to attack children very suddenly who appear to enjoy fine health, (excepting the pain from their gums,) and thus a mother may be taken by surprise, and obliged to witness the agonies of a darling child when totally unprepared for so shocking an event. Therefore, I sincerely hope, what has been said upon this subject will have its due weight with my fair readers, and prompt them to conquer any latent fears they may entertain while thus assured by gentlemen of undoubted skill, humanity and experience, that no danger can possibly attend the operation, but every advantage may reasonably be expected from it. Surely it is absurd to pretend to such extreme sensibility as to be unable to see an infant's gums lanced, whilst we live daily speċtators of the most excruciating pain which it will almost instantly relieve. Thus do we see the pampered daughters of pride and luxury avoiding with horror and dismay the abode of poverty and sickness, lest a sight of the wretched inhabitants should agonize their too susceptible hearts; when their presence and friendship might relieve the keenest pang of merit in distress, and their

superfluous wealth, properly employed, cause the "widow's heart to sing for joy!"

Air and exercise are of the utmost importance at this time. A variety of good effects will arise from permitting the little creatures to be carried abroad almost constantly. Change of place and new objects will amuse them, and we all know the efficacy of amusement in the common toothach. By air and exercise likewise, general health is induced, which will ensure safe, and comparatively easy dentition. And I verily believe that infants who are nursed by their mothers, managed from the birth as directed in the preceding pages, and permitted to breathe the fresh air, with proper exercise every day, will seldom meet any difficulty, or be seriously affected with any of the complaints which have been here noticed, during this often critical and dangerous period of their infancy, but may thus be carried forward until nine months old in health and safety, which is the best time, in my opinion, to wean them.

SECTION II.

Observations relative to teaching Infants the right use of their hands.

"Now, when his little hands from bondage free, "Restless expand in new-born liberty, "You teach the Child, with reprehension light, "In preference to the left to use the right”.

ROSCOE.

THE anxiety many parents discover lest their children should be lefthanded, may excuse my devoting a page or two of this book in endeavouring to combat an idea pretty generally entertained, that it is neces sary to watch an infant when it first begins to use its hands and direct it,

"In preference to the left to use the right."

It is my decided opinion that if a child is lefthanded, it is a natural defect which it will be impossible ever entirely to overcome; and although the infant might, as it advanced

in life, be taught to use the right hand so well as greatly to obviate the inconvenience and awkward appearance arising from it; yet the propensity would always predominate, while a child which has not this natural defect will never acquire it after birth, and therefore all anxiety upon the subject is superfluous. That this is as much an insurmountable defect as any other natural deformity, may be inferred from the rarity of its occurrence, and that, generally, whenever it does occur, it is observed to be hereditary, and often all the children of the same family will inherit it as a legacy from their parents. Therefore, although I would by no means wish to deter mothers or attendants from using every proper means to counteract a defect so disagreeable in appearance, and inconvenient in its consequences, where they actually discover it to exist, yet I must believe no inattention whatever on their part can ever be censured as the cause of such a propensity in children who have it not born with them. If want of care and attention could produce this effect, we should probably much oftener discover this cha

racteristic mark of the ancient Benjamites among the labouring part of the community, who from the necessity of constant occupation seldom have time or inclination to attend to these little niceties in their children, and provided they can procure them "food to eat and raiment to put on, therewith are content ;" and probably seldom think of the circumstance until the child has decided the point by evincing beyond dispute which hand it prefers to use: and yet I fancy the defect does not occur more frequently among that class than in the more polished circles.