculiar pursuits of the other sex.

Now, as the business of education is not to thwart, but to assist the designs of nature, it is clear that the general scheme of female instruction should be appropriate to the female character and sphere of action.

Are not they the happiest among women, who are contented within the circle of such enjoyments, pursuits, and amusements, as are principally of the domestic kind?-Does woman ever appear so graceful and lovely, as in the domestic characters and relations of a dutiful daughter and affectionate sister-of a loving and faithful wife-of an excellent mother, rearing up her offspring and guiding them in wisdom's ways-of a discreet mistress of a family, combining prudent economy with hospitality? "The profession of women, to which the bent of their instruction should be turned, is that of daughters, wives, mothers and mistresses of families. They should therefore be trained with a view to these several conditions, and be furnished with a stock of ideas, and principles, and qualifications and habits, ready to be applied and appropriated, as occasion may demand, to each of their respective situations." Though the arts which merely embellish life must claim admiration; yet when a man of sense comes to marry, it is a companion whom he wants, and not an artist. It is not merely a creature who can paint, and play, and dress, and dance; it is a being who can comfort and counsel him; one who can reason, and reflect, and feel, and judge, and act, and discourse, and discriminate; one who can assist him in his affairs, lighten his cares, sooth his sorrows, purify his joys, strengthen his principles, and educate his children."

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VOL. I.

THE MICROCOSM.

DECEMBER, 1834.

No. 3.

NATURE AND EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT.

WHAT is, or should be, the design and end of punishment? Manifestly the improvement and reformation of its subject. Punishment administered for any other purpose, or in any other spirit than that arising from a sense of duty founded on regard to the subject of it, is a departure from the legitimate object of punishment, and partakes of other ingredients than those properly belonging to it. We do not mean by punishment retributive justice-but refer to it as existing in this probationary world, as a means of discipline; and particularly in the administration of it on the part of parents to children.

Who that has been through the world with his eyes open, will venture to tell us how little of the punishment administered in families, is of the right sort and proceeds from the right motives? We need not go to the lower classes of society-to the degraded and the viciousto find ill-advised, and ill-administered punishment. But if we look into these hovels we shall cease to wonder that vice and wretchedness entail their heritage upon the miserable children who inhabit them. Chastisement, if it can be dignified by the name, is here exhibited for the most part in savage, brutal violence: and not unfrequently is the cause of early disease, infirmity, and even premature death. Leaving the sound of blows and profane threatenings to which the child of tender age is exposed in the abodes of vice and intemperance, we will go through the higher orders of society, and see what we find there.

Taking the confessions of parents themselves, and the lamenta. tions of the more conscientious over their short-comings and infirmities, we can only present a sorry picture: but the failings are still greater among those who make no confessions at all,—and admit no imperfections in their discipline. Almost every parent who thinks at all, is ready to admit in theory the necessity of certain principles upon which the government of children should proceed; and none more readily than that punishment should never be inflicted in anger, or under the influence of excited temper: yet the cases where punishment is not administered under the excitement of anger, and measured by that anger, are merely exceptions to the general rule. Thank heaven, there are some exceptions!-but the amount of unnecessary suffering, and misconduct in children, arising from injudicious punishment, is incalculable.

The individual who cannot govern himself is unfit to govern others. The first and only sure step therefore, towards regulating a family of children, is self-discipline and self-government. How often has the illtemper and irascibility of parents vented itself in severity towards the children, on whom were laid burdens which they themselves were not able to bear. There is an innate love of power in the human breast, which is often exercised capriciously and despotically in the authority delegated to parents. Many families are under the reign of absolute tyranny the children fearing to speak in the father's presencetrembling at his approach, and hailing his departure with joy. We trust these cases are rare-but the modified forms of tyranny are numerous. We heard a gentleman once say, in advocating his system of government, that he would knock a child down for the first offense : that he would kill him but he would make him obey implicitly. How unlike the guidance that should train these tender immortal beings to the obedience of right, in the love of it.

We surely cannot err in taking the government of God as a model, and so far as we are able, drawing a parallel to it in miniature. True, signal offenses are sometimes visited with signal judgments: but how much oftener is long-suffering and forbearance exhibited. Instead of striking us dead for the first act of disobedience or transgression, He continues to bestow upon us greater mercies, accompanied by the gentle but heart touching reproof, "know ye not that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

The repentance and reformation that is founded on a conviction of ingratitude, is the deepest and most abiding of all repentance. Pa. rents who aim at the real benefit of their children, should be willing to watch the effects of chastisement upon their hearts and tempers: and when it has a directly injurious tendency, conclude there is something wrong in it. We never knew conscientious and judicious punishment have this effect, nor the punishment of passion without this effect. The child detects at once the difference between passion and principle.

Some parents who are very conscientious in their dealings with their children, seem to make the end of punishment consist in keeping their word. When the deepest contrition, and most broken-hearted penitence was exhibited by the child, punishment must still be inflicted be. cause it had been threatened. The true object of punishment is to induce repentance-and where this is effected, by a representation of the fault, or an appeal to the feelings, or the exhibition of a parent's displeasure, our great model teaches that the child may be forgiven.

We would dispense with corporeal punishment so far as it can possibly be done, as depressing in its influence on the character. We have known children much more affected by the deprivation of some expected pleasure, or the consciousness of having grieved a kind parent, than by numberless inflictions of corporeal punishment. We believe the "rod" of the scriptures is the instrument of correction, be that instrument what it may-and not necessarily a hickory stickmuch less a cane or broom-stick.