CHILDREN.
31
them happens to be diseased the rest catch the infection. Asingle child has been often known to communicate thebloody-flux, the hooping cough, the itch, or other diseases, toalmost every individual in a numerous school.
But if fashion must prevail, and infants are to be sent toschool, we would recommend it to teachers, as they value theinterests of society, not to confine them too long at a time, butto allow them to run about and play at such active diversionsas may promote their growth and strengthen their constitu-tions. Were boys, instead of being whipped for stealing anhour to run, ride, swim, or the like, encouraged to employtheir time in these manly and useful exercises, it would pro-duce many excellent effects.
It would be of great service to boys if, at a proper age,they were taught the military exercise. This would increasetheir strength, inspire them with courage, and, when theircountry called for their assistance, would enable them to actin her defence, without being obliged to undergo a tediousand troublesome course of instructions, at a time when theyare less fit to learn new motions, gestures, Sec.
An effeminate education will infallibly spoil the best natu-ral constitution ; and if boys are brought up in a more deli-cate manner than even girls ought to be, they never will bemen.
Nor is the common education of girls less hurtful to theconstitution than that of boys. Miss is set down to her framebefore she can put on her clothes, and is taught to believethat to excel at the needle is the only thing that can entitleher to general esteem. It is unnecessary here to insist uponthe dangerous consequences of obliging girls to sit too much.They are pretty well known, and are too often felt at a cer-tain time of life. But suppose this critical period to be gotover, greater dangers still await them when they come to bemothers. Women who have been early accustomed to asedentary life generally run great hazard in childbed ; whilethose who have been used to romp about and take sufficientexercise are seldom in any danger.
One hardly meets with a girl who can at the same timeboast of eariy performances by the needle and a good consti-tution. Close and early confinement generally occasions indi-gestions, headaches, pale complexions, pain of the stomach,loss of appetite, coughs, consumptions of the lungs, and de-formity of body. The last of these indeed is not to be won-