Among the many duties a woman is called upon to fulfil, surely none can be deemed of such paramount importance as those she owes to her children. Now it is by no means our intention to write a chapter of “advice to mothers,” nor enter upon the subject of the education and general management of little people; all we have to do with the matter here is to notice it as forming a branch of our subject; for the nursery is an important part of a house, and upon its good management much of the comfort, as well as the health and well-being, of every member of the family will depend. If ever a woman has need of thought, care, and patience, it is when she becomes a mother. Who can look upon that most helpless of all created beings—a new-born infant—and not feel pity for it, interest in it; and surely no mother can bestow her first kiss on the little unconscious innocent without feeling some sense of the responsibilities which now rest on her—for it is not only a human being, but an immortal soul which is committed to her charge? Wherever such an arrangement can be made, a good-sized airy room should be set apart for the nursery, and always kept scrupulously clean, well ventilated, and of an even, wholesome temperature. Warmth is highly necessary to the health of infants and young children—but not the warmth of a close, over-heated room, for that oppresses their lungs, and makes them delicate and very susceptible of cold. Let the child be comfortably clad, and a natural temperature of body thus maintained. The health of very many infants is impaired by the foolish custom of exposing their little chests and arms by finely worked low bodies and very short sleeves, tied up so as effectually to render them useless in the way of covering. Very young children have so little natural heat, that they absolutely require that the temperature of their bodies should be kept up, by means of clothing, to a proper standard. Next to warmth, in the category of matters indispensable to health is cleanliness. Morning and night, an infant or a child under three years of age, should be bathed in tepid water in winter, and cold water in summer. This operation should be performed both thoroughly and quickly, and then the whole body wiped quite dry with a soft towel, and the limbs and back gently rubbed with the hand. The skin of an infant is so delicate that a little dirt, a slight accumulation of powder, any dampness, any rough handling or friction with any coarse cloth, will break or crack it, and often produce a humour which is not easily got rid of. The clothes of an infant, and especially those in immediate contact with its body, should be soft and clean. Its bed-clothes must likewise be kept well aired, and free from damp and unpleasant smells.