The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-28

tiaI to happiness. My wife went out and
received up to the day she was brought
to bed. enjoying all the time the society of
her friends and acquaintance. For similar
reasons the children of popular parents are
generally capable of attracting and holding
friends. A woman dsinclined to sociability
is very apt to shut herself up at certain
periods-reason enough why her offspring
should turn out a self-satisfed recluse. II,
however, the mother continues an intelli-
gent interest in her home and kitchen, her
garden and household pets her child will
be home lover, fond alike of man and AMI
NAL, attracted by pretty things and cher
ishing kindly thoughts to all
The mother who would delight in low
ing child must love it before it sees the
light If she waits until it is born she may
have little control over it's affections; the
love she Graves for should be implanted In
the unborn child. That love will be always
with the mother, it will endure and strew
flowers on her grave many, many years
after she is gone
And thus a woman may mar, or make,
her son or daughter in a moral sense. If
she is not eager to impart good traits to
her child she is very liable to transmit
undesirable qualities, peevishness, unchar-
itableness, passions, disloyalty and others
that hurt person in the esteem of his
fellow-beings, make the world sadder and
life harder to bear.
THE PRACTICAL SIDE.
Next the practical side must be consid-
ered-those mental powers that impart en-
ergy to man and determination to women.
Even when parents intend to have female
child, such practical faculties are of the
greatest Importance, as nowadays girls,
like boys. must stand their ground in the
fight for bread. Perseverance. the quality
that compels success, is akin Of strength
and endurance.
To impart these qualities to her offspring
the mother must lead a hygienic life, must
exercise or retrench her muscular system.
Any physician can advise her how to keep
her heart and digestive organs in condi-
tion-how to strengthen them. The heart
must be made to do it's appointed work
excellently well, and. indeed, better than
under ordinary conditions, for strong
blood circulation must be developed in
both mother and child; such, welded to
a pure, active and well-intentioned mind.
means nothing less than successful man
or woman-to-be
Still, success, the quality OF taking care
of ones material welfare, is not all, though
a good beginning. The robust, well-mean-
ing mother may inadvertently sow the seeds
of recklessness in her child If she does not
cultivate economy, does not keep order in
her affairs, personal and as regards the
household over which she presides. There
is many a spendthrift disgracing himself
ssxxy,n haG N
mother" according to general understand
ing but that mother may have been the
reverse of a good housekeeper in the early
years Of her marriage
In these endeavors the father must
tend full assistance. He should make 1t
his business to forestall anger, undue pride.
morbidness, discontentment and fits OF
passion. extreme sensitiveness. bashfulness
and self-consciousness on the mothers
part. Some Of thee qualities are intensified
by the condition of motherhood-the more
reason TO guard against them. against
transmitting them to the child.
TALENTS. PROFESSIONS.
Before / go into the matter of prenatal
influence as an agency for producing tai
ents. professional traits, ETC., let me re-
call fact often mentioned in general con-
versation- 1T is quite common to hear 1T
said OF a child who is a clever performer
the piano. 'She gets that from her
mother. who was fine player" What is
IL that the child inherits from her mother?
Is it merely the natural aptitude to- learn
piano playing or is IL the ability to play
acquired by the mother at the expense of
years OF practice? While the scientific
world is still rent asunder over this ques-
ton the popular mind, as the saying re-
ferred to proves. has already decided in
favor of my theory of prenatal influence.
II is one of those instances where instinct
is ahead of learning. The masses, guided
by instinct rather than by thought and
man-made laws and regulations. feel. if
they do not know. that one may have
cheerful and good-natured child (the
parents character permitting so one
talented or gifted in certain directions is
procurable under favorable conditions
The very fact that so many persons are
born musicians proves this theory For
the women of the people. IL would not do
TO hope for learned sons; they are too ig-
norant to implant in their offspring the
love and capacity for mental work. but