“My dear Mr. McKimber, society demands so much! Why, I scarcely have an hour to call my own!” And I saw that it was so,--saw that what with shopping, dressing, dinner-parties, evening-parties, callers, and calling, the “chief duty” stood a small chance. Among all classes, then,--among the wealthy, the comfortably off, and the uncomfortably off,--children are wronged. They are petted, pampered, furbelowed, amused, but still wronged: they are defrauded of their mothers. This is a broad statement; and, of course, there are exceptions. I know myself some thoughtful, careful, prayerful mothers, who understand their mission, and try to fulfil it. But, as a rule, the mission is not recognized. As a rule, children are shoved aside. And this is done in many cases deliberately. Said one of the sewing-circle members, “It won’t do to notice your children too much: if you do, you can’t turn ’em off.” Yes, “Turn ’em off,” is the cry. And turned off they are,--some for “society,” some for “flounces,” some for “lemon-pies.” How, then, and where, then, is my theory to work? for mothers, exceptions excepted, do not even feel that boy-and-girl-training is their first duty. And, allowing they could be convinced of this, then comes the question of time. How shall they find time to attend to it? which is rather an odd question, as it might be supposed that one’s first duty would have the first claim. Ah, well! it is almost a hopeless case. The next generation will not be a good generation, because it will not be started rightly; and it will not be started rightly, because mothers are not attending to their business; and mothers are not attending to their business, because they “have no time,” and because they are not aware that it is their business. Why do not philanthropists organize a society for the enlightenment of mothers? That is what the country needs. And when such a society shall have been organized, and have accomplished its purpose, another must be started, the object of which shall be to furnish mothers with time: not by putting more hours into the day, or more days into the week, but by an easy process which I have in my mind, and which I am willing to divulge. Its name begins with S. I will note down here that the name begins with S. There is a class of mothers not mentioned in these remarks, who make themselves slaves to their children by trying to gratify all their whims and wishes. This class need enlightenment as much as any other, for the kind of attention which children shall receive is a consideration of the utmost importance. X. A LOOK AHEAD.