I have seen a mother whose critical eye could discern anything imperfect in the matching of the wood-work of her house, and who was very particular to have her house-cleaning thoroughly done at the precise time she had set, and would carry it through frequently at the expense of physical and spiritual health, while her children were left to run in the street and obtain a street education. These children were growing up coarse, selfish, rude, and disobedient. The mother, although she had hired help, was so much engaged in household cares that she could not afford time to properly train her children. She let them come up with deformity of character, undisciplined, and untrained. We could but feel that the fine taste of the mother was not exercised in the right direction, or she would have seen the necessity of moulding the minds and manners of her children, and educating them to have symmetrical characters and lovely tempers.

Jeg har besøgt en moder, hvis kritiske øje kunne opdage den mindste ufuldkommenhed i, hvordan træværket i hendes hus var føjet sammen, og som var meget nøjeregnende med at få rengøringen gennemført til den tid, hun havde fastsat, og som tit gjorde rent på bekostning af både fysisk og åndelig sundhed, medens hendes børn var overladt til at strejfe om på gaderne og hente deres opdragelse der. Disse børn voksede op som rå, egoistiske, uforskammede og ulydige børn. Skønt moderen havde hjælp i huset, var hun så optaget af husholdningen, at hun ikke kunne få tid til at opdrage sine børn rigtigt. Hun lod dem vokse op med en vanartet karakter, udiciplinerede og uskolede. Vi kunne ikke undgå følelsen af, at moderens fine smag ikke udfoldede sig i den rigtige retning, ellers ville hun have indset nødvendigheden af at forme sine børns sind og opførsel og opdrage dem, så de ville få en harmonisk karakter og et elskeligt temperament.