CHAPTER XV. EARLY RISING. All children naturally early risers. Evils of sitting up late at night. Excitements in the evening. The morning, by its beauties, invites us abroad. Example of parents. Forbidding children to rise early. Keeping them out of the way. Burning them up. "Lecturing" them. What is an early hour? CHAPTER XVI. HARDENING THE CONSTITUTION. Mistakes about hardening children. Their clothing. Much cold enfeebles. The Scotch Highlanders. The two extremes equally fatal--over-tenderness and neglect. An interesting anecdote from Dr. Dewees. CHAPTER XVII. SOCIETY. Duty of mothers in this matter. Children prefer the society of parents. Importance of other society. Necessity of society. Early diffidence. Selecting companions. Moral effects of society on the young. Parents should play with their children. CHAPTER XVIII. EMPLOYMENTS. Influence of mothers over daughters. Anecdote of Benjamin West. Anecdote of a poor mother. Of set lessons and lectures. Daughters under the mother's eye. Disliking domestic employments. Miserable housewives--not to be wondered at. Mistake of one class of men. Mr. Flint's opinion. CHAPTER XIX. EDUCATION OF THE SENSES. Extent to which the senses can be improved. Case of the blind. The Indians. Julia Brace. Tailors, painters, &c. SEC. 1. _Hearing._ Injury done by caps. Syringing the ears. Anecdote of deafness from neglect. Means of improving the hearing. SEC. 2. _Seeing._ Importance of seeing. Near-sighted people--why so common. Heat of our rooms. Very fine print. Spectacles. Reading when tired. Rubbing the eyes. Cold water to the eyes. SEC. 3. _Tasting and Smelling._ Benumbing the senses. How this has often been done. The teeth. How to preserve them. SEC. 4. _Feeling._ Corpulence and slovenliness. Sense of touch. The blind--how taught to read. Hint to parents. The hand. Neglecting the left hand. Physiology of the hand and arm. Evils of being able to use but one hand. Both should be educated. CHAPTER XX. ABUSES. Bad seats for children at table and elsewhere. Why children hate Sunday. Seats at Sabbath school--at church--at district schools. Suspending children between the heavens and the earth. Cushions to sit on. Seats with backs. Children in factories. Evils produced. Bodily punishment. Striking the heads of children very injurious. Beating across the middle of the body. Anecdote of a teacher. Concluding advice to mothers. * * * * * PREFACE. There is a prejudice abroad, to some extent, against agitating the questions--"What shall we eat? What shall we drink? and Wherewithal shall we be clothed?"--not so much because the Scriptures have charged us not to be over "anxious" on the subject, as because those who pay the least attention to what they eat and drink, are supposed to be, after all, the most healthy.