Neglected by their parents, subject to hired tenderness or
none at all; left to the care of ignorant or depraved
nurses, and often taught little but selfishness and greed of
gain, the children of men are surrounded by destructive
agencies. Can we wonder that the human mind loses in infancy
so much of its native power? But so the generations of earth
are growing up, bearing embittered fruit and sowing its seed
to the four winds. Who cares for the mind and body of a
child has the highest possible mission--the most sacred of
all trusts. He must give it all his time and strength. He
must lead its mind into green pastures; he must share its
joys; he must know its hopes and fears; he must give it hold
on lines of thought that reach into eternity, which will
sooner or later flood it with inspiration; he must see that
the brain has a sufficient foundation of flesh and blood and
bone; he must give it all his life until the germs of power
are developed."

"Unfortunately," said I, "most parents have other things to
do and think of."

"Parentage is a crime under such circumstances. It has
peopled the world with fools and knaves. It delays the
coming of Christ's kingdom. There are a few wise men, but
they are held down as gravitation holds the rock. There are
laws of attraction in the world of mind as in that of
matter. Good and evil are its poles. Every atom between them
is held in place by the operation of opposing forces. The
general mass of mind lies within narrow zones on both sides
of the equatorial line of this imaginary world. Its