Page:Letters to Mothers (1839).djvu/80

 LETTER VII.

HEALTH.

WE have all of us seen, with pity and regret, a sickly mother, burdened with the cares of her household. She has felt that there were employments, which no one could discharge as well as herself, modifications of duty, in which the interest of her husband, the welfare of her children, the comfort of the family, were concerned, which could not be deputed to another, without loss. Therefore, she continues to exert herself, over, and beyond her strength.

Still, her step is languid, and her eye joyless. The "spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Her little ones observe her dejected manner, and grow sad. Or, they take advantage of her want of energy, and become lawless. She, herself, cannot long persist in a course of labour, that involves expense of health, without some mental sympathy. The most amiable temper will sometimes become irritable, or complaining when the shrinking nerves require rest, and the demands of toil, and the claims upon painful thought, are