LIBRARY OF THE 
 NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE 
 OF HOME ECONOMICS 
 
 CORNELL 
 ITHACA, 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 NEW YORK 
 
1924 053 969 261 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924053969261 
 
FOR GIRLS AND THE MOTHERS OF GIRLS 
 
FOR GIRLS AND THE 
 MOTHERS OF GIRLS 
 
 A Book for the Home and the School 
 
 Concerning the Beginnings 
 
 of Life 
 
 By 
 MARY G. HOOD, M. D. 
 
 With Introduction by 
 SARAH LOUISE ARNOLD 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS 
 
 THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
copybight 1914 
 Thx Bobbs-Mesuil Coui'aht 
 
 H 7^ 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 
 J^s:^S's-^ ijf<^- " 
 
 PREBS OP 
 
 BRAUNWORTH & CO. 
 
 BOOKBINDERS AND PRtNTSRS 
 
 BROOKLYN, N. V, 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER FA&C 
 
 Introouctiov . . I . . 1 
 I A Lettek to the Grmi£ Who Read this 
 
 Book 9 
 
 II How P1.A1IT Life Beqins ... 11 
 
 HI How Animal Life BEams ... 16 
 
 IV Conceenino the Egg .... 18 
 
 V The Wonderfui, Germ Celi, . . 23 
 
 VI Concerning Mammals and Theik Yobno 27 
 
 VII The Growth op the Young Mammal . 30 
 
 VIII The Egg and the Ovary ... 36 
 
 IX The Reproductive Organs ... 39 
 
 X The Pelvis and the Pelvic Organs . 44 
 
 XI How the Ovom Finds Its Wat from the 
 
 Ovary to the Uterus ... 46 
 
 XII How Cells Grow and Multiply . . 49 
 
 XIII How THE Pollen Unites with the Ovule 66 
 
 XIV Fertilization : Or, Union of the Ovum 
 
 AND the Sperm 60 
 
 XV Conception and Motherhood . . 67 
 
 XVI The Development of the Human Embryo 72 
 XVII Provisions for the Growth of the 
 
 Human Infant 79 
 
 XVIII The Birth of the Child ... 86 
 
 XIX How THE Child Is Fed After Birth . 92 
 
 XX Menstruation 97 
 
 XXI Why the Girl Should Keep Well . 103 
 
 XXII Hygiene of the Menstrual Period . 107 
 
 XXIII Concerning Exercise .... 113 
 
 XXIV Concerning Cleanliness ... 122 
 XXV Concerning Moods and EImotions . 130 
 
 XXVI Concerning Friendships . . . 140 
 
 XXVII CONCEBNING MaRRIAGE .... 148 
 
 XXVIII Concerning Parenthood • . • 165 
 
THE MOTHER 
 
 Some there be that sow the seed and reap the 
 
 golden grain; 
 And some there be that buy and sell, and find 
 
 therein their gain; 
 And some do build with skilful craft; and some 
 
 with cttrioits art 
 Do point or carve; and some do sing. So each 
 
 doth do his part. 
 
 And some there be, — most blessed these, — to 
 
 deeds of mercy given; 
 And some do heal the sick, and some do lead the 
 
 way to Heaven; 
 But holiest task of all is thine, oh Mother with 
 
 thy child! 
 For thee and him all workers toii, all craftsmen 
 
 carve and build. 
 
 Make pure thy heart, oh Mother-smtt, that ptwe 
 
 thy son's may be; 
 Make strong thy soul, with cowrage strong, that 
 
 he may learn of thee; 
 Make true thy word, thy thought, thy deed, that 
 
 truth may make him free; 
 And pour thy noble life for his I Thus safe our 
 
 land shall be. 
 
 —Sarah Louise Akwc«-d 
 
FOR GIRLS AND THE MOTHERS OF GIRLS 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 To the Mothers and Teachers 
 of Girls, This Foreword 
 is Written. 
 
 Among the problems connected with the edu- 
 cation of youth none is more insistent or more 
 serious than the question which is presented in 
 the pages of this book. How may young 
 people be taught the truth concerning the phy- 
 sical beginnings of life, with such simplicity 
 and sincerity of statement as shall enable them 
 to secure a reasonable understanding, and with 
 such appeal to the moreil nature as shall tend 
 to right and wise conduct in these matters? 
 This is perhaps the greatest problem now pre- 
 sented to thoughtful parents and teachers. 
 
 In the past we have kept silence concerning 
 1 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 this matter. Text-books in anatomy and 
 physiology have omitted all reference to the 
 beginnings of reproduction. When children 
 have asked questions parents have answered 
 with some traditional myth, or have turned 
 them away. "Ask me when you are fifteen," 
 said a mother to her son, who had earnestly 
 inquired concerning the advent of his baby 
 sister. She recited with some pride the means 
 by which she had postponed the answer to his 
 question. When the boy was fifteen he did 
 not return to ask. Others in various fashions 
 had enlightened him. 
 
 Heretofore we have assumed that the re- 
 sponsibility for such instruction rested with 
 parents and physicians, while in some cases the 
 church has lent its aid. The subject, as we 
 have said, has with design been omitted from 
 text-books; the schools have had littje or no 
 part in such teaching. 
 
 It is not yet clear that instruction in sex 
 hygiene can take place in the ordinary schools, 
 2 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 under the direction of teachers who have had 
 only the ordinary preparation. On the other 
 hand, it is increasingly evident that unless 
 adequate instruction is provided by the wise 
 and competent, inadequate, perverted and 
 vicious theories will be set forth by the igno- 
 rant, the designing and the unscrupulous. All 
 Ebys and girls should eventually gain the ap(- 
 propriate knowledge under some sort of in- 
 struction. The parent can not evade or shirk 
 the responsibility. If the home has been negli- 
 gent, and has failed to fulfil its trust, then, 
 as in other matters of education, the interests 
 of the community are involved, and some other 
 agency must provide suitable instruction. All 
 signs point to a new and intelligent insight on 
 the part of both mothers and teachers. No 
 longer are the questions confined to the chil- 
 dren alone ; but their parents and teachers are 
 seeking to find the true method of imparting 
 this essential knowledge. 
 
 It IS in answer to these questions that this 
 3 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 bosk has been written. It has come out of a 
 fruitful experience during which girls and 
 mothers, a long procession, have turned to a 
 wise physician and have earnestly asked the 
 questions which are answered in these pages. 
 Often it has been necessary for the physician 
 to give instruction far too long deferred, know- 
 ing that the omission has been followed by 
 disastrous experiences. Many a mother has 
 said, "I would have taught my daughter if I 
 had known how." Many a girl, expressing 
 complete ignorance of principles which she 
 needed to know, has said bitterly, "Where 
 could I go to learn? My mother has never 
 been willing or able to answer my questions." 
 The necessity of knowing is clear; this book 
 has been written in response to earnest solicita- 
 tions. We are assured that the answers which 
 have been given to these girls and to their 
 mothers will be useful to hundreds of other 
 girls and young women, or will serve as a help 
 to those who need to instruct in these matters 
 4 
 
IlSliRODUCTION 
 
 any individual girl or group of girls. The 
 mother who has not learned the language in 
 which such truths may be imparted will be 
 helped by studying these pages. She will dis- 
 cover how the mysterious truth may be spoken 
 simply, naturally, clearly and impersonally. 
 She will then be able to answer the insistent 
 questions; or, if she chooses, the book may 
 speak for her, — for it is a book which she may 
 safely confide to her daughter's keeping. 
 
 This book is suitable also for use in the 
 hands of the teacher, who can more readily im- 
 part such truths when supported by the pages 
 of the text. It has been written directly to 
 the girls who need it, and in simplest language ; 
 for that reason it may practically pave the way 
 to a clearer understanding of the art of teach- 
 ing these fundamental principles. 
 
 The fact that the subject of sex hygiene has 
 
 been tabooed has led to a false emphasis upon 
 
 the facts relating to it. Direct, clean, dignified 
 
 and sincere reference to these matters, when 
 
 S 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 n&ceasity arises, ought to help to restore the 
 subject to its normal relation to general 
 hygiene, to biological truths, to social conduct. 
 
 But we must remember that no enlighten- 
 ment of the intellect will alone suffice to in- 
 fluence conduct. To the subject imder dis- 
 cussion mighty motives are attached. Right 
 conduct connected therewith can be secured 
 only by the development of fine social ideals 
 and by the strengthening of the individual 
 will. Parents can not rest back easily, wash- 
 ing their hands of responsibility, after the 
 initial instruction has been given. The de- 
 velopment of the ideal, the fixing of the habits, 
 the strengthening of the will, which are con- 
 cerned in right action, are matters of lifelong 
 education. These are indispensable; they are 
 intimately concerned with the solution of this 
 great problem. The initial instruction insures 
 a clearer understanding and a more honest 
 teaching. 
 
 It is a pleasure to commend this book to 
 6 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 girls, their mothers and teachers, with the 
 assurance that it will prove a wise counselor 
 and a faithful friend. 
 
 Sarah Louise Arnold 
 Simmons College 
 
FOR GIRLS AND THE 
 MOTHERS OF GIRLS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A LETTER TO THE GIRLS WHO READ THIS BOOK 
 
 My Dear Girls: 
 
 As I have been writing these pages I have 
 had in mind the young girls who, in the years 
 past, have come to me to ask questions con- 
 cerning the beginnings of human life and 
 their own relation to that great subject. It 
 has been a privilege to talk with these girls, and 
 I have been heartily glad when our talks have 
 led to a clearer understanding of the problems 
 of life that were confronting them. 
 
 Every girl has a right to know the answers 
 
 to the questions which these girls have asked. 
 
 In no other way can she meet with wisdom 
 
 and strength the great responsibilities which 
 
 9 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 await her. It has often been true that the 
 girls who talked with me have been burdened 
 with heavy anxiety and care. Sometimes 
 they carried a bitter load which had come as a 
 result of their ignorance. 
 
 It is my earnest desire to substitute knowl- 
 edge for ignorance in the lives of girls who 
 have not yet been taught the truths which 
 these pages attempt to make clear, so that they 
 may go forward with clearer vision, and attain 
 truer strength as they face the sacred respon- 
 sibilities of wifehood and motherhood. 
 
 I have written with simplicity and direct- 
 ness, as if I were speaking to each one of you, 
 face to face and alone, as I have in the past 
 spoken with other girls. Many of these girls 
 have been very dear to me. I have watched 
 their path from childhood to womanhood and 
 have rejoiced in their increasing beauty and 
 womanliness. With no less earnest desire I 
 send these pages to you, confident that you will 
 bring to them sincerity and reverence. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 HOW PLANT LIFE BEGINS 
 
 As we wish to learn the origin of life, and 
 particularly of human life, let us look around 
 us for a moment, to see how much we already 
 know about the manner in which life begins. 
 
 We are more or less familiar with plant life; 
 we know that plants come from seeds. The 
 farmer plants his corn in the ground and ex- 
 pects after a few days to see his field covered 
 with tiny green leaves. Nearly every kernel 
 of corn that he dropped into the ground has 
 sent up a new plant. The gardener plants 
 beans and soon rejoices in the climbing bean 
 vines. If he plants a cucumber seed, two little 
 leaves will appear above the ground where 
 each seed has been planted, and he knows that 
 he has in each plant a young cucumber vine. 
 11 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 How is it with the flower garden? If we 
 plant nasturtiums, morning-glories, foxgloves, 
 marigolds, we find, before many days, a forest 
 of young plants, all so much alike that at first 
 we are unable to tell one plant from the other; 
 yet we know that from each seed grows a 
 plant '^after its own kind." 
 
 It seems less easy to realize that all trees 
 come from seeds ; that the great oak tree grows 
 from the little acorn and that the tall pine de- 
 veloped from one of the delicate winged seeds 
 that lie hidden in the pine cones. We have 
 walked along the country road and have seen 
 hundreds of young maple trees growing be- 
 neath the mother tree where the winged seeds 
 have fallen. Squirrels hide nuts and thus 
 plant trees. The seed of the willow may be 
 blown for miles to the place where it takes 
 root, and, the seeds of various trees are often 
 carried by birds to places far distant from the 
 parent plant. 
 
 Every young vegetable, flower or tree, if it 
 finds the right conditions of growth, in time 
 12 
 
HOW PLANT LIFE BEGINS 
 
 becomes large enough to put out blossoms, 
 from which in turn come new seeds to make 
 plants for the coming yeaf. Have you ever 
 stopped to think that, year after year, we have 
 the same flowers, the same fruits, the same 
 vegetables, that we knew the year before? — 
 the same that our fathers had before us, and 
 our grandfathers, and our great grandfathers ? 
 Seed-time and harvest do not fail ; every plant 
 bears fruit after its kind. 
 
 Nature makes a wonderful provision for con- 
 tinuing the life of plants. She prepares great 
 numbers of seeds, many more than could pos- 
 sibly be needed if each one were to become a 
 new plant. An apple tree bears hundreds of 
 apples; you may have seen ten or more bar- 
 rels of apples gathered from one tree. Since 
 every apple contains from six to a dozen seeds 
 you will see that the apple tree yields thousands 
 of seeds every year, as if it expected to rear 
 thousands of young apple trees to take its place 
 when it is gone. 
 
 The myriad seeds of the maple or elm tree 
 13 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 are blown about by the wind. Some fall upon 
 rocks, others into ponds, some are eaten by 
 birds; but many, in spite of these losses, fall 
 upon fertile ground and grow up, making new 
 maple or elm trees. One would think that 
 nature had reckoned upon all this possible loss 
 and had determined that enough seeds should 
 be provided so that the new harvest could not 
 fail. 
 
 Try some day to pick every blossom of the 
 dandelion plant, or the goldenrod, or the 
 nasturtium, and see what happens. The plant 
 will strive to blossom again, n6 matter how 
 late in the season it may be. This purpose — 
 this determination — to produce a new life like 
 itself, is inherent in every plant. It is a part 
 of life itself. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 HOW ANIMAL LIFE BEGINS 
 
 You must have already observed that ex- 
 actly as the new life comes from the seed of 
 the plant, so certain animal life proceeds from 
 the egg. Every boy has found masses of frogs' 
 eggs in the quiet water of the swamp and has 
 watched So see them develop into the young 
 tadpoles, which, by and by, are to be full- 
 grown frogs. We all have found the eggs of 
 the spider tucked away in the cobweb nest, or 
 the eggs of the caterpillar glued upon the bark 
 of the tree. The gipsy moth lays hundreds 
 of eggs on the barks of trees, covering them 
 with a hairy web to protect them until spring. 
 We have seen the four pale blue eggs of the 
 robin in her nest, or the brown spotted eggs 
 of the field sparrow in the grass. If we had 
 IS 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 eyes to see we should find thousands of eggs 
 in fields and woods every spring and summer. 
 
 Exactly as the nasturtium brings forth a 
 vine which can never be anything but a 
 nasturtium vine, and the hollyhock seed sends 
 up the tall stem of the hollyhock, so every egg 
 of insect or bird brings forth its own type of 
 life. From the spider's egg comes forth the 
 spider; from the robin's tgg a robin; each 
 brings forth a life of its own sort or kind. 
 
 You are not so familiar with the eggs of the 
 fish, yet you will remember finding within the 
 herring thousands of eggs, massed together in 
 what is known as the roe of the fish. You 
 will judge from this that the eggs of fishes are 
 nearly as numerous as the seeds of plants ; and 
 this is true. Just as the seeds are blown about 
 and may not be able to take root, so the eggs 
 of the fish are subject to many dangers. The 
 same thing is true of insect life. Birds eat 
 the eggs of insects; big fishes eat the little 
 ones ; the eggs of the fish may be lost in the 
 16 
 
HOW ANIMAL LIFE BEGINS 
 
 water. Therefore, the eggs of these creatures 
 are produced in great numbers, so that, what- 
 ever losses may come, life may follow life, and 
 the race of insect or fish may not perish from 
 the earth. 
 
 Thus far we have observed, and have partly 
 understood, the beginnings of life in the plant, 
 the insect or the fish. But you wish to know 
 more; and chiefly you are concerned with the 
 beginnings of human life. We shall under- 
 stand these beginnings only as we learn the 
 conditions under which other life begins. Be- 
 fore we can answer your question concerning 
 the human child we must follow clearly the 
 beginnings of life in the plant and the animal. 
 In the next chapters we must therefore give 
 further attention to the Qgg and the seed. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 CONCERNING THE EGG 
 
 Let us think for a moment of the egg which 
 was a part of your breakfast this morning. 
 We know that eggs are good for food and do 
 not often stop to consider that they were in- 
 tended to fulfil a different purpose. If the 
 mother hen had been able to hide her egg away 
 in some snug place where she could keep it 
 warm, she would have appeared after three 
 weeks' time followed by a small, fully formed 
 chicken which had pecked its way through the 
 shell. 
 
 Let us suppose for a moment that you had 
 the power to create just such a fluffy, little, 
 yellow ball, with its bright eyes and its slim 
 delicate legs and feet. Let us suppose that 
 you could endow it with life and all the powers 
 18 
 
CONCERNING THE EGG 
 
 and instincts that belong to a chicken just 
 hatched from an egg. Within a day after 
 you had given this wonderful creature to the 
 world your name would be heralded around 
 the globe. You would become greater than 
 any inventor the world has ever known. For 
 no man has ever been able to make a living 
 breathing creature. Yet from this common 
 egg, which you and I think we know so well, 
 this wonderful life may proceed. 
 
 Eet us examine the egg of a hen to find 
 what there is in it to produce the new life. 
 It certainly is not in the hard shell; this is 
 only for protection. The mother hen sits 
 upon a nest full of eggs — a, dozen or more — 
 three long weeks. As she steps back and 
 forth, into or out of her nest, her tough hard 
 nails would surely break some of the eggs if it 
 were not for their protecting shell and their 
 rounded shape, which permits them to roll to 
 one side, so that her feet sink down between 
 them. If she should break one of her eggs 
 19 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 before the chicken had developed she would 
 lose one of her brood. 
 
 The shell is lined by a thin membrane, very- 
 smooth on the inside. This smooth surface 
 protects the delicate body of the young 
 chicken, so that it may not be injured by rub- 
 bing against the shell. During the three weeks 
 when the mother hen is sitting upon the eggs, 
 the chicken is growing within. Bone and 
 muscle, skin and feathers are developing, and 
 they need a large amount of nutriment. The 
 white and the yolk of the &gg furnish just the 
 sort of nutriment needed to form each and 
 every part of the chicken. As the chicken 
 grows the food disappears. 
 
 You have not observed anything within the 
 egg except the white and the yolk. Where, 
 then, does the new life begin? 
 
 Look carefully over the surface of the yolk 
 
 and you will find a small white spot. If we 
 
 place this spot under the lens of a microscope 
 
 we shall find in it another little egg, very 
 
 20 
 
CONCERNING THE EGG 
 
 much like the larger egg of which it is a part. 
 This small egg is composed of a tiny sac, or 
 case, like the membrane which surrounds the 
 large egg, although this case is much thinner 
 and more delicate. Within this sac is a minute 
 drop of sirup-like liquid, called protoplasm. 
 Within the protoplasm there is a firmer bit of 
 protoplasm. This is called the nucleus. This 
 very small egg is the real egg and from this 
 the chicken grows. 
 
 This tiny egg, or germ cell, as the scien- 
 tists call it, contains the life-giving element, 
 which causes the chicken to grow. This very 
 small particle is endowed with the power to 
 grow. Because this germ cell is present in the 
 egg, the young chicken can, under right con- 
 ditions, be developed within it. The real mar- 
 vel of the egg, then, is the germ cell. The 
 power of this cell transforms the yolk and 
 the white into all the different elements of the 
 chicken's body, — bone, muscle, nerve, arteries, 
 skin, feather, — each placed in its proper rda- 
 21 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 tion, to make the body complete. More 
 than that, this delicately balanced body is en- 
 dowed with life, so that it can move and 
 grow, so great is the wonderful power con- 
 tained in the tiny particle of protoplasm which 
 the scientists call the germ cdl. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE WONDERFUL GERM CELL 
 
 Every thing that lives and grows begins as 
 a germ cell. 
 
 Nearly all plants, as we have already 
 learned, come from seeds. Every seed con- 
 tains this bit of protoplasm with its nucleus, 
 which we call the germ cell. 
 
 In the seed, as in the egg, more or less 
 food is packed about the germ cell. Upon 
 this food the young plant must depend until 
 it can gather its own nutriment through its 
 roots and leaves, from the earth and the air. 
 
 Some plants have a large quantity of nutri- 
 ment stored in the seed, and others appar- 
 ently have a very small amount; but each 
 seed stores suificient food to sustain the life 
 23 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 of the young plant until it is able to depend 
 upon itself. Everybody knows the two thick 
 food leaves within the bean. On these the 
 young plant or embryo feeds as it is de- 
 veloped from the germ cell. In like manner 
 the corn, the pea or the mustard plant, in the 
 beginning lives upon food stored in the seed. 
 
 This foodstuff of the plant is often used by 
 man for food, just as he uses the food which 
 was stored in the egg for the young chick. 
 We know this seed food in the flour which 
 comes from the wheat, the meal which comes 
 from the corn, the rye, or the oats, and we 
 use it also in peas, beans and nuts. Man 
 would go hungry were it not for the food 
 which nature provides for her plant children. 
 
 All the eggs which we know, eggs of birds, 
 large and small, eggs of fishes, frogs and tur- 
 tles, eggs of all the insects, moths and butter- 
 flies, are like the seeds of plants and the eggs 
 of the hen. They contain a germ cell which 
 holds the beginning of a new life like that of 
 24 
 
THE WONDERFUL GERM CELL 
 
 the mother that laid the egg, or the plant from 
 which the seed came. 
 
 The eggs differ greatly. They may be 
 large, they may be small. They may be cov- 
 ered with a hard shell or a very delicate mem- 
 brane ; but all contain a germ cell. And these 
 cells, coming from different creatures, are so 
 nearly alike in appearance that the microscope 
 does not show us any difference in their struc- 
 ture. Each of these various germ cells is 
 surrounded by sufficient food to sustain the 
 young life until it is ready to emerge from 
 the protecting shell or membrane. 
 
 Although these cells look so much alike, 
 and are outwardly so much alike, in their heart 
 of hearts they are very different. The hidden 
 and mysterious power in each germ cell causes 
 it to produce a creature just like its mother. 
 Nature never makes a mistake, ^though the 
 germ cell of the chicken and of the robin seem 
 to be alike, the robin's egg never hatches a 
 chicken, nor does the chicken's egg hatch a 
 25 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 robin. This law is absolute; the germ cell 
 will always produce a being like its parent, — 
 "after its kind." As Margaret Morley says 
 in the charming book. Life and Love, — 
 
 "It is a subject of never-ending wonder that 
 within each of these tiny reproductive cells lie 
 hidden all the peculiarities of the parent from 
 which it came. In a trout egg is contained 
 trouthood. Form, size, spots, habits, — all are 
 in some mysterious way impressed upon these 
 atoms, budded off from the body of the 
 parent," 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 CONCERNING MAMMALS AND THEIR YOUNG 
 
 We have studied the egg of the hen and 
 have found within the hard shell the germ 
 cell with ample provision of food for the 
 growing chick. We have learned also that 
 the shell is intended to protect the delicate 
 young creature which is growing within. 
 
 You know other animals which bring forth 
 their young without any appearance of the 
 egg. So far as you know, yo^ would say that 
 there is no such thing as the egg of a mouse 
 or a squirrel or a cat. 
 
 It is true, however, that each of these crea- 
 tures comes, like the chicken, from an egg. 
 The great difference in the development of 
 the young lies in the fact that the germ cells 
 are differently protected in the early stages of 
 their development. They are retained within 
 27 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 the body of the mother, in organs that are pro- 
 vided for them. This is the reason why you 
 have never seen them. 
 
 Numerous germ cells, which iare true eggs, 
 as we have called them, lie within the body of 
 tiie mother. But when these cells develop they 
 are not deposited as is the egg of the insect, 
 or of the bird, in some outer place; on the 
 contrary, they remain within the body of the 
 mother, where they are safely shielded from 
 harm and are much more carefully protected 
 from any injury than are the eggs which you 
 have been observing. 
 
 We have learned that many creatures which 
 lay eggs produce them in large mmibers. Some 
 one has taken the trouble to count the eggs in 
 the roe of a fish and has found that one roe 
 contains many millions of eggs. The common 
 house-fly lays thousands of eggs; even the 
 hen lays an egg every day for several months 
 and cares for a brood of a dozen chickens at 
 one time. 
 
 28 
 
MAMMALS 
 
 We do not find so great numbers, however, 
 in what are called the higher animals. Rats 
 and mice, cats, dogs and pigs, produce several 
 young at one time; the larger animals usually 
 bring forth but one, or rarely two. Since the 
 young are so few in number it is necessary 
 that they should be much more carefully pro- 
 tected than are the young creatures which are 
 hatched in such profusion, for, as we have 
 already said, nature takes the utmost pains to 
 make secure the new life of each generation. 
 
 The young of these creatures are therefore 
 retained within the mother's body until well 
 developed into animals like the parent. By 
 this means they are protected during the long 
 period which is required for maturing the egg. 
 
 Animals which carry their young within the 
 
 body, while it is growing from the tiny germ 
 
 cell to the fully developed creature, are called 
 
 mammals. The cat, the dog, the cow, the 
 
 horse, the deer, the tiger, the elephant are 
 
 mammals. 
 
 29 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE GROWTH OF THE YOUNG MAMMAL 
 
 You will wish to know many things con- 
 cerning the development of the young mam- 
 mal, which are less plain to you than the 
 early history of the plant, the insect or the 
 bird. 
 
 How long is this process of development? 
 The period of carrying the young differs with 
 different animals, according to their size. The 
 smaller mammals require a short period for 
 the development of the young, while the 
 larger ones require a much longer period. The 
 little guinea-pig carries her young but three 
 weeks. They are then sufficiently developed 
 to continue their lives apart from the mother. 
 The cat requires nine weeks, the cow nine 
 months, while the elephant, the largest mam- 
 30 
 
THE YOUNG MAMMAL 
 
 mal, needs twenty-one months in which to 
 develop the young elephant. [AI baby elephant 
 is about three feet tall and weighs from one 
 hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds. 
 
 All eggs which are deposited in some place 
 outside of the body of the mother contain 
 nutriment for the growing young. The mam- 
 mal, however, provides no such food-case in 
 which the food for her baby is stored. The 
 young must be fed, therefore, in some other 
 way while they are growing within the body 
 of the mother. Nature has provided that the 
 germ cell shall become attached to the wall of 
 its enclosing and protecting nest, within the 
 body of the mother, in such a way that it may 
 receive food directly from her. 
 
 The mammal, then, not only carries her 
 young within her body during its develop- 
 ment, but she also feeds it from her own blood. 
 The food which the mother eats is transformed 
 into the right food for the new growing body 
 within, and is carried to it through the chan- 
 31 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 nels by which her blood is distributed through 
 her body. Thus the attachment between the 
 mammal mother and the child is much closer 
 than in the lower forms of life, where the 
 eggs are separated from the mother. 
 
 When the hen has sat three weeks upon her 
 nest, keeping warm the eggs which hold her 
 growing chicks, they are able to pick their 
 way out of the egg-shell and emerge at once 
 with the power of running about and caring 
 for themselves. Although they are for a little 
 while led about by the mother, and brooded 
 by her at night, they very soon shift for them- 
 selves. 
 
 After the young mammal, however, is 
 brought forth into the world — a. perfect little 
 creature like its parent — it is, nevertheless, 
 still weak and immature and is completely un- 
 able to live without the continuance of the 
 mother's care. 
 
 We have all watched a little kitten when it 
 was very young, with its closed eyes and its 
 32 
 
THE YOUNG MAMMAL 
 
 unsteady legs. In attempting to walk it 
 stumbles around in a most helpless manner. 
 In this feeble condition the kitten needs the 
 mother's care, so the cat cuddles her kittens 
 close to her warm body and there they finc^' 
 the nourishment provided for them in the 
 mother's milk. For several weeks the young 
 kitten is thus fed. You will see, then, that 
 the mammal not only carries her young within 
 her body and nourishes them with her own 
 blood before their birth, but she also provides 
 milk from her breasts to feed them after 
 birth, until they are able to find their own 
 food. This power of feeding the young from 
 her own body gives to the mammal her name. 
 Mammal comes from the Latin word mamma, 
 which means the gland that secretes the 
 milk, the mammary gland as it is called. 
 
 You are accustomed to think of animals as 
 
 creatures completely different from yourself. 
 
 They have not the power of speech. You even 
 
 question whether they can think. It may be 
 
 33 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 that you have never realized that you, too, are 
 an animal, in the real sense of the word. If 
 you stop to think you will discover many like- 
 nesses between the body of the animal and 
 your own body. 
 
 All living beings which have the power of 
 sensation and motion are called animals. You 
 and I, then, are human animals. You will 
 probably realize at once that the human animal 
 is a mammal. 
 
 This is true; the human infant grows from 
 an egg, a germ cell, — ^as do all other animals. 
 The human mother retains within her body 
 this germ cell — or ovum — during its develop- 
 ment, brings forth her child when it is a com- 
 pletely developed human baby, and after its 
 birth, cares for it and feeds it with milk from 
 her breasts. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE EGG AND THE OVARY 
 
 The egg, or ovum, from which the child is 
 developed, is exceedingly small. One hundred 
 and twenty-five ova, laid in a row, would be 
 only one inch in length. iYou will find it hard 
 to realize this ; but let us try. 
 
 If you will take a pen, and make a row of 
 little dots as close together as you can, you 
 will find that you can crowd only fifty or sixty 
 dots into an inch; yet more than double this 
 number of human ova can be laid side by side 
 within the inch. You can hardly think of so 
 small a particle one one-hundred-twenty-fifth 
 of an inch in diameter, — so small that you can 
 see it only by the aid of a microscope. 
 
 A large number of these iiny ova, or germ 
 cells, are hidden away in the body of every 
 35 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 mother, whether it be a mother insect, a fish, 
 a bird or a mammal. You may have seen the 
 body of a hen when it was opened and being 
 prepared for -the table. If so, you have per- 
 haps seen in it a large number of eggs. One 
 of the eggs may have been almost ready to be 
 laid. It was covered by a soft white mem- 
 brane, but was without the hard shell. An- 
 other was merely a full-sized yolk, the white 
 of the egg having not yet been formed; then 
 there were many smaller yolks, varying from 
 the size of an acorn or a pea, down to the 
 head of a pin. Besides these, there were really 
 a great many eggs, so small that you could not 
 recognize them as being eggs. These dif- 
 fered in size according to the state of their 
 development. The smaller ones were still con- 
 nected with two little organs, called ovaries, 
 one of which might be seen on either side of 
 the backbone of the hen. 
 
 These ovaries contain the germ cells which 
 will, one by one, grow into full-sized eggs. 
 36 
 
THE EGG AND THE OVARY 
 
 These germ cells gradually grow larger by 
 gathering to themselves the substance called 
 the yolk of the egg. When they are large 
 enough they leave the ovary and enter a tube 
 called the oviduct. Here they move slowly 
 along, growing larger and larger as they pro- 
 gress, until finally the yolk is fully grown. Now 
 the white begins to be added, and little by lit- 
 tle, it accumulates, until there is enough food 
 for the young chicken that is to be. Before 
 the egg reaches the end of the oviduct, it has 
 become covered by a thick white membrane; 
 and then, as it turns around in its motion 
 through the lower end of the tube it is coated 
 by a soft substance, composed chiefly of lime, 
 which forms the shell. When the shell has 
 been added the egg passes out of the oviduct 
 into the nest, or is laid, as we say. As soon 
 as it reaches the air the coating of lime hard- 
 ens, forming the brittle shell with which we 
 are so familiar. 
 
 The egg of the hen, then, comes from the 
 37 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 ovary, and passes through the oviduct into the 
 nest. You have doubtless already judged that 
 the ovary is so named because it produces the 
 ova, or eggs. You will expect, therefore, to 
 discover what is also true, that in the human 
 mother the ova are produced in the ovary, or 
 ovaries, for there are two. We shall read 
 still more about these important organs in the 
 next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 
 
 The human ovaries are quite small, about 
 the size and shape of a Lima bean. Each 
 ovary, like the ovary of the hen, w^hich you 
 have observed, contains a large number of 
 germ cells, or ova. 
 
 In all mammals the ova escape from the 
 ovary at regular intervals. When an ovum 
 has grovm large enough to leave the human 
 ovary, it is received into an oviduct, some- 
 thing like the oviduct of the hen, which car- 
 ries it away from the ovary down into the 
 organ provided for it. 
 
 This oviduct, or tube, is quite short, only 
 
 about four inches in length, and narrow, as it 
 
 needs to admit only the very small human egg. 
 
 It is larger at the end toward the ovary that 
 
 39 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 it may receive the ovum the more readily 
 when it leaves the ovary; but at the other end 
 it is very narrow, admitting only the finest 
 needle. This tube is lined by a membrane cov- 
 ered with very fine projections, or hairs, called 
 cilia, which have a constant waving motion, 
 giving the efifect of millions of little paddles. 
 These cilia sweep the ovum along through the 
 tube, for the ovum can not move of itself. 
 
 The narrow end opens into what we have 
 previously called the nest, where the ovum 
 is to lie during its long period of development 
 into a complete baby. This organ is com^ 
 monly called the womb, but we shall know it 
 by its Latin and scientific name, the uterus. 
 This uterus needs to be only a very small or- 
 gan, because it receives only a very small egg; 
 but it must have the capability of growing into 
 a very large chamber, for it finally has to hold 
 the growing baby. 
 
 The uterus is about the size and shape of a 
 small pear, so placed that the stem points 
 40 
 
THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 
 
 downward, and having a small cavity in the 
 middle which holds the ovum. The wsdls of 
 the uterus are very thick and are made of 
 strong muscles, because their strength and 
 muscular power will be needed when it comes 
 to its final great work. The uterus is lined by 
 a soft smooth lining, making it a most perfect 
 receptacle for the delicate ovum. 
 
 The tubes which run from the ovaries to 
 the uterus are called the fallopian tubes. They 
 enter the uterus at its thickest part by two very 
 small openings, one on either side. 
 
 The ovum reaches the uterus through one 
 or the other of the fallopian tubes. If it comes 
 from the right ovary it enters through the 
 right tube, if from the left ovary it finds its 
 way through the left tube. It may remain in 
 the uterus a few days or many weeks, but 
 every ovum must finally pass out of the uterus. 
 
 At the lower end of the uterus there is an 
 opening, which we call the mouth of the uterus. 
 This opening is very like the hole which would 
 41 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 be left if the stem of the pear were pulled out, 
 and, as the pear is inverted, the opening points 
 downward. 
 
 The mouth of the uterus, through which 
 the ovum is finally to find its exit, opens into 
 a tube which we call the vagina. This tube is 
 about the size and shape of the finger of a 
 large glove. At the upper end it closes around 
 the small part of the pear so that the mouth 
 of the uterus opens inside the vagina, which is 
 simply a passageway from the uterus to the 
 outside. 
 
 The vagina, as well as the uterus, must be 
 capable of great expansion, for the time comes 
 when it needs to be much larger; its thin 
 muscular walls must become mudi thicker and 
 stronger when it comes near the time of its 
 greatest use. We shall learn more about this 
 in another chapter. 
 
 These organs, the fallopian tubes, the uterus 
 and the vagina, together with the ovaries, are 
 the parts of the body which are prepared for 
 42 
 
THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 
 
 the making of the new life; they are called 
 the reproductive organs. They are so ar- 
 ranged as to make a long canal through which 
 the ovum travels in its development. Just as 
 the food goes into the mouth, passes through 
 the esophagus, the stomach and the intestines, 
 so the ovum passes through the three different 
 parts of this genital canal, — the fallopian tube, 
 the uterus and the vagina. The reproductive 
 organs are hidden away in the very lowest 
 and most protected part of the abdomen. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE PELVIS AND THE PELVIC ORGANS 
 
 The cavity which holds the reproductive 
 organs is known as the pelvis. It is shaped 
 like a howl and is a little larger than a baby's 
 head. The sides of it are mostly bony but 
 they are well padded with muscle and fat and 
 lined with a soft smooth membrane. 
 
 The uterus is swung in the middle of this 
 bowl-shaped pelvis, between the folds of a 
 membrane which is stretched from one side of 
 the pelvis to the other. The ovaries are on 
 either side of the uterus, albout two inches dis- 
 tant. Attached to each ovary is a fallopian 
 tube, leading to the uterus. The ovaries and 
 tubes are also held within the folds of this 
 membrane, on either side of the uterus. 
 
 This membrane which encloses the uterus, 
 44 
 
THE PELVIC ORGANS 
 
 ovaries and fallopian tubes, is called the broau 
 ligament. It holds these organs in position 
 midway of the pelvis, where they are not 
 liable to pressure or injury, for the organs of 
 reproduction are very sensitive and therefore 
 nature protects them very carefully. 
 
 Since the reproductive organs are situated 
 in the pelvis and enclosed by it, they are often 
 called the pelvic organs. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 HOW THE OVUM FINDS ITS WAY FROM THE OVARY 
 TO THE UTERUS 
 
 You have learned the names and the uses 
 of the organs of reproduction — ^the ovary, the 
 fallopian tubes, the uterus and the vagina. Of 
 these, as you already know, the ovary is the 
 organ which contains the ova. In the body ot 
 the new born girl are all the organs which 
 belong to the mature woman. Some of these 
 organs begin their work at once, — ^the lungs, the 
 heart and the stomach — ^but the ovary, with 
 its thousands of tiny germ cells, is not called 
 upon to work until the girl reaches the age of 
 puberty, as it is called, or the time when the 
 menstrual flow begins. At this time a few of 
 the ova begin to take on new life. They be- 
 come larger and a fluid gathers in the sac 
 which surrounds them. As these ova grow 
 46 
 
FROM OVARY TO UTERUS 
 
 tHey are gradually pressed toward the surface 
 of the ovary, until one ovum, outstripping the 
 others, breaks through the membrane cover- 
 ing the ovary. This occurs about every 
 twenty-eight days, usually near the time of 
 menstruation. 
 
 Now nature has made a marvelous provi- 
 sion to receive the ovum as it falls from the 
 outer surface of the ovary. You will remem- 
 ber that the fallopian tube opens at one end 
 into the uterus. This opening is extremely 
 narrow. The other end of the tube, which is 
 wider, is divided into a number of soft little 
 fingers, like a fringe. If we could lay a fallo- 
 pian tube into water we should find these fin- 
 gers, or fringes, floating out like little branches 
 of sea moss. One of these fingers is attached 
 to the ovary, and the others float freely until 
 the ovum is about to escape from the ovary. 
 Then these little fringes, or fimbriae, as they 
 are called, in some way — which we do not 
 wholly understand — seize upon the ovum and 
 47 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 guide it into the fallopian tube. In the tube 
 it is swept along by the cilia until, in the course 
 of a few days, it reaches the uterus. 
 
 We have said that the ovary contains thou- 
 sands of ova; but you know well that no hu- 
 man mother has thousands of babies. Many 
 of these ova never mature but merely shrink 
 away and remain in the ovary. Others find 
 their way down through the fallopian tube, but 
 do not meet with the conditions necessary to 
 make a new life. They, therefore, die and are 
 either absorbed or are washed away by the 
 fluids of the uterus. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 HOW CELLS GROW AND MULTIPLY 
 
 We have been considering the ovum, or 
 germ cell, and its relation to new life. Before 
 we can go further we must understand how 
 cells grow and multiply. 
 
 All living things, both plants and animals, 
 are made up of cells, each of which has its 
 own work to do. All these cells are alike in 
 structure, though they differ in form. They 
 consist of a bit of protoplasm and a nucleus, 
 and are often surrounded by a cell wall. 
 
 Cut a thin slice from the stem of a geranium 
 and place it under the microscope. You will 
 see the little cells packed together like the 
 larger cells of a honeycomb, or like bricks in a 
 wall. Look through the microscope at any 
 part of muscle or nerve and you will find the 
 49 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 same cell structure. The cells will differ mucli 
 in size and shape, however, according to the 
 organ of which they are a part. 
 
 In your own body each muscle is formed of 
 long slender cells, so placed as to make little 
 threads or fibers. A number of these fibers 
 bound together make a muscle. The bone cells 
 are nearly round and are packed together with 
 a large quantity of lime which gives the re- 
 quired stiffness; the cells of the nervous sys- 
 tem are quite irregular in shape, having many 
 points. These cells, so different from one 
 another, are each made of protoplasm and each 
 one contains its nucleus. 
 
 Many millions of these cells are required to 
 make our bodies. As we grow, the number of 
 cells must be constantly increasing. The body 
 of a man requires more cells than does the 
 body of a boy. The full-grown tree contains 
 many more cells than the tiny sapling; it is 
 clear that the cells must multiply as the tree 
 grows. Moreover, if the tree is cut or the 
 5Q 
 
HOW CELLS GROW 
 
 body is wounded, nature must replace the 
 cells and she does this very rapidly. Such 
 growth is constantly taking place in the human 
 body, also. 
 
 These cells of the human body are increased 
 in a wonderful manner. Every cell has the 
 power of making a new cell like itself. Tliis 
 is usually accomplished by cell division, as it is 
 called. The nucleus, which is the active part 
 of the cell, first divides into two smaller nuclei ; 
 then the protoplasm gradually closes together 
 in the center like an hour-glass, giving one-half 
 of itself to each nucleus. When the division of 
 protoplasm is complete, the cell separates in 
 the middle, making two cells, each with its 
 nucleus. These are called the "daughter cells," 
 although no mother remains. The "mother 
 cell" has been divided into the two so-called 
 daughter cells. 
 
 When a girl is growing tall and strong the 
 cells need to multiply very fast. If they are 
 well nourished by an abundance of good food 
 51 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 and fresh air, and are kept strong by exercise, 
 then she becomes sturdy and remains well. 
 But if for any reason the cells can not get the 
 ■necessary food, she becomes thin, pale and 
 weak, and fails to grow as she ought. 
 
 Each and every one of these cells has its 
 own work to do for the life and growth of the 
 body. Some of them prepare materials which 
 act upon the food taken into the body, making 
 it ready to feed the separate cells. For exam- 
 ple, the cells in the lining membrane of the 
 stomach manufacture gastric juice. They are 
 kept very busy after dinner, for a large amount 
 of gastric juice is required to digest the food. 
 When the stomach is empty these cells have a 
 period of rest until more food is swallowed; 
 then they are again called to work. 
 
 Still other cells carry out of the body waste 
 materials which are no longer needed. The 
 cells of the kidney are of this sort. They take 
 out of the blood a large amount of water 
 which carries with it materials which would 
 52 
 
HOW CELLS GROW 
 
 be poisonous if left in the body. THe wbrlc of 
 these little cells is to select these materials 
 from the blood and to carry them away where 
 they can not do further harm. 
 
 The muscle cells keep the muscles in good 
 repair. Every time that we climb the stairs 
 we use a certain amount of protoplasm which 
 these cells contain. The cells immediately take 
 from the blood new material to supply this 
 waste, and at the same time they give up to 
 the blood the worn-out and therefore useless 
 material. So the old and worn-out cells be- 
 come new and the body is repaired and kept 
 strong and well. 
 
 Now, the important cell which we have been 
 studying — the germ cell — is very much like 
 the other cells of which the body is made. It 
 is a little drop of protoplasm surrounded by a 
 cell wall and containing a nucleus. Neverthe- 
 less, it differs very widely from the other cells 
 of the body in the work which it has to do 
 and in its manner of doing it. 
 S3 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 All the body cells are entirely occupied in 
 sustaining the life and growth of the body 
 itself; but the germ cell, or ovum, is the be- 
 ginning of a new life. The body cells also do 
 their work without asking help from their 
 neighbors; but this germ cell can not do any- 
 thing alone. It can not even divide as other 
 cells do. It must have the cooperation of 
 another cell. Furthermore, this other cell must 
 be provided by another member of the same 
 species, and of the opposite sex. The body 
 of the mother provides the ovum, which is the 
 female cell; but before this ovum can develop 
 into a new being it must come in contact with 
 the male cell, which has been developed within 
 the body of the father. 
 
 Now we have reached the threshold of a 
 great and universal law, and we must turn 
 back again to study the life of the plant; for 
 this will help us to understan^l this law, as it 
 applies to human life. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 HOW THE POLLEN UNITES WITH THE OVULE 
 
 We return to the plant to learn how the 
 seeds are developed and the life of the new 
 plant assured. In the plant we may see the 
 growth of the new life, which can not be 
 watched in the body of the mammal. 
 
 Let us look at the lily and see what it has 
 to tell us. We shall find the white, beautiful, 
 fragrant blossom growing at the end of the 
 stem. Turn back the clear white petals and 
 you will plainly see the swollen part of the 
 stem at the base of the flower. This is the 
 ovary. Within it you will find three chambers 
 containing rows of little cells. These are the 
 ovules or the germ cells of the flower. 
 
 Growing from the ovary is a long tube called 
 the pistil. The swollen end of the pistil is the 
 55 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 stigma. When the flower is open this stigma 
 is covered by a sirup-like liquid. 
 
 Around the pistil are the long delicate 
 stamens at the end of which are poised the 
 the yellow anthers or pollen boxes. These 
 anthers are really pods which hold the pollen 
 dust. Now the ovule is the female germ cell 
 and the pollen is the male cell. 
 
 You have often noticed the pollen on famil- 
 iar plants. The pollen of the tiger lily leaves 
 a brown smut upon your cheek. The pollen 
 on the many stamens of the rose give the 
 yellow glow to the heart of the rose. The 
 yellow anthers make a heart of gold in the 
 beautiful white blossom of the lily. 
 
 If you were to place the pollen under a 
 ^powerful microscope you could easily see each 
 tiny cell with its nucleus. 
 
 Now I must tell you that the ovule in the 
 ovary of the lily will not become a seed which 
 is capable of developing a new lily, unless 
 yellow pollen dust is united with it. It is for 
 this reason that the sirup-like liquid exudes 
 56 
 
POLLEN AND OVULE 
 
 from the stigma. As the pollen dust is blown 
 by the wind or brought by the insect, it is 
 caught by the sticky fluid upon the stigma. 
 The sticky substance furnishes just the food 
 which the pollen cell finds necessary for its 
 growth, and very shortly it begins to grow 
 and to send down a fine tube through the pistil 
 to reach the ovary. 
 
 When, after two or three days, the tube is 
 ready, the nucleus, which is the essential part 
 of the pollen or male cell, escapes into the tube 
 and travels down to meet the ovule, or female 
 cell. 
 
 When it reaches the bottom of the tube the 
 end opens, the two cells come together, the 
 ovule absorbs the nucleus of the pollen into 
 its nucleus, and immediately the changes begin 
 which end in the formation of a seed. Other 
 pollen grains follow the example of the first, 
 until all of the ovules in the ovary have re- 
 ceived a pollen cell. This union of the two 
 cells we call fertilization. 
 
 When the farmer plants red corn on one 
 57 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 side of the road and yellow corn on the other 
 the ripe ears of corn in both fields will be 
 mixed, red and white. That means that the 
 pollen from the red corn has drifted to the 
 pistil of the white com; or the pollen of the 
 white corn has been blown across to the pistil 
 of the red. Each long thread of silk that 
 hangs from the ear of the corn is a pistil which 
 serves to conduct the pollen to the waiting 
 ovule. After this is done the silk shrivels 
 away and each kernel of the corn begins to 
 grow. 
 
 The wind carries the pollen of some plants 
 to the stigmas of the blossoms that may be 
 far distant. In other cases, the bee, attracted 
 by the odor or the color of the flower, comes 
 to it for honey. While the bee feeds from the 
 honey, hidden at the base of the pistil, its legs 
 and body become dusted with pollen from the 
 anthers. It flies to another flower, still seeking 
 honey, but it also carries the pollen, which is 
 brushed against the pistil of the second flower. 
 58 
 
POLLEN AND OVULE 
 
 Thus the pollen is enabled to unite with the 
 ovule; and, as with the lily, the seed is ferti- 
 Jized. It intmediately begins to grow and 
 finally ripens; then it is a perfect seed, ready 
 to produce a new plant. 
 
 Exactly as thousands of seeds are wasted 
 where one is planted, and therefore nature 
 must provide many seeds, so the pollen dust 
 must be plentiful, too. Nature must provide 
 numberless cells in order to insure the essential 
 contact of the pollen with the ovule. 
 
CHATTER XIV 
 
 FERTILIZATION : OR, UNION OF THE OVUM AND THE 
 SPERM 
 
 The pollen, or male cell, o£ plants is carried 
 in the form of dust by the wind or by insects ; 
 the male cells of animals are carried in a 
 fluid and are placed by the male near the ova. 
 
 We have learned that the eggs of the fishes, 
 like the pollen cells, are numerous, and that 
 they are deposited by the mother and left 
 without further care. But the mother fish is 
 not wholly unmindful of the needs of her 
 young, so she finds a place in some quiet pool 
 where she hopes they will remain undisturbed, 
 and there she lays her -spawn with its millions 
 of eggs. She is followed by the male fish, who, 
 knowing the eggs to belong to one of his kind, 
 pours over them the fertilizing fluid which has 
 been developed within his body. This fluid con- 
 60 
 
THE OVUM AND THE SPERM 
 
 tains myriads of germ cells, — ^the male cells or 
 sperms. These sperms unite with the ova 
 which the mother has deposited and a great 
 number of the eggs are fertilized and begin to 
 grow. 
 
 Birds accomplish fertilization in a different 
 manner. The male bird does not pour the 
 fertilizing fluid over the eggs when they are 
 in the nest, because the bird's egg then has a 
 hard shell which the male cell could not pene- 
 trate. Therefore the body of the male bird is 
 provided with a tube, corresponding to the 
 tube which grows from the pollen cell. He 
 inserts this tube into the oviduct of the fe- 
 male and deposits the fluid containing the life 
 cells where it can meet the eggs as they leave 
 the ovary, while they are still small and soft 
 and before they are covered by the shell. 
 
 We may now turn back from the flowers, 
 
 fishes and birds to the human parent. As we 
 
 have said before, the ovum which has left the 
 
 ovary will not develop unless it comes in con- 
 
 61 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 tact with the male cell. From what you have 
 learned of the seed of the plant, of the egg of 
 the fish and of the bird, you are ready to un- 
 derstand that the reproduction of all higher 
 animal life, including that of the human being, 
 requires the union of the male and the female 
 germ cells. You wish to know how this union 
 is accomplished. 
 
 The male germ cell differs in appearance 
 from the female cell. The female cell is round, 
 about one one-hundred-twenty-fifth of an inch 
 in diameter, and has a small nucleus inside of 
 the protoplasm. The male cell, which is called 
 the sperm or sperm cell, appears through the 
 microscope like a tiny tadpole. The cell itself 
 forms the head and body of the tadpole, while 
 the tail, which has a constant waving motion, 
 is only a propeller by means of which the 
 sperm goes in search of the ovum. 
 
 The sperm is much smaller than the ovum. 
 The latter contains a large amotmt of proto- 
 plasm surrounding the nucleus, much more 
 62 
 
THE OVUM AND THE SPERM 
 
 than is found in the ordinary body cells. This 
 protoplasm is sometimes called the yolk as it 
 supplies the food for the ovum during its 
 first few days of life. The sperm cell contains 
 very little protoplasm, being nearly all nucleus 
 and it therefore is much smaller than the ovum. 
 
 The sperms come from two glands in the 
 body of the male parent, which are called the 
 testicles. Just as the ovary produces the ova 
 or female cells, so the testicle produces the 
 sperms or male cells. 
 
 We have seen that the male cells of the plants 
 and fishes are very numerous. Nature pro- 
 vides very few female cells in comparison with 
 the number of male cells; so they have to be 
 housed and protected much more carefully. 
 In order that fertilization shall be insured, the 
 male cells are provided in great profusion. The 
 mammals furnish no exception to nature's law 
 in this regard, for while the ova are produced 
 singly in the largest animals and in the human 
 being, the sperms are counted by the thousands 
 63 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 to every ovum. The enveloping fluid, together 
 with the sperms emitted by the testicle, is 
 known as the semen, — (the Latin word for 
 seed). You will understand the use of this 
 term, for the semen contains the germ cell or 
 seed of the male parent. 
 
 In order that the ovum may be retained 
 within the body of the mother until the young 
 is fully developed it is necessary that the fer- 
 tilization should take place within the body of 
 the mother. The structure of the parent ani- 
 mals, therefore, is adapted to this necessity. 
 Just as the oviduct, or the fallopian tubes are 
 prepared to conduct the ova to the uterus, so a 
 suitable tube is provided by which the male 
 parent can convey the semen to the ovum 
 which is awaiting fertilization. 
 
 This muscular tube deposits the semen in 
 the upper part of the vagina, where the sperm 
 can readily reach the ovum. Such union of 
 the sexes is commonly called intercourse. It 
 is essential to the production of the young in 
 all mammals. 
 
 64 
 
THE OVUM AND THE SPERM 
 
 Nothing upon this wonderful earth is more 
 wonderful than the delicate mechanism of the 
 living creature. Every tiniest cell in the living 
 body does its part in the continuance of life, 
 yet the thing which commands our deepest 
 reverence is the marvelous provision for the 
 precious new life. The growth of the young 
 child is in obedience to a great and universal 
 law. When the sperm and the ovum merge, 
 the one into the other, they together form a 
 new cell, part father and part mother. We 
 shall expect then that the new life will com- 
 bine the characteristics of both parents. With 
 this fusion the new life is begun. 
 
 This, then, is the miracle of life ; — the union 
 of two cells from different sources, carrying 
 with them the peculiarities of the stock of 
 which they are a part. Immediately upon this 
 union a new life begins, a life which may be 
 full of happiness for itself and blessings for 
 others, or full of misery and wretchedness. 
 
 When the plant makes ready for the fertili- 
 zation of its ova it is in the full tide of its 
 65 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 Strength and beauty. Its leaves are of the 
 freshest, its flowers of the brightest, and its 
 whole life speaks its strength and fitness for 
 the endowment of a new life. 
 
 Just when the flower is in its prime the 
 pollen is ripe, the stigma is receptive, and the 
 pollen finds its way to the ova, making a strong 
 and healthy seed ready to begin the new life 
 which is to be. 
 
 When the young man and woman take upon 
 themselves the responsibihty of bringing new 
 life into the world, they come to the marriage 
 altar, — ^the bride in her white dress and veil, 
 the emblem of purity, modesty and devotion 
 to her new life as wife and mother ; the bride- 
 groom in the strength of his young manhood, 
 with a body as pure and a purpose as devoted 
 as his bride's. Thus, and thus only, can the 
 new lives which they may create be endowed 
 with their true birthright. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 CONCEPTION AND MOTHERHOOD 
 
 As we have learned, the ovum is carried 
 from the ovary into the fallopian tube. Here 
 it is borne along by the cilia, or hair-like pro- 
 jections, toward the uterus. 
 
 On its way through the fallopian tube the 
 ovum is met by the sperms which have found 
 their way up through the uterus and into the 
 fallopian tube. As they meet the ovum, one 
 finds its way through a tiny opening in the 
 wall of the ovum and reaches the nucleus. The 
 two cells unite, and become one, much as two 
 drops of water, when they come in contact, 
 merge into each other and become one drop. 
 Thus the two cells, which in their origin come 
 from two different living beings, unite to form 
 j6£ 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 the new cell, which will result in a completely 
 new and different human being. 
 
 Now we say that conception has taken place : 
 the mother is said to be pregnant. By 
 this we mean that the ovum is fertilized. From 
 this moment she carries a new life within her 
 body and thus begins the deepest experience 
 of her own life. For what experience can be 
 more sacred, or more marvelous, than that of 
 the mother who understands that a new human 
 life has begun within her, and that in a 
 short time she will give to the world a human 
 soul? And this experience is shared by the 
 father, whose life goes on in the life of his 
 child. 
 
 You may know that some insects give their 
 lives for their young. They lay their eggs in 
 some suitable place and then die, because the 
 great work of their life has been accomplished. 
 They have certainly given their life for their 
 children. 
 
 The human mother gives her life for her 
 68 
 
MOTHERHOOD 
 
 child in a dififerent way. From this moment 
 she must live for her child; she must think of 
 the needs of her child before her own and be 
 ready at all times to sacrifice herself in its 
 care; or, rather, she must be strong and wise 
 for its sake, knowing that all which makes her 
 strong will add strength to her child. 
 
 How I wish, my dear girls, that I could 
 give you a glimpse of the joys of motherhood 
 as I have seen them again and again. Have 
 you not felt the thrill of a baby's arms around 
 your neck? Have you never cuddled a baby 
 in your arms, feeling as though you could 
 never give it up? That was the dawning of 
 motherhood in your nature. 
 
 Only yesterday there came to me a letter 
 from a young mother who has two babies, — 
 one very young, and the other not yet able to 
 walk. She writes: "Every minute is full to 
 the brim. There is always sbmething to do 
 for one or the other baby — ^but I never was so 
 happy in my life." Motherhood brings with 
 69 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 it cares and responsibilities, but it also brings 
 the greatest of earthly joys. 
 
 I trust that the girls who read this book are 
 looking not only for the pleasures of life, but 
 also for usefulness to others — ^their friends, 
 their country and their race. If you truly 
 desire to be of service, if you wish to devote 
 your life to some high calling, there is nothing 
 greater nor finer that you can do for the world 
 than to bestow upon it first a good woman of 
 fine character in yourself, and then, if it may 
 be your privilege, children who through your 
 teaching shall become strong and true men and 
 women. 
 
 The sacrifice of the mother may seem to 
 youth like a hardship; but mothers rarely count 
 it so. The true mother finds such joy in every- 
 thing that she can do for her child that this 
 devotion becomes the deepest pleasure of her 
 life. So artists have loved to paint the mother 
 and the child, and poets have sung the sacred- 
 ness of motherhood. 
 
 70 
 
A MOTHER'S LOVE 
 
 Her, by her smile, how soon the stranger 
 
 knows ; 
 How soon by his the glad discovery shows. 
 As to her lips she lifts the lovely boy. 
 What answering looks of sympathy and joy! 
 He walks, he speaks. In many a broken word, 
 His wants, his wishes, and his griefs are 
 
 heard. 
 And ever, ever to her lap he flies. 
 When rosy sleep comes on with sweet surprise. 
 Locked in her arms, his arms across hel flung 
 (That name most dear for ever on his tongue), 
 As with soft accents round her neck he clings. 
 And, cheek to cheek, her lulling song she sings ; 
 How blest to feel the beatings of his heart. 
 Breathe his sweet breath, and bliss for bliss 
 
 impart ; 
 Watch o'er his slumbers like the brooding 
 
 dove. 
 And, if she can, exhaust a mother's love ! 
 
 — Samuel Rogers 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN EMBRYO 
 
 When the ovum has been fertilized its 
 development begins at once, even while it is on 
 its way down the fallopian tube. At the same 
 time changes must take place in the uterus to 
 make ready for it. The tiny cell must grow 
 until the organism which we call the child 
 contains many billions of cells. Almost im- 
 mediately, then, the fertilized ovum begins the 
 making of these many cells. It divides itself 
 in two, just as the body cells divide; the one 
 cell becomes two complete cells, each one hav- 
 ing its nucleus. Each of these cells divides 
 again, making four, then eight, then sixteen, 
 and so on. The process continues very rapidly 
 until there is a multitude of these related cells. 
 
 Now a drop of liquid forms in the midst of 
 
 n 
 
. - THE HUMAN EMBRYO 
 
 this mass of cells. This liquid gradually in- 
 creases, pushing the cells aside until they are 
 closely packed together around the circumfer- 
 ence, forming the wall of a little sphere which 
 lies in close contact with the cell wall. The 
 liquid remains in the center. This process re- 
 quires only a few days. Soon a little thick- 
 ened spot appears on the inside of this sphere, 
 projecting into the liquid. This gradually de- 
 velops, as each day brings some new and mys- 
 terious change, until, at the end of the first 
 month, the head and body of the little embryo, 
 as we call the baby at this stage, can be clearly 
 distinguished. The embryo is perhaps as large 
 as a small bean, while the whole sphere, or 
 ovum, is about the size of a pigeon's egg. 
 
 By the end of the second month the embryo 
 has grown to be one and one-half inches long 
 and the whole ovum is about the size of a 
 hen's egg. Now the growth continues to be 
 more and more rapid so long as the child re- 
 mains in the uterus. 
 
 73 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 An ovum escapes from the ovary once a 
 month, about the time of the menstrual period, 
 but it is quite possible under some conditions 
 of special excitement that the ovum may pass 
 off at other times. It is not always certain, 
 therefore, that the sperm will meet the ovum, 
 for there may be no ovum in the fallopian tube, 
 where the union usually takes place. On the 
 other hand, it is never possible to tell whether 
 an ovum is present in the tube or not, and 
 whether the sperm will be able to find it there. 
 
 Thus it happens that many sperms are lost 
 in the reproductive organs, and also that many 
 ova pass through the tube without meeting the 
 sperm. Under these conditions the ova or the 
 sperms are either washed away in the slight 
 amount of mucus which is always found in 
 the uterus, or else they are absorbed. As we 
 have said several times before, nature makes 
 very abundant provision for the reproduction 
 of the race, but many seeds and eggs, pollen 
 and sperms are doomed to be lost. 
 74 
 
THE HUMAN EMBRYO 
 
 The ovum passing down the fallopian tube 
 every month is very small, and no sensations 
 accompany it. When conception occurs, the 
 ovum passes through the tube in the usual man- 
 ner, with no new sensations. The mother has 
 no means of knowing just when conception 
 takes place. She is probably not aware of it 
 until the end of the fourth week. The first 
 intimation comes with the omission of the 
 menstrual period, for during the period of 
 pregnancy the menstrual flow ceases. This 
 may soon be followed by unusual sensations. 
 The appetite may become capricious; the 
 mother wishes to eat more than usual, or very 
 much desires certain foods. There may be 
 some nausea or a feeling of heaviness in the 
 pelvic region; but these discomforts are not 
 always present, and many mothers feel un- 
 usually well and happy during the entire period 
 of their pregnancy. 
 
 You know that the mother hen broods her 
 eggs for three weeks, which is the length of 
 75 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 time required for the young chicken to de- 
 velop from the germ cell. This seems a long 
 time for the hen to confine herself so 
 closely in order to keep the eggs warm ; but it 
 is a very short time when you think of all the 
 wonderful things that happen to the egg in the 
 three weeks. 
 
 The development of the kitten from the 
 ovum of the cat requires about nine weeks. 
 The human baby, however, is much larger and 
 is more highly organized. The time required 
 for its development is nine months. The little 
 form is quite perfect at the end of four and 
 one-half months, but the child is not yet ready 
 to live apart from its mother. If it were born 
 at this time it could not live ; the lungs are not 
 ready to breathe nor the heart able to beat, 
 apart from the mother. 
 
 Beyond this time we speak of the fetus in- 
 stead of the embryo. During the last four and 
 one-'half months the fetus continues to grow in 
 size and strength and all its parts become fully 
 developed. At the end of the nine months the 
 76 
 
THE HUMAN EMBRYQ 
 
 baby weighs from six to nine pounds ; its skin 
 is soft and smooth; it shotdd be plump and 
 round and in every way a perfectly formed 
 and attractive child. 
 
 The question is frequently asked, when does 
 the life of the new baby begin? The question 
 is a very important one, and this is the answer. 
 From the moment when the sperm enters the 
 ovum — from the moment that fertilization is 
 thus accomplished — life begins. The mother 
 does not recognize the presence of this life until 
 she feels the movement of the child within her 
 body. This occurs at about four and one-half 
 months after fertilization, or when the fetus 
 is four and one-half months old. This has 
 been incorrectly called the period of quicken- 
 ing, or the time when life begins. This phrase 
 gives undue importance to the first feelings of 
 the mother, for life has been present for eigh- 
 teen weeks, and motion has been going on for 
 seven or eight weeks. It is only when the 
 motion becomes so strong that the mother per- 
 ceives it, that she has new consciousness of the 
 77 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 life of her child; but this life has been present 
 from the beginning. 
 
 The period of pregnancy is a time of much 
 anticipation. The mother who knows that she 
 is carrying her child must feel that 
 all the days are sacred and that all that she 
 does is of moment to others. The child which 
 she is to bear will be a gift to the world, having 
 power and strength, quality and abilities unlike 
 any other that the world has known, — and yet 
 in many ways he will be like those of his fam- 
 ily who have preceded him. What he is to be 
 will largely depend upon the mother, — ^her 
 health, her strength, her power, her skill, her 
 knowledge and her understanding. 
 
 No wonder, then, that the mother broods 
 much upon the days that are to be, and the life 
 which her child is to lead. Happy the mother 
 whose friends share with her all her hopes, 
 and who knows that nothing has been left un- 
 done to make perfect the life which she is 
 guarding! 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 PROVISION FOR THE GROWTH OF THE HUMAN 
 INFANT 
 
 You will remember observing the ovules of 
 the bean, the pea or the lily. Each one is at- 
 tached to the wall of the ovary, and through 
 this attachment it obtains the nutriment which 
 is necessary to its growth. The part of the 
 ovary to which the ovules are attached is called 
 the placenta. You will recall this thickened 
 part of the bean pod to which the beans were 
 attached, as you opened the pod. We shall 
 need to use this name as we describe the de- 
 velopment of the human ovum. 
 
 The ovule of the plant develops into the 
 seed within the ovary. When the seed is ripe, 
 the ovary or pod breaks open, and the seed is 
 spilled to the ground, where it develops. But 
 the human ovum, after leaving the ovary, must 
 79 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 be detained in the uterus until it has grown 
 able to begin its independent life. Therefore, 
 it must be attached to the wall of the uterus 
 in some way. 
 
 As the fertilized ovum passes out of the 
 tube into the uterus, it is caught and held in a 
 fold of the membrane which lines the uterus. 
 It is wrapped around by this membrane, and 
 attaches itself to the wall of the uterus by 
 sending out tiny blood vessels, which penetrate 
 the substance of the uterine wall. These blood 
 vessels increase in size and number, becoming 
 a large mass or network of arteries and veins, 
 in close contact with the blood vessels of the 
 mother. This mass is called the placenta. By 
 this means the embryo is attached to the wall 
 of the uterus, and through it the growing child 
 is fed. 
 
 As the embryo grows, these blood vessels 
 increase more and more in size and number, 
 until at the time of birth the placenta is a large 
 fleshy mass, which is still attached to the uterus. 
 
THE HUMAN INFANT 
 
 The human placenta covers about a third part 
 of the uterine wall. It is made up of the tiny 
 vessels — arteries and veins — which, as has been 
 said, lie in close contact with the mother's 
 arteries and veins, so that the nourishment 
 from the mother's arteries can pass through 
 into the child, and, the waste and useless ma- 
 terials from the cells of the embryo can be 
 returned though the veins of the mother. 
 Moreover, the oxygen, by which the blood of 
 the embryo is purified, is brought through the 
 mother's arteries to the child, and the im- 
 purities which must be sent away, pass from 
 the embryo to the veins of the mother in the 
 same way. 
 
 The many small arteries and veins of the 
 placenta unite to make a large vein and two 
 large arteries, which are twisted together and 
 covered by a membrane, forming a cord which 
 unites the body of the child with the body of 
 the mother. This cord enters the child's body 
 at the navel, or umbilicus, which is the scientific 
 81 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 name given to the navel. You will understand 
 this arrangement if you think of the picture of 
 a tree. The cord is like the trunk of a tree 
 which branches as it enters the placenta, and 
 these branches divide again and again, just as 
 the branches of a tree separate into twigs ; thus 
 the multitude of small blood vessels is formed 
 which make up the mass of th^ placenta. 
 
 You will readily understand that this rap- 
 idly growing baby must require that the con^ 
 taining uterus also should grow very much in 
 these nine months. At the time when the ovun>, 
 was fertilized the uterus was a small organ, 
 only three and one-half inches in length, anc 
 lying wholly within the pelvis. But as the 
 embryo grows in size and the baby develops, 
 the uterus also grows larger, until the pelvis 
 can hold it no longer, and it rises up into the 
 abdomen. There its growth continues until, at 
 the end of the nine months, when the child's 
 development is complete, the uterus, with its 
 contents, fills the whole abdomen, crowding the 
 intestines backward and toward the sides. 
 82 
 
THE HUMAN INFANT 
 
 At this time the walls of the uterus are one- 
 half inch in thickness. They are made of 
 strong muscular fibers, for it is by the strength 
 of this muscle that the baby is to be expelled 
 from the uterus when the right time comes. 
 
 There has been a marvelous change in the 
 tiny ovum, which was in the beginning barely 
 one one-hundred-twenty-fifth of an inch in 
 diameter, visible only through the microscope, 
 and composed merely of the cell wall, the pro- 
 toplasm and the nucleus. The ovum has grown 
 as rapidly as the uterus and now completely 
 fills it. At the end of pregnancy the wall of 
 the ovum lines the inner surface of the uterus. 
 The cell wall has become a threefold mem- 
 brane, which still encloses the contents of the 
 ovum. 
 
 Over about one-third of the membrane is 
 spread this placenta, with its outer surface at- 
 tached to the uterus and the inner surface cov- 
 ered by the membranes. Inside of the mem- 
 brane, or wall of the ovum, we now find in 
 the place of the small bit of protoplasm and 
 S3 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 the minute nucleus, a child, weighing from six 
 to nine pounds. About it is a watery fluid, 
 perhaps a pint or more in quantity. The child 
 is attached to the placenta by the cord, 
 which is about eighteen inches long. This cord 
 lies folded in the water or possibly a part of it 
 is wound about some part of the child. 
 
 The time required for the development of 
 the ovum has been nine months. This period, 
 during which the mother carries her child, is 
 called the period of gestation. When this pe- 
 riod has been completed all is ready for the 
 birth of the child. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE BIRTH OF THE CHILD 
 
 And now for nine months the child has been 
 growing within the uterus of the mother. 
 It usually lies with its legs drawn up and 
 crossed Turk fashion ; its arms folded over its 
 breast and its head bent forward. In this posi- 
 tion it takes up the least possible room. It has 
 been surrounded by a liquid, which has pro- 
 tected it from injury and has allowed it suf- 
 ficient freedom of motion. 
 
 The child has grown so rapidly that al- 
 though the uterus also has developed to meet 
 its needs, it has never had more room than 
 was absolutely necessary. It has, therefore, 
 lain doubled up in what seems to you a strange 
 position. The presence of water in the uterus 
 has enabled the growing body of the child to 
 85 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 turn over or upside down and to move its arms 
 and legs aJittle;rbut it has never been able to 
 straighten out the legs. When the growth is 
 completed and the time has come for the child 
 to be born, the fetus arranges itself with its 
 head dojynward. 
 
 The mother has been making ready all these 
 months for the birth of her child. She has 
 made every effort to keep herself strong and 
 well, in order that her child may be well and 
 strong likewise. She has made ready dainty 
 clothing for the little one and has prepared the 
 exquisite baby basket, providing everything 
 which can be needed by her child after its com- 
 ing. 
 
 During all these days of waiting and of 
 preparation her thoughts have been busy, too. 
 The love of the mother does not wait until the 
 child is born. She has thought and dreamed 
 of its coming and has lavished her affection 
 upon it from the beginning. 
 
 She has had to be very patient for many 
 86 
 
THE BIRTH OF THE CHILD 
 
 days, for she has begun to find her burden 
 very heavy, and she longs to take her child in 
 her arms. She knows that the coming of the 
 child means a trial of her strength and endur- 
 ance, but she looks forward to it with courage 
 and joy, knowing how great happiness it is to 
 bring to her. 
 
 Though she may have been expecting the 
 birth for some days, she can not tell just the 
 day or the hour when the child is to be born. 
 At last a day comes when an unusual pain oc- 
 curs. This is a sharp hard pain in the abdo- 
 men which quickly subsides. In a few mo- 
 ments the pain is repeated; then follows an- 
 other and another. Now she knows that the 
 time has come. 
 
 You already know that the uterus is at this 
 time a strong muscular organ. The mother's 
 pain is caused by the contraction of the mus- 
 cles of the uterus, now attempting to expel 
 the child which has been so long resting within 
 it. The muscles contract exactly as do the 
 87 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 muscles of a boy's arm when he clenches his 
 fist and stoutly bends his elbow to feel the 
 strength of his muscle. 
 
 As the uterine muscle contracts, it gives the 
 baby a gentle push. The contraction lasts for 
 a minute, causing the pain of which we have 
 spoken; then the muscle relaxes and the pain 
 ceases. In a few minutes all the muscles con- 
 tract again, giving another push. This con- 
 traction lasts about the same length of time; 
 then the uterus rests again. This contraction 
 and relaxation are repeated in turn many 
 times, every contraction urging the child a lit- 
 tle farther on its journey. Each contraction 
 also opens gradually the mouth of the uterus, 
 until it is finally opened sufficiently to permit 
 the head of the child to pass through. Now 
 the surrounding membranes give way, the 
 water which has surrounded the child escapes 
 and the baby's head is pushed into the vagina. 
 Then the vaginal opening dilates gradually, the 
 88 
 
THE BIRTH OF THE CHILD 
 
 head emerges, the body follows rapidly, and 
 the child is bora 
 
 The new born child is now completely with- 
 out the body of the mother, but it is still at- 
 tached to the uterus by the cord, through which 
 it has been nourished. Now the physician 
 who is earing for the mother severs the cord, 
 after first having tied a string tightly about it, 
 and the child begins its separate new life. 
 
 Up to this time the baby has never breathed. 
 Its blood has been purified by coming in 
 contact with the mother's blood; its nourish- 
 ment has also come through the blood of the 
 mother. It has never cried; but as soon as it 
 reaches the cool air of the outer world, it 
 makes the only expression of joy or sorrow 
 that it has power to make ; it cries out at once. 
 This cry causes the child to take long deep 
 breaths. So the unused lungs are inflated, the 
 air enters and is expelled and the blood begins 
 to circulate through new channels. 
 89 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 The baby is quickly wrapped in a warm 
 blanket and is laid in some warm comfortable 
 place to rest and sleep. The warmth and com- 
 fort hush its cries and it waits quietly the time 
 for its first bath. 
 
 Now that the cord is no longer of any ser- 
 vice and the placenta has completed its work, 
 it is detached from the uterus, and expelled, 
 just as the child has been. Nature casts away, 
 at the same time, the membrane which had sur- 
 rounded the child. These together are ordi- 
 narily called the afterbirth. 
 
 The mother has now completed this won- 
 derful gift to her child, and, through her child, 
 to the world which was waiting for this new 
 life. She has accomplished this with effort 
 and suffering. During the birth of the child 
 it has been necessary for her to use all her 
 strength and she has endured much pain. This 
 has been a costly experience and she must have 
 the needed rest. Moreover, a profuse flow of 
 blood, similar to the menstrual flow, continues 
 90 
 
THE BIRTH OF THE CHILD. 
 
 several days. This period should be given to 
 rest and quiet, so that she may win back her 
 wonted strength. The young mother has yet 
 much more to do for the little one which she 
 has borne. Her child must be fed and she 
 must devote herself with her utmost energy 
 to its continued care through the long period 
 of infancy. 
 
 And then the Babe: 
 A tiny perfect sea-shell on the shore 
 By the waves gently laid (the awful waves!) — 
 By trembling hands received — a folded mes- 
 sage — 
 A babe yet slumbering, with a ripple on its face 
 Remindful of the ocean. 
 
 And two twined forms that overbend it, smil- 
 ing. 
 
 And wonder to what land Love must have 
 journeyed. 
 
 Who brought this back — this word of sweetest 
 meaning ; 
 
 Two lives made one and visible as one. 
 
 And herein all Creation. 
 
 — Edward Carpenter 
 
 91 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 HOW THE CHILD IS FED AFTER BIRTH 
 
 The human child comes into the world in a 
 more helpless condition than any other animal. 
 It can not walk nor even stand ; it has no use of 
 its hands. Its eyes are not ready to endure the 
 light of the outer world, and during the first 
 few weeks it probably sees nothing. 
 
 It needs the most continuous care and 
 cuddling. The child that misses the tender 
 love of the great mother heart loses something 
 quite essential to its well-being. When the 
 mother has brought her child into the world 
 she has only begun her task. She must now 
 gather it in her arms and care for it night and 
 day. She must anticipate its wants and keep 
 it warmed and fed. 
 
 Even while the mother is still resting in bed 
 92 
 
HOW THE CHILD IS FED] 
 
 she must begin to feed her little one. The 
 child is fed from the mother's breast, for with- 
 in the breasts are organs known as mammary 
 glands, whose work it is to provide milk to 
 feed the child. Tfie growth of the child re- 
 quires the making of many new cells and every 
 cell must be properly nourished. The only 
 food which perfectly provides this nourishment 
 is the mother's milk secreted by the mammary 
 glands. No other milk or food can always be 
 relied upon to do this work. 
 
 The mammary glands, as has been said, 
 are found within the breasts. They are 
 imbedded in fat and covered with skin, 
 to protect them from harm and to as- 
 sist in keeping the baby's food warm. 
 The gland is shaped much like a bunch of 
 grapes, if each grape were a blackberry. The 
 milk is formed in the little sacs of the black- 
 berry. The necessary materials which are 
 provided in the blood of the mother are here 
 transformed into the mother's milk by the 
 93 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 thousands of specialized body cells which line 
 these little sacs, whose definite work it is to 
 produce milk. The milk flows out into the 
 ducts which answer to the stems of the grapes. 
 These ducts converge toward the nipple, open- 
 ing by a number of very small openings upon 
 the surface of the nipple — so small, indeed, as 
 to be visible only with the help of a magnify- 
 ing-glass. From these openings the milk flows 
 readily by suction when the child is put to the 
 breast. 
 
 The first few days after the baby comes it 
 needs but little nourishment, and therefore only 
 a little sweet water comes from the mammary 
 gland. But upon the third day the milk comes 
 freely and from that time the baby has abun- 
 dant nourishment. 
 
 After a few days of rest the mother is able 
 to resume her ordinary life habits; but for 
 many months, perhaps a year, she must con- 
 tinue to feed her infant. 
 
 During this tjme, while the mammary gland 
 94 
 
HOW THE CHILD IS FED 
 
 is so active, the other organs should have com- 
 plete rest. Therefore, after the flow which 
 comes at the baby's birth, the menstrual func- 
 tion is ordinarily not established again until 
 after the nursing is ended. 
 
 This feeding and care of the baby imposes 
 upon the mother very constant attention. It 
 is most important, then, that the mother should 
 take great pains to obtain all the right con- 
 ditions for the feeding of her child. This will 
 mean, among other things, staying within 
 reach of the baby, so that it may be fed when- 
 ever it is necessary. In these busy days, when 
 there is so much to attract the mother away 
 from her home, this may be considered irk- 
 some. But happily the mother love which 
 comes with the child is usually strong enough 
 to induce the mother to take her greatest 
 pleasure in the care of her baby. She is there- 
 fore willing to make sacrifices for its best good. 
 And she may know that this care given to her 
 child may be the means even by which his life 
 P4 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 is continued, and assuredly the means by which 
 his health is preserved. 
 
 ;A: mother's life is necessarily one of sacri- 
 fice and devotion to others. To the girl who 
 has taught herself thoughtfulness for other 
 people and pleasure in doing deeds of kind- 
 ness, rather than in seeking her own pleasure, 
 the care of her child will be her greatest joy. 
 She is more than repaid as, day by day, she 
 watches the growth and enjoys the develop- 
 ment of her baby, with its winsome ways. 
 
 The father of three beautiful girls once said 
 to me, "Children pay as they go." The joy 
 attending the care of children is far greater 
 than any trifling pleasure for which many a 
 thoughtless girl sacrifices this larger interest. 
 A womanly woman knows in her heart that 
 the care of her child is a joy and not a burden. 
 As the child grows the mother grows, too. 
 The sweetest and strongest qualities which 
 have come to the human race have come 
 throHgh the devotion of the mother to her child. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 MENSTRUATIOK 
 
 The body of the new born child is like the 
 body of the adult father or mother in having 
 the same organs, but all these organs are more 
 or less undeveloped. The lungs do not begin 
 their work until the child's first breath; when 
 breathing begins there is also an important 
 change in the circulation of the blood. The 
 liver is larger in proportion to the size of the 
 body than it will be in after life; the bones are 
 flexible, being composed largely of cartilage. 
 They must be supplied with mineral matter, in 
 order to become hard and firm. The teeth are 
 still hidden far down in the gums and can not 
 be seen. The reproductive organs are fully 
 formed, but are very small. The ovaries, 
 97 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 however, already contain the immature germ 
 cells. 
 
 Twenty years, more or less, will be required 
 before the infant child will have completely 
 developed into the full grown man or woman. 
 The reproductive organs increase in size gradu- 
 ally as the child grows, but between the ages 
 of twelve and fourteen years a greater change 
 takes place. This period is called the period 
 of puberty. At this time the reproductive 
 organs develop very rapidly and begin to as- 
 sume the form and size which they have in 
 adult life. Up to this time the germ cells in 
 the ovary have made little, if any, change ; but 
 now a few of them begin to enlarge, and as 
 they grow they come nearer to the surface of 
 the ovary. At last, one cell, preceding the 
 others, becomes so large that it breaks through 
 the outer surface of the ovary and finds its 
 way into the fallopian tube. 
 
 The young girl is entirely unconscious of 
 these inner variations, but she may have ob- 
 98 
 
[MENSTRUATION 
 
 served external changes at this period. She 
 has grown much taller, her features are larger, 
 her form has been modified, the breasts are 
 developed. Her friends will have noted a de- 
 cided change in her desires and interests. She 
 has been running and romping and playing 
 with dolls ; now she lays aside her dolls and be- 
 comes interested in the pursuits of those about 
 her. She is more quiet and thoughtful, — 
 more mature in her judgment. 
 
 Before this time she may have been told by 
 her mother that still another physical change 
 is near. A flow of blood from the uterus ap- 
 pears at this period, which indicates that the 
 ovum has been discharged from the ovary. 
 Now the menstrual life has begun. Her 
 mother will also have told her that this appear- 
 ance will now be periodical, returning every 
 month. For this reason the time of its occur- 
 rence is called the menstrual period, from the 
 Latin word mensis, meaning month. 
 
 The flow of blood at the time of the first 
 99 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 menstruation may be slight, and it may be 
 several months before it recurs. This delay 
 is much to be desired, for it allows the system 
 to adapt itself gradually to the new conditions. 
 When, however, the habit is regularly estab- 
 lished, menstruation should occur every 
 twenty-eight days, measuring from the begin- 
 ning of one period to the beginning of the 
 next. 
 
 After this function has been regularly estab- 
 lished, there may be a slight divergence from 
 the normal period within the limits of perfect 
 health. The menstrual flow may be delayed 
 for a day or two past the regular time or it may 
 come a few days in advance ; any great diverg- 
 ence, long continued, indicates that the health 
 is impaired. The exception to this is the 
 period of pregnancy, when, as has been said, 
 the flow ceases. 
 
 The amount of Wood which is expelled at 
 the menstrual period varies widely within 
 natural limits. AH mammals have something 
 100 
 
MENSTRUATION, 
 
 akin to menstruation and some of them emit a 
 slightly blood-stained fluid. Human beings 
 in a savage state expel only a very little blood, 
 — the discharge lasting but a day or two. With 
 the increase of civilization and the many un- 
 natural conditions associated with modern life 
 the amount of the menstrual discharge is in- 
 creased. 
 
 The length of time during which the flow 
 should continue is about five days. It may, 
 however, be seven or eight days without being 
 considered excessive, or in some cases, two or 
 three days may be sufficient. 
 
 The menstrual fluid comes directly from the 
 uterus, where it oozes from the membrane 
 much as the perspiration comes from the skin. 
 It leaves the uterus at once, passing through 
 the mouth of the uterus and out by the vagina. 
 When the flow has ceased the passages are 
 thoroughly cleansed so that no trace of blood 
 is left, by the natural mucus which constantly 
 bathes the parts. As this menstrual fluid 
 101 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 conies directly from the blood vessels, it is 
 neither poisonous nor impure, as is sometimes 
 ignorantly supposed, but is like the blood cir- 
 culating through the body. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 WHY THE GIRL SHOULD KEEP WELL 
 
 It is not an easy matter to arouse in young 
 people sufficient interest in the care of their 
 health. They have not yet had enough ex- 
 perience to understand how heavy a handicap 
 ill health may be, nor how it may limit both 
 happiness and usefulness. Youth lives in the 
 present and not in the future. The warnings 
 of older people are likely to be turned lightly 
 aside. When one is strong and well, neitheij 
 health nor disease is often in one's thoughts. 
 
 But all which has been said about the mother 
 and her child must lead us to realize that the 
 health of the girl concerns others besides her- 
 self. If she maintains herself in health and 
 strength her child is well endowed. Anything 
 103 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 which impairs the health of the mother may re- 
 sult in weakness or suffering to the child. No 
 girl should, therefore, lightly consider any- 
 thing which may cause loss of health and 
 strength. She must be wise and well and 
 strong, not for her own sake alone, but for 
 the sake of all who may depend upon her. 
 
 If we observe the good mothers who are 
 round about us we shall be sure that the 
 preparation for motherhood must include the 
 development of a strong body, an intelligent 
 mind, a loving heart, and the will to serve. 
 Every good mother teaches us that the care of 
 others Involves love, service and sacrifice. 
 Every earnest girl will rejoice in the con- 
 sciousness that all which enters into her life, 
 adding strength, or wisdom, or insight, may 
 result in greater good for her child, when 
 motherhood comes to her. 
 
 There is no more attractive picture than that 
 of the mother who has spent her life in the 
 service of her family, and who is repaid by 
 104 
 
KEEPING WELL 
 
 the devotion of one and all. The respect, the 
 reverence, the love, the friendship which son 
 and daughter feel for the mother whose love 
 has blessed their days, is a blessing not to be 
 measured in words nor to be turned lightly 
 aside. Such motherhood is not a matter of 
 chance; such regard is not given for nothing. 
 Through all the days of girlhood and young 
 womanhood the mother had been preparing 
 for her great task. The girl of to-day is 
 not too young, nor should she be too thought- 
 less, to remember that her welfare concerns 
 others yet unborn. 
 
 All girls, then, should secure and preserve 
 their health. Good wholesome food, abund- 
 ant exercise and play out-of-doors, simple 
 comfortable clothing, wholesome companion- 
 ship and regular tasks, will keep the body 
 strong and active. Everything which sustains 
 the general health will help to gain a similar 
 condition in the organs of reproduction. They 
 will need no special attention or care beyond 
 105 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 that which should be bestowed on all parts of 
 the body. 
 
 Certain suggestions may help the girl who 
 has not yet discussed these matters with her 
 mother, or who has not thought clearly con- 
 cerning them. It is for the sake of these girls 
 that the next chapters are written. For the 
 girl who has not been taught, both rules and 
 warnings must be written. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 HYGIENE OF THE MENSTRUAL PERIOD 
 
 The menstrual flow is a natural function of 
 the body, just as much so as eating or drink- 
 ing. If the girl is well and strong this period 
 should cause her no trouble. It happens, 
 however, that many young girls are neither 
 well nor strong. Their habits of life are not 
 always regular, or wise, and they may be liv- 
 ing under conditions which are not normal. 
 If this is the case, it may happen that they are 
 more or less disturbed at the time of the men- 
 strual period. One individual may feel un- 
 usually nervous or irritable or depressed at 
 this time; another complains of some feeling 
 of discomfort in the pelvic region, a little back- 
 ache or some heaviness, while others may at 
 times suffer a discomfort which amounts even 
 107 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 to intense pain, accompanied by nausea and 
 vomiting. 
 
 This may not in the least mean that there is 
 any disease which needs to be cured. 
 The difficulty may be caused simply by a condi- 
 tion of nervous spasm or neuralgia, which is 
 dependent upon the general health of the indi- 
 vidual. It sometimes happens even that at- 
 tracting attention to something else, getting rid 
 of tension or anxiety, relaxing and resting, or 
 lying down for a while well covered and 
 warmed, to induce perspiration, will relieve the 
 condition of tension, discomfort or pain. If 
 the difficulty does not yield to such a simple 
 means it may be entirely relieved by a change 
 of climate or by change of occupation or sur- 
 roundings. It frequently happens that resting 
 carefully at this period for some months in suc- 
 cession will entirely cure the trouble. 
 
 If the individual is entirely normal and ex- 
 periences no pain at this period moderate exer- 
 cise is not in the least objectionable. One may 
 108 
 
THE MENSTRUAL PERIOD 
 
 continue the daily rotind of school or task and 
 keep regular engagements without any harm- 
 ful result; but extreme exercise, such as danc- 
 ing or gymnastics, unusually long walks, or late 
 parties attended with excitement, should be 
 omitted at the time of the menstrual period. 
 One should also be careful not to get wet or be 
 chilled. Ordinary local bathing should be 
 continued, for cleanliness is even more neces- 
 sary at this time. The feet and other 
 parts of the body may be bathed as usual and 
 even a full sponge bath may be taken, using 
 water at a moderate temperature ; but sea bath- 
 ing, or even tub bathing, should be omitted 
 until the flow has ceased. 
 
 It occasionally happens that annoying pim- 
 ples appear on the face or between the shoulder 
 blades at this period. This has been puzzling 
 and disagreeable to many young people who 
 were ignorant of the cause. It may accom- 
 pany the natural congestion of the organs at 
 the time of the menstrual period but it does 
 109 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 not necessarily indicate any disease. The pim- 
 ples usually disappear naturally as the girl 
 grows older. More rest and quiet during the 
 first two days of the menstrual period will aid 
 very much in preventing this annoying appear- 
 ance. If the pimples are abundant and con- 
 tinue from month to month it is probable that 
 they are associated with some irregularity in 
 other organs or functions of the body. 
 
 Many have questioned the effect of the 
 school upon the menstrual period. It has 
 sometimes been thought that the nervous con- 
 dition which often accompanies earnest study 
 is a source of strain and reacts unfavorably 
 upon the health. But it is undoubtedly true 
 that a girl may be as reasonable and normal in 
 her study as is her brother. If she plays and 
 exercises in alternation with her work and 
 study there is no reason why she should not 
 continue her school without reference to the 
 menstrual function. 
 
 The problem of the girl is not that she is 
 110 
 
THE MENSTRUAl, PERIOD 
 
 unfitted for intellectual labor but that she often 
 adds music, dancing, social life and many 
 home demands to the requirement of school. 
 She therefore becomes overanxious, over- 
 tense, and overworried, and in this abnormal 
 condition breaks down. The first indication 
 of her failure in strength and health is likely 
 to appear at the menstrual period. The girl 
 who is in normal health may readily attend to 
 all her duties of life, both at school and at 
 home, through all the days of this special 
 period. 
 
 The omission of the menstrual period for 
 one or more months may follow illness or even 
 overwork, in the early years. Such omission 
 is sometimes nature's method of saving the 
 strength of the girl, and she may improve in 
 general health during this period. A com- 
 mon notion that this temporary cessa- 
 tion of the menses means that the girl is 
 "going into consumption" is wholly without 
 foundation in truth. The idea probably 
 111 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 originated in the fact that menstruation ceases 
 when tuberculosis is well developed, for the 
 reason given above, that nature is attempting 
 to save the strength of the patient. It is 
 doubtless wise to consult a physician if the 
 periods are too long omitted. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 CONCERNING EXERCISE 
 
 The human body requires exercise, not only 
 for growth in the early years, but in order to 
 maintain health. It is natural and normal for 
 children to be active constantly, alternating 
 between play and sleep. We often hear a 
 mother say of her child, "He is never still a 
 minute." This is as it should be. For the 
 child to sit still is difficult because it is un- 
 natural. 
 
 No organ of the body performs its work 
 well if the body is inactive. One who stays 
 long in bed, perhaps in order to mend a broken 
 bone, becomes weak and stiff simply from in- 
 action. Every part of the body responds to 
 exercise and is strengthened by reasonable ac- 
 tivity. 
 
 113 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 The child secures this activity through his 
 play. The youth still loves play and it is essen- 
 tial to his best development. What is true of 
 the boy is equally true of the girl, although 
 this truth is not so clearly recognized. Gradu- 
 ally the book or the music lesson or the sewing 
 is substituted for the game of basketball or 
 tennis, or even tag and "Blind Man's Buff." 
 When work or study prevents needed exercise 
 health begins to suffer. 
 
 In adult life sufificient exercise often comes 
 through the occupations. The farmer or the 
 postman never lacks for exercise ; indeed, they 
 often need more physical rest than they can 
 easily obtain. However, the man who is in 
 the office all day and the woman who sits and 
 sews, both need so to order their lives that they 
 can take the amount of exercise necessary to 
 keep the body in good health. 
 
 In youth exercise should neither be all work 
 nor all play ; both are necessary for the normal 
 upkeep of the body. The boy on the farm, or 
 114 
 
CONCERNING EXERCISE 
 
 the girl at housekeeping or in the garden, gets 
 very useful exercise, as in both occupations all 
 the muscles are used. It is a pity that this 
 normal and natural means of taking exercise 
 is likely to be left out of the present-day ex- 
 perience. 
 
 Do not feel it a hardship if it is your lot to 
 take part in the work of the family. This is 
 a great good fortune. The ordinary care of 
 the home calls for knowledge, ability and skill ; 
 it demands, also, varied exercise. We must 
 be keen, intelligent, alert and vigorous to do 
 well the many things that the home needs to 
 have done. If you have to make beds, to wash 
 dishes, to sweep a floor, to prepare a dinner, 
 do it with joy. Emerson reminds us that the 
 Sandwich Islander believed that the strength 
 of his slain enemy passed into himself. In the 
 same way you may feel that new vigor, 
 strength and power come to you through every 
 task that you perform well. Say to yourself, 
 "I am glad that I know how to wash dishes, 
 115 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 to sweep a room, to bake bread. I will do my 
 work happily and I will do it well." 
 
 Out of such service comes the finest strength 
 and vigor. There isi no tonic like happy and 
 kindly work which results in good for others. 
 
 If the school work reqmres so much time 
 that we are in danger of leaving out the exer- 
 cise, it should be planned for and made a part 
 of every day's program. A walk to and from 
 school instead of taking the car gives good 
 exercise for the lower limbs. But the young 
 person who sits at the desk several hours a 
 day needs activity for the upper limbs as well 
 as the lower; and, therefore, making of beds 
 or sweeping for a short time each day makes a 
 material addition to the health of the body. 
 But no one should depend wholly upon work 
 or enforced exercise. Play or fun gives an 
 added zest. As in eating, the appetite aids 
 digestion, so the exercise which brings with 
 it enjoyment is more desirable than that which 
 ii6 
 
CONCERNING EXERaSE 
 
 is taken as a duty. Open-air games are worth 
 while ; they tend to secure good health. 
 
 Many mothers question the advisability of 
 athletics for their young daughters, fearing 
 that the strenuous exercise may injure the re- 
 productive organs. The best authorities, how- 
 ever, think otherwise. Anything that will build 
 up the general health, keep the muscles strong, 
 improve the circulation, strengthen the poise 
 of the body, is good training. 
 
 Tennis, golf, basketball, rowing, swimming, 
 dancing, skating, walking, are all of great ad- 
 vantage, provided that this exercise is taken 
 with the body free, with every motion natural 
 and unhampered by tight clothing. The con- 
 ventional tennis shoes, golf shoes and loose 
 gymnasium costume show that it is generally 
 conceded that the loose dress and the free foot 
 are necessary in severe exercise. Tight boots 
 with high heels prevent the free motion of the 
 foot, spoil the proper poise of the body, thus 
 117 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOIHERS 
 
 straining the muscles to keep the balance con- 
 tinually, while a closely fitting corset, with 
 tight stocking supporters, so restricts the mo- 
 tion of the body that most of these exercises 
 are harmful rather than beneficial with the 
 body thus impeded. 
 
 Dancing is an excellent exercise, bringing 
 into use many of the muscles of the body, while 
 it also gives grace and ease of movement. But 
 taken as it frequently is, in overheated and 
 badly ventilated rooms, under great excite- 
 ment, with late hours, and in evening dress, 
 much of the good is lost ; under these circum- 
 stances it should be indulged in but seldom. 
 
 Another advantage of dancing is free and 
 wholesome companionship. We are glad to 
 welcome the return of the simple and whole- 
 some country dances, in which old and young 
 shared alike. In most countries, dancing out 
 in the open, as at fairs and fetes, is much more 
 common than the evening dance as we know it. 
 This free merry exercise, accompanied by 
 118 
 
CONCERNING EXERCISE 
 
 music and friendly goodfellowship, is whole- 
 some in a high degree. 
 
 Matched games of basketball or tennis be- 
 tween different teams are not wholly desirable, 
 as the practise is likely to involve excessive 
 exercise. One works too hard for the sake of 
 winning the game, and fails to stop when she 
 has gone far enough. The excitement of the 
 game, with its severe test, is likely to produce 
 over- fatigue. 
 
 Exercise should never cause more fatigue 
 than can be overcome completely by a good 
 night's rest. One should always wake in the 
 morning feeling bright and ready for the day. 
 
 Young women peasants in many foreign 
 countries are in the habit of working in the 
 field with the men; and while many of them 
 grow prematurely old, from an excess of exer- 
 cise, in youth they are usually splendid speci- 
 mens of physical life, much stronger and freer 
 from little ailments than are our American 
 girls. If a girl is in good health there is no 
 119 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 reason why she should not endure a large 
 amount of activity. It is excitement and nerv- 
 ous tension that destroy the health, far more 
 than overtaxing the muscles by exercise. 
 
 A well-fed, well-poised, strong body creates 
 the best environment for the reproductive 
 organs. 
 
 The poise of the body is almost as essential 
 to the health as is exercise. The girl who lets 
 the chin and abdomen fall forward and the 
 shoulders droop, does not carry herself well. 
 Proper poise and graceful carriage have as 
 much to do with a good appearance as a pretty 
 face; and therefore, every girl, for her own 
 attractiveness, should endeavor to stand and to 
 walk properly. Not only is the wrong position 
 unattractive, but it interferes with the natural 
 function of every organ of the body. One can 
 not breathe so well ; digest so well ; nor can the 
 heart beat so well ; and therefore the health is 
 impaired. 
 
 Young people are often told to put back their 
 120 
 
CONCERNING EXERCISE 
 
 shoulders, or to stand up straight; but neither 
 of these directions will accomplish what is de- 
 sired. A better direction is to make yourself 
 as tall as possible, or put "the neck back into 
 the collar." Either one of these directions, 
 obeyed, will bring the whole body into the 
 proper line and give to the body its most grace- 
 ful attitude. 
 
 All these suggestions may seem minute, 
 trivial or insignificant; you may think that 
 you knew this before and that it is not related 
 to the subject of this book; — ^but in thinking so 
 you are mistaken. For, as we have said be- 
 fore, anything which makes the young girl 
 stronger, abler, wiser, in the end bears fruit 
 in the life of her child. 
 
CHAPTER XXrV 
 
 CONCERNING CLEANLINESS 
 
 Another essential condition of Health is 
 cleanliness. We are taught to desire outward 
 cleanliness because it is attractive and many 
 of us do not realize that it is likewise health- 
 ful. 
 
 It is probable, however, that most of us are 
 far from understanding what real cleanliness 
 is. Let us see if we have right ideas concern- 
 ing it. 
 
 We are quick to wash away from the hands 
 the stain of ink, the smutch of soot, or the 
 splash of mud. This apparent dirt is unpleas- 
 ing to all of us, yet there is nothing harmful 
 in the ink, and the soot, in its way, is per- 
 fectly clean. 
 
 On the contrary, the microscope might show 
 122 
 
CONCERNING CLEANLINESS 
 
 you that upon hands, seemingly clean, are bac- 
 teria that are capable of spreading disease. 
 These bacteria are living organisms, too small 
 to be seen by the eye, which are attendant 
 everywhere. They are commonly known as 
 "germs." They are really minute, micro- 
 scopic, living bodies, capable of reproducing 
 themselves very rapidly. When they have 
 found a suitable place for growth they de- 
 velop in large numbers. The atmosphere is 
 full of them; everything we may touch, door- 
 knobs, car seats, money, or what-not, may be 
 a comfortable resting-place for bacteria. 
 
 Some persons imagine that all these bacteria 
 are harmful ; happily this is not the case. Many 
 of them are helpful. They assist us in digest- 
 ing our food ; they make our delicious cheeses, 
 and some of them are very active in destroy- 
 ing other harmful bacteria. On the other 
 hand, some of them are very mischievous ; they 
 cause the decay in apples or other fruit; they 
 sour milk, and they produce many diseases. 
 123 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 In fact, it is the disease germs with which we 
 are most familiar; you frequently hear refer- 
 ences to the bacteria which cause typhoid, diph- 
 theria, or tuberculosis. 
 
 As we can never tell without the aid of the 
 microscope with what bacteria we come in con- 
 tact, we take the utmost pains to cleanse the 
 body by frequent bathing. To the many good 
 reasons for the bath, which you already know^ 
 the fact that it washes away harmful germs 
 must be added. 
 
 The daily bath for every young woman we 
 will take for granted. But the ordinary cold 
 plunge is not sufficient. A local bath with 
 soap and water is needed daily. Moreover, 
 all the materials for this bath should be per- 
 fectly clean and sweet. Clean towels, and 
 wash-cloths, and fresh clean water are abso- 
 lutely necessary. 
 
 The sponge should never be used. It should 
 have no place in the bathroom. Its many pores 
 are hiding-places for bacteria, and the warmth 
 124 
 
CONCERNING CLEANLINESS 
 
 and moisture encourage their growth. Many 
 a bath sponge contains millions of bacteria and 
 among them many harmful ones may lurk. 
 
 The washbowl or the bath tub may also be 
 a source of contamination. The invariable 
 custom in good housekeeping is to leave bowl 
 and bath tub in perfect order after using. 
 Sometimes, of course, this task is assigned to 
 some one whose care it is : but ordinarily each 
 person leaves basin or tub washed and rinsed 
 for his successor. This is good form in the 
 Pullman sleeping car, also. The bath tub of a 
 hotel or public place, unless it is thoroughly 
 scalded and cleansed, should always be avoided. 
 
 We are now taught by boards of health that 
 it is necessary to avoid the use of public drink- 
 ing cups and of public towels, and it is no less 
 necessary to be careful about the public bath. 
 Swimming-pools are often objectionable be- 
 cause of the increase of bacteria from the 
 bodies of the bathers. Nimierous cases of dis- 
 eases have been traced to such baths. 
 125 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 Many readers will know that the great rea- 
 son for extreme care in this matter lies, in the 
 fact that there are certain dreadful diseases 
 which may be carried into the system through 
 the reproductive organs. 
 
 These organs are especially sensitive to the 
 invasion of bacteria and therefore they must 
 be especially protected and kept clean. Nature 
 accomplishes this by nearly closing the vaginal 
 opening by a thin membrane called the hymen, 
 — ^the Greek word meaning virgin. The hymen 
 leaves only a very small opening through which 
 the fluids may pass out. Added to this pro- 
 tection are two folds of mucus membrane and 
 two folds of skin, closely covering the opening 
 to prevent any careless entrance from without. 
 If the external parts are kept from contact with 
 anythii^ unclean, the organs are fully pro- 
 tected. 
 
 The germs of these diseases are transmitted 
 by personal contact. This may be through 
 sexual intercourse ; or a kiss, perhaps ; or even 
 126 
 
CONCERNING CLEANLINESS 
 
 by the use of the same towels, toilet or bath, 
 that have been used by an infected per- 
 son. The bacteria causing these diseases may 
 be carried into the system through the lips 
 by means of public drinking cups. These 
 diseases are unfortunately very prevalent. 
 They have often been called the "black plague," 
 as tuberculosis has been called the "white 
 plague." While the "white plague" is mflre 
 rapidly fatal, the "black plague" brings blind- 
 ness to children, causes many disfigured faces, 
 produces unsightly sores, and often ends in 
 death. Because of these serious possibilities 
 the utmost care should be exercised to pro- 
 tect one's self from possible contagion. It is 
 not right that young women should be ignorant 
 of the existence of these diseases, and the 
 means by which they are communicated. 
 
 The sum of the whole matter is that real 
 
 cleanness, or cleanliness, means the removal of 
 
 the outer and accumulated dirt which would 
 
 clog the pores, and the washing away of any 
 
 127 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 unclean germs which may have found lodg- 
 ment upon the surface of the body. Sanitary 
 cleanness has come to mean the assurance of 
 the removal of harmful bacteria. 
 
 We should not have a complete idea of clean- 
 liness if we failed to remember that it is essen- 
 tial to beauty and attractiveness. It is typical 
 of the inner purity which we love to ascribe to 
 maidenhood. 
 
 "Bear a lily in thy hand; 
 
 Gates of brass can not withstand 
 
 One touch of that magic wand. 
 
 "Bear through sorrow, wrong, and ruth. 
 In thy heart the dew of youth. 
 On thy lips the smile of truth." 
 
 The essential cleanness is purity of thought. 
 Above all things the young girl should desire 
 cleanness of thought. "As one thinketh in 
 his heart, so is he." Every clean and pure 
 life lessens the sum of evil and uncleanness in 
 the world ; and every girl should help to estab- 
 128 
 
CONCERNING CLEANLINESS 
 
 Hsh the love for the pure and good in the 
 hearts of those who know her and love her. 
 
 Therefore, "Whatsoever things are true, 
 whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever 
 things are just, whatsoever things are pure, 
 whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever 
 things are of good report; think on these 
 things." 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 CONCERNING MOODS AND EMOTIONS 
 
 The human hody is a complex and highly 
 organized machine, extremely delicate in its 
 working. The finest hair-spring of the most 
 sensitive watch is cumbrous and heavy in com- 
 parison with the nerve that controls the wink- 
 ing of the eye, for example. Every move- 
 ment — every least activity — of this wonder- 
 ful mechanism is controlled and determined, as 
 you know, by the nervous system. The eye 
 quickly closes when something is thrust to- 
 ward it This is at the command of a nerve. 
 A certain set of nerves controls the muscles 
 of the heart, so that it beats with the regularity 
 of a dock, night and day. Nerves call forth 
 the digestive juices, when food enters the 
 stomach. If one sees tempting food when he 
 130 
 
MOODS AND EMOTIONS 
 
 is hungry, the mouth waters, as we say. The 
 nerves go to work instantly and send forth the 
 saliva which is to be used in digestion. 
 
 Certain activities of the body take place 
 without our direction, and usually without our 
 consciousness. We seldom stop to think that 
 we are breathing ; although we may control our 
 breathing and stop it for a time, yet without 
 our thought it goes on. We do not control 
 or direct the beating of the heart, nor the ac- 
 tion of the digestive organs. But other ac- 
 tivities are always within our control. We 
 walk, for example, when we choose, and as we 
 choose ; we run, w'e sing, we dance, we eat, be- 
 cause we choose to do so, and when we choose. 
 
 Are you not also conscious of the truth that 
 you do certain things, not because you thought- 
 fully choose to do them, but because you feel 
 like doing them ? You say as you come down- 
 stairs in the morning, "This is a glorious day ! 
 I feel just like singing" ; or "I can't work this 
 afternoon; I feel like playing." If you stop 
 131 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 to think, you will recognize that certain of your 
 activities depend upon feeling, others upon 
 choosing, while others, as we have just said, 
 go on regardless of your choice or feeling. 
 
 This chapter will deal chiefly with the re- 
 lation between feeling and action. In the 
 child this relation is very intimate. He cries 
 when he is hurt ; frets when he is uncomfort- 
 able ; plays when he feels like it ; works not at 
 all. As he grows older he becomes accustomed 
 to choosing the thing which is best to do, and 
 right to do, even if it is not comfortable or 
 convenient to do it. Will decides, and feeling 
 can no longer direct. 
 
 There is a vast difference in the education of 
 different persons with respect to their feel- 
 ings. Some grown men and women are still 
 children in this regard. They must do the 
 thing which they feel like doing, and can not 
 do anything else. Certain persons are by na- 
 ture more given to extremes of feeling than 
 others. If they wish to educate themselves 
 132 
 
MOODS AND EMOTIONS 
 
 they have a very important lesson to learn. 
 
 When a feeling predominates and continues 
 in any individual, we speak of it as a mood. 
 We may be in a glad mood or a sad one ; we 
 may be in a pensive mood or a sullen mood. 
 This means simply that we feel glad or gay, 
 pensive or sullen. 
 
 Now danger lies in the fact that such moods 
 may become our masters. We may come to 
 feel that we can do nothing except when we 
 feel like doing it; or we may let a mood be- 
 come so strong that it dominates and controls 
 us completely. When we are sullen we must 
 be sullen and can not lift ourselves out of the 
 mood. "When we are good we are very, very 
 good, and when we are bad we are horrid." 
 Many girls are accustomed to yield to their 
 moods and emotions instead of controlling 
 them. They give no thought to the matter; 
 they simply do the thing that they feel like 
 doing. These girls are laying up stores of 
 trouble for themselves. 
 133 
 
FOR GIRLS AND, MOTHERS 
 
 It is well to begin in the beginning to learn 
 how to deal with these moods. At the time 
 o£ adolescence, as the girl is growing 
 out of girlhood into womanhood, she is likely 
 to be more emotional, more moody, than she 
 has previously been. She is sometimes irri- 
 table; perhaps laughs and cries in the same 
 breath; is extremely sensitive to what older 
 people say; chafes at the restrictions of par- 
 ents and teachers. She wonders what is the 
 matter with herself and can not understand 
 why she feels as she does. She simply knows 
 that she is restless and uncomfortable. 
 
 The girl is not to blame if these conditions 
 arise; but she is to blame if she does not at- 
 tempt to control them. She should take great 
 pains to be reasonable in her judgment, and to 
 be thoughtful of otliers; and particulariy 
 should she guard against the thing called 
 sensitiveness. This means not that she is more 
 sensitive than others, but that she is thinking 
 more of herself than of others. If she would 
 134 
 
MOODS AND EMOTIONS 
 
 forget herself, and take for granted that others 
 mean well, she would suffer less and be more 
 helpful and friendly. 
 
 At the period when the emotions seem to be 
 uppermost, she is fervid in friendships, and 
 her tastes may be extremely sentimental. In 
 choosing books now the girl must choose wise- 
 ly. The person she takes for her ideal should 
 be one worthy of her admiration and affec- 
 tion. Good books, good friends, wholesome 
 thoughts, are essential now, not only be- 
 cause the emotions easily impel the girl to un- 
 wise choices, but also because the loves and 
 tastes which are developed now may change 
 the current of her whole life. 
 
 We have said that there is danger that the 
 growing girl may be too much controlled by 
 moods and emotions. The danger particularly 
 lies in the fact that at this period her moods 
 are likely to be intense and extreme. We have 
 already learned the relation of the nervous sys- 
 tem to the other systems of the body. An in- 
 135 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 tense mood means excitement. The body re- 
 sponds to any intense feeling by extreme action 
 or reaction. Extreme anger may almost cause 
 the heart to cease beating. It stops the diges- 
 tion of food; poisons the blood. li^'Cny extreme 
 excitement may react unfavorably on the 
 health. This is particularly true of the organs 
 of reproduction ; they are weakened and in the 
 end debilitated by undue excitement ; by intense 
 emotion and passionate feelings of any sort. 
 A wholesome natural life, with regular habits, 
 even work and good fun, will mean good 
 health for these organs ; but late hours, pleas- 
 ures which are unduly stimulating and excit- 
 ing, over-indulgence in food or the use of 
 stimulants of any kind, — ^are sure to react un- 
 favorably upon their health. This reaction is 
 likely to make its first appearance at the time 
 of the menstrual period, causing pain and 
 other more serious disturbances. It is impera- 
 tive, then, that the girl should be governed 
 136 
 
MOODS AND EMOTIONS 
 
 not by moods, but by an even and intelligent 
 will. For the sake of her health she must edu- 
 cate herself in this regard. 
 
 If the girl determines to do what is right and 
 best, instead of doing right only when she 
 feels like it, she will be enabled to create con- 
 ditions which will make and keep her strong 
 and well. She has her health in her own 
 hands. 
 
 She should be careful in the choice of food. 
 Highly seasoned foods should be taken only in 
 moderation, as they are too stimulating. 
 Pickles, catsups, spices, etc., should appear in 
 her diet only at intervals. Sweets should not 
 be used in abundance. The excessive use of 
 candy, ice-cream, rich cake, preserves, taxes 
 the system, impairs the digestion, and in the 
 end, causes health to sufifer. Meat should not 
 be used too freely; once a day is enough. 
 Vegetables, fruits, cereals and breadstuflfs, 
 with a single portion of meat, make the basis 
 137 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 of a healthful diet. Study to learn what is in- 
 cluded in a wholesome diet. 
 
 Exactly as stimulating diet affects the 
 health, so the inordinate reading of exciting 
 books stimulates the reproductive organs. 
 These organs rjespond readily to such a stim- 
 ulus. As soon as a girl feels that she is over- 
 excited by the reading of any story which 
 closely holds her attention, she should take 
 pains to enter into some occupation that will 
 take her mind away from the subject ty which 
 it has been engrossed. She must teach herself 
 in this matter. No one else can make the 
 choice for her. 
 
 In general, the cure for moods is a strong 
 will, determined to be master. If the mood 
 aiq)ears, do something to drive it away; exer- 
 cise provides a sure cure. Sing when you are 
 blue. If you are inclined to become sullen, 
 tell a funny story, and laugh with those who 
 hear it. Enter upon some active work when 
 138 
 
MOODS AND EMOTIONS 
 
 you are inclined to be depressed; take a bath 
 or run. Do something that requires your at- 
 tention. In this way you will establish the bal- 
 ance, relieve the tension, and develop a self- 
 control that will be the source of unfailing 
 strength for you and for those who by and by 
 will depend upon you. 
 
 I'll tell you how to sing a clearer carol 
 
 Than lark who hails the dawn on breezy 
 down; 
 
 To earn yourself a purer poet's laurel 
 Than Shakespeare's crown. 
 
 Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be 
 clever ; 
 Do noble things, not dream them, all day 
 - long; 
 And so make Life, and Death, and that For 
 Ever 
 One grand sweet song. 
 
 — Charles Kingsley 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 CONCERNING FRIENDSHIPS 
 
 We have just been saying that the growing 
 girl passes through a period when emotion 
 dominates. She is likely to feel deeply even 
 upon ordinary subjects, but at this period she 
 gives attention in a new way to many things. 
 This is the time when the religious feelings 
 awaken, and she considers earnestly and seri- 
 ously the deeper meanings of life. She is 
 much in need of wise counsel at this time, and 
 it is well for her if she has older friends who 
 sympathize with her in her aspirations and help 
 her to recognize higher and higher ideals. 
 
 She begins now to understand the meaning 
 
 of friendship, and cares much to be with others. 
 
 She is fortunate indeed if the comrades of her 
 
 girlhood continue to be her friends. Hitherto 
 
 140 
 
CONCERNING FRIENDSHIPS 
 
 she has thought alike of boys and girls as play- 
 mates and comrades. They have run races 
 and played together as brothers and sisters in 
 the same family. Now the relation is naturally 
 different, although she may not be fully con- 
 scious of the difference. It is better that she 
 should not be conscious of it. Openness, 
 frankness, modesty, womanliness, command 
 the respect and admiration of one's friends. 
 These qualities need not be changed because 
 she is conscious of becoming a young woman, 
 and knows that she is no longer a child. Her 
 relation to the young men who are her friends 
 however should be wholesome and normal, 
 open and friendly, with complete modesty, dig- 
 nity and self-control. The social life of young 
 J)eople should include natural opportunities for 
 companionship in out-of-door sports, simple 
 entertainments and general gatherings. 
 
 Expect your young men friends to be cour- 
 teous as well as friendly, and to treat you with 
 respect. This is due to all women from all 
 141 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 men. The formal expression of courtesy helps 
 to prevent extreme familiarity, which so read- 
 ily exceeds its bounds. The most friendly re- 
 lations may exist without undue freedom. 
 You have read the words of Cowper — 
 
 "The man that hails you Tom or Jack, 
 
 And proves, by thumping on your back, 
 
 His sense of your great merit. 
 
 Is such a friend that one had need 
 
 Be very much his friend indeed 
 
 To pardon or to bear it." 
 
 The girl may well take the hint intended for 
 her brother. If it is wise for him to heed the 
 suggestion it is even more wise for her to re- 
 gard it thoughtfully. 
 
 Personal contact, as in the prolonged hold- 
 ing of the hand, means a familiarity which 
 should not be allowed except with very close 
 friends or perhaps with the one friend for 
 whom you care most. And this reserve is due 
 to the young man who is your friend as well 
 as to yourself. A girl may thoughtlessly ex- 
 142 
 
CONCERNING FRIENDSHIPS 
 
 cite in her friend physical feeling that can only 
 with difficulty be controlled. Maidenly reserve, 
 complete modesty, will teach a girl how to re- 
 spect the personality of her friend and will 
 enable her to be fair to him. 
 
 Even more diffictilt than the relation to 
 friends of the other sex, may be a false and ex- 
 citing friendship with another young woman, 
 or even an older one who is not wise enough 
 to be helpful to the young girl. Any friend- 
 ship which is unusually exciting and demand- 
 ing, as is the school or college friendship which 
 is sometimes called a "crush," is in its essence 
 unwholesome and unhealthf ul. Such a friend- 
 ship causes unusual excitement, and frequently 
 ends disastrously in nervous weakness. A 
 friendship which demands constant physical 
 companionship, which calls for continued 
 caresses, and which can be satisfied only by the 
 immediate presence of the friend, has in it the 
 seeds of weakness, pain, disappointment and 
 sorrow. Such a friendship is not a true friend- 
 143 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 ship, having the finer qualities that will endure. 
 One should be sure that no smallest duty o£ 
 every day is delayed or avoided in order to 
 strengthen such an attachment. This is a good 
 test of the quality of the friendship. 
 
 There will come into your lives by and by, 
 a friendship which is the crowning friendship, 
 — ^^when all at once you discover that you have 
 met the person who understands you and whom 
 you understand, who attracts you and by whom 
 you are attracted. The strength of feeling 
 which is developed now is beyond any that you 
 have known. A power stronger than yourself 
 draws you to the new found friend, or the 
 old friend who is all at once known in a new 
 light. 
 
 Here again is the great silent miracle of life. 
 Before this the world should pause, with un- 
 shod feet. This experience should be met 
 reverently, and with the utmost sincerity. The 
 love that lovers know, which comes with over- 
 mastering power, which changes the color of 
 144 
 
CONCERNING FRIENDSHIPS 
 
 the world, and sweeps all before It, is the great 
 experience of life. Do not let any cheap mood 
 or feeling be mistaken for this deep passion. 
 Love which is to end in marriage and a long 
 life of unselfish devotion, should be clean, 
 clear and strong. Its basis is friendship of 
 the finest sort. It endures only when the lovers 
 are truly friends. 
 
 Just as the young girl looks forward to be-'^ 
 coming the mother of her child, and so makes/ 
 her life strong and pure, she should look for- 
 ward, though she may never acknowledge it, 
 even to herself, to becoming strong enough and 
 pure enough, to be worthy the love of a good 
 man. 
 
 Whenever life seems to drift toward cheap 
 pleasures or worthless occupations, turn reso- 
 lutely back, saying to yourself that you will 
 keep strong and pure and make yourself wise 
 and helpful, for the sake of the man whose 
 wife one day you are to be. Make yourself 
 worthy to be his friend. 
 145 
 
SEVEN TIMES THREE 
 
 I leaned out of window, I smdt the white 
 clover, 
 Dark, dark was the garden, I saw not the 
 gate; 
 "Now, if there be footsteps, he comes, my one 
 lover, — 
 Hush, nightingale, hush ! O, sweet nightin- 
 gale, wait 
 
 Till I listen and hear 
 If a step draweth near. 
 For my love he is late ! 
 
 "The skies in the darkness stoop nearer and 
 nearer, 
 A cluster of stars hangs like fruit in the 
 tree, 
 The fall of the water comes sweeter, comes 
 clearer; 
 To what are thou listening, and what dost 
 thou see? 
 
 Let the star-clusters grow. 
 Let the sweet waters flow. 
 And cross quickly to me. 
 
"You night moths that hover where honey 
 brims over 
 From sycamore blossoms, or settle or sleep ; 
 You glowworms, shine out, and the pathway 
 discover 
 To him that comes darkling along the rough 
 steep. 
 
 Ah, my sailor, make haste. 
 For the time runs to waste. 
 And my love lieth deep — 
 
 "Too deep for swift telling; and yet, my one 
 lover, 
 I've conned thee an answer, it waits thee to- 
 night." 
 By the sycamore passed he, and through the 
 white clover, 
 Then all the sweet speech I had fashioned 
 took flight ; 
 
 But I'll love him more, more 
 Than e'er wife loved before, 
 Be the day dark or bright. 
 
CHAPTER XXVir 
 
 CONCERNING MARRIAGE 
 
 The question with which these chapters be- 
 gan ought to be followed by another question. 
 You have learned to account for the physical 
 beginnings of life. Have you not asked also, 
 consciously or unconsciously, to whom belongs 
 the right to endow and to bring forth a human 
 being? 
 
 This is a grave and earnest question. 
 Through many centuries the question has been 
 asked, and the answer has slowly been written 
 in the history of the civilized world. To-day 
 it is recognized and understood that the legal 
 and moral right to perform the act which 
 causes the development of a new life is given 
 only to those who have openly agreed to be 
 united in marriage in accordance with accepted 
 laws which govern the entire community. 
 148 
 
CONCERNING MARRIAGE 
 
 These laws have gradually been developed 
 out of the experience of the human race. The 
 reason is clear if we stop to think. 
 
 If you care to think deeply enough to reach 
 the reason for this law, you may be helped by 
 turning back to the life of the plant and the 
 animal. 
 
 Every new life, in the plants and animals 
 which you have studied, begins by the union 
 of a male and a female cell. 
 
 In the plants this process of fertilization is 
 entirely involuntary. Neither parent has any 
 choice in the matter. The female cell or ovule 
 lies hidden in the ovary; the male cell ripens 
 and the pod which contains it bursts, leaving 
 the pollen free to be carried by the wind or 
 by some insect until it happens to alight upon 
 the stigma of the plant^ of its own species in 
 which the ovule is waiting. Then, as we know, 
 the pollen sends down its tube through the 
 stigma to the ovule. Without thought, desire 
 or will, on the part of the waiting plant or the 
 149 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 wandering pollen, fertilization takes place and 
 the life of a new plant has begun. 
 
 But in animal life the fertilization of the 
 ovum is always voluntary. That is, it is de- 
 termined by the will and choice of the parents. 
 Nature has endowed all animal life with two 
 overmastering desires, the one desire is for 
 self-preservation; the other is for the continu- 
 ance of the species. Every one instinctively 
 trys to get out of harm's way when danger is 
 near. If we touch anything hot we shrink 
 away from it. If we see a mad dog approach- 
 ing, we run. Just as universal and just as 
 strong as the instinct for preserving life is the 
 desire to continue the race and to provide for 
 the coming generation. This desire is born 
 in every animal. 
 
 When this second desire dominates the ani- 
 mal, the male from choice seeks the female. 
 The act of intercourse by means of which ferti- 
 lization is accomplished is an act of the will. 
 Among the lower animals this desire is gov- 
 150 
 
CONCERNING MARRIAGE 
 
 erned by instinct alone and at times, wHeni 
 fertilization would be possible, this desire be- 
 comes very strong. 
 
 This sexual appetite, or instinct, is governed 
 in the human being by a trained mind. In- 
 stinct gives way to the will which determines 
 its act in view of what is right and wrong, rea- 
 sonable or unreasonable, wise or otherwise. 
 Because man can see into the future and can 
 profit by the experience of those who have gone 
 before, it is necessary that he control with wis- 
 dom and understanding the acts which involve 
 the lives of others. 
 
 The natural power to create life by means v 
 of sexual intercourse is not limited to those 
 who have openly announced their marriage, 
 and the consequence of unauthorized and for- '. 
 bidden intercourse sometimes means lives of , 
 fatherless, dependent and deserted children. ' 
 
 The writer remembers a young girl, beauti- 
 ful, attractive, well-bred, but untaught and 
 ignorant in many ways. She was engaged to 
 151 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 marry a young man to whom she was deeply 
 devoted. Both young people were held in the 
 highest esteem by their friends. The marriage 
 had been set for a distant date, until the young 
 man could prepare the home in which they 
 were to live. 
 
 He was suddenly called away to another 
 country and the ship in which he sailed disap- 
 peared in a storm, never to be heard from 
 again. All on board evidently perished. 
 
 The grief of the friends who learned of the 
 loss of the ship was as nothing compared to 
 the sorrow and bitterness that came with the 
 discovery that the young girl, so dear to all 
 her friends, would soon become the mother of 
 a fatherless child, for the father of the child 
 had gone down with the ship. 
 
 It is impossible for youth to understand 
 fully all the disappointment, sorrow and bitter- 
 ness, which such an experience brings. Every 
 child has a right to be born into the home where 
 the loving care of father and mother awaits 
 152 
 
CONCERNING MARRIAGE 
 
 him. No one has the right to impose upon 
 the helpless child conditions of want or priva- 
 tion or hardship, but this is done unless the 
 right of bearing children, or causing them to 
 be born, is limited to those to whom the legal 
 right, and not simply the natural power, is 
 given. 
 
 Because this act is designed to result in a 
 new life, and because it imposes lifelong 
 responsibilties upon both parents, no one 
 should lightly create conditions which make it 
 difficult for another to obey this accepted law. 
 Modesty, reserve, self-control, are a defense, 
 both for the girl and for her friend. The 
 desire to do what is right will give her wisdom ; 
 the determination to choose what is right will 
 make her strong, no matter how alluring or 
 pleasant or strong the temptation may be. 
 For her sake, and for the sake of her friend, 
 and for the sake of others who love her, she 
 should be always pure and wise and strong. 
 This determination will be a strong defense if 
 153 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 ever the time of need arises. We should al- 
 ways choose to act so that the future may hold 
 no cause for regret. Sad beyond words, it is, 
 to cause those dependent upon us to suffer 
 through our fault. The consequences of a 
 moment's weakness may be written in long 
 lives of hardship and suffering, with bitter and 
 unavailing regret. The reward of strength and 
 purity will likewise be written in other lives, 
 which have cause to bless the influence which 
 helps them also to be pure and strong. 
 
 A girl 
 
 Held all his heart strings in her small white 
 
 hand ; — 
 His youth and power and majesty were hers. 
 And not his own ; . . . in his young heart 
 She reigned, with all the beauties that she had. 
 And all the virtues that he rightly took 
 For granted; and there he set her with her 
 
 crown. 
 And at her first enthronement he turned out 
 Much that was best away ; for unawares 
 His thoughts grew noble. She was always 
 
 there 
 And knew it not, and he grew like to her 
 And like to what he thought her. 
 
 — Jean Ingelom 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 CONCERNING PARENTHOOD 
 
 "Two faces o'er a cradle bent: 
 
 Two hands above the head were locked ; 
 These pressed each other while they rocked, 
 Those watched a life that love had sent. 
 O solemn hour! 
 O hidden power ! 
 
 "Two parents by the evening fire: 
 The red light fell about their knees 
 On heads that rose by slow degrees 
 Like buds upon the lily spire. 
 O patient life! 
 O tender strife!" 
 
 Ml that you have read thus far should help 
 you to understand more clearly than before 
 the sacredness of motherhood and fatherhood. 
 The responsibilities of father and m other are 
 linked together. The love which in the be- 
 ginning attracted the one to the other is 
 155 
 
FOR GIRLS AND MOTHERS 
 
 strengthened by a common love for their child, 
 and by the care and labor which each must 
 share for the sake of the child. 
 
 The mother, who has carried within her own 
 body the grov^ing child, where it has been pro- 
 tected from all harm, who has nourished it 
 and cherished it, must still bestow upon it her 
 care as well as her affection. Every act and 
 every thought will be guarded in order to 
 secure that which is best for the little one. 
 Her period of sacrifice, and even suffering, 
 continues ; it does not end with the birth of her 
 child. 
 
 In the same way the father cares for both 
 mother and child. It is his task to endow J:he 
 home; to provide food, shelter and clothing; 
 but even more essential is the provision of 
 strength and encouragement, tenderness and 
 "'•sympatltyTtfiiich every noble and generous 
 man brings to his wife and his child. 
 
 The growing child needs both father and 
 mother ; his life will not be complete except as 
 156 
 
CONCERNING PARENTHOOD 
 
 it shares in all the good that father and mother 
 together contribute. 
 
 It is true, then, that everything which has 
 come into the life of the father or the mother, 
 adding strength or power or grace, endows 
 and blesses the life of their children. For this 
 reason, every girl should desire, with her 
 utmost strength, to enrich her life for the sake 
 of those who will come to depend upon her. 
 
 The best possible preparation for mother- 
 hood and fatherhood is the natural fulfilment 
 of every day at its best; work, play, study, 
 friendship, school, college, travel ; all these are 
 elements which contribute to the making of the 
 father and the mother. No one of these gifts 
 is for the individual alone. He is enriched 
 also for the sake of those who will follow after 
 him. 
 
 " ^No life 
 
 Can be pure in its purpose and strong in its 
 
 strife. 
 And all Hfe not be purer and stronger thereby." 
 
 THE END