r being, and indulge appetite and passion at the expense of intellect and morals, and seem willing
to remain in ignorance of the result of their violation of nature’s laws. They indulge the depraved
appetite in the use of slow poisons, which corrupt the blood, and undermine the nervous forces, and in
consequence bring upon themselves sickness and death. Their friends call the result of their own course
the dispensation of Providence. In this they insult Heaven. They rebelled against the laws of nature,
and suffered the punishment of her abused laws. Suffering and mortality now prevail everywhere,
especially among the children. How great is the contrast between this generation, and those who lived
during the first two thousand years! I inquired if this tide of woe could not be prevented, and something
done to save the youth of this generation from the ruin which threatens them. It was shown to me that
one cause of the existing deplorable state of things is, that parents do not feel under obligation to bring
up their children to conform to physical law. Mothers love their children with an idolatrous love, and
they indulge their appetite when they know that it will injure the health of the children, and thereby
bring upon them disease and unhappiness. This cruel kindness is carried out to a great extent in the
present generation. The desires of children are gratified at the expense of health and happy tempers,
because it is easier for the mother, for the time being, to gratify them than to withhold that for which
her children clamor.
Had the system of education generations back been conducted upon altogether a different plan, the
youth of this generation would not now be so depraved and worthless. The managers and teachers
of schools should have been those who understood physiology, and who had an interest, not only to
educate youth in the sciences, but to teach them
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how to preserve health, in order to use their knowledge to the best account after they had obtained it.
There should have been in connection with the schools, establishments for various branches of labor,
that the students might have employment, and necessary exercise out of school hours.
The students’ employment and amusements should have been regulated with reference to physical
law, and adapted to preserve to them the healthy tone of all the powers of the body and mind. Then
their education in practical business could have been obtained, while their literary progress was being
secured. Students at school should have had their moral sensibilities aroused to see and feel that society
had claims upon them, and that they should so live in obedience to natural law that they could, by their
existence and influence, by precept and example, be an advantage and blessing to society. It should be
impressed upon youth that all have an influence that is constantly telling upon society, to improve and
elevate, or to lower and debase it. The first study of youth should be to know themselves, and how to
keep their bodies in health.
Many parents have kept their children at school nearly the year round. These children have gone
through the routine of study mechanically, and they have not retained that which they learned. Many
of these constant students seem almost destitute of intellectual life. The monotony of continual study
wearies the mind, and they have but little interest in their lessons, and to many, the application to books
becomes painful. They had not an inward love of thought, and ambition to acquire knowledge. They
did not encourage in themselves reflection, and investigation of objects and things.
Children are in great need of proper education, in order that their liv
