"So it is in the case of Adam. He sinned, and all his race are infected with the plague of sin. In one it shows itself by unbounded ambition; in another by pride; in another by selfishness. In one little girl we see vanity; in another disobedience to her parents. One boy tells lies; another steals; another swears. Some do all these; but every one of the race has inherited the fatal taint, and is neither morally nor physically sound." "In a town situated near the centre of the State of Connecticut there lived a man who, in early life, was often detected in stealing small articles from his playmates. As he grew older, he became more hardened in crime. He married, and had four sons and three daughters. But during this time he had been sentenced twice to the state prison once to serve out a term of three years, the other of two. "As soon as his sons were old enough, each one of them became addicted to pilfering, so that they were considered a nuisance to the whole neighborhood. One by one they left home to seek their fortune in a wider sphere; and the first news of them that came back was, that they had been convicted of this crime, and were sentenced to prison for a longer or shorter period. "The daughters were all younger. One of them was taken into the service of a lady at the age of thirteen: In a few months her mistress detected her in purloining articles of clothing from her wardrobe. She was dismissed from service after a trial of several months, during which she often repeated her offence. "The second daughter was a very handsome girl. She went to the city to learn the trade of a milliner, and was soon after sent to jail for what was called shoplifting. She was shopping for her employer, saw an elegant lace cape which she coveted, and while the clerk was waiting upon another customer, endeavored to hide it beneath her shawl. The article was missed, she was pursued, the cape discovered, and she was punished for her theft. "The youngest daughter was taken from her mother's arms by a benevolent lady who believed the sad fate of the children to be the consequence of their early training. She began very early to teach the little one the difference between mine and thine, and through all the years when the young mind is so susceptible to outward influence, endeavored to impress upon her, both by precept and example, that it was sin to appropriate to one's self the property of another; but it was in vain. The seeds of sin were planted at her birth; and though she knew not even of the existence of her relatives, yet she followed in the same footsteps, and brought sorrow and disgrace into the family of her kind benefactress.