* * * * *
But it is a noteworthy fact that eminent qualities in men may often be
traced to similar qualities in their mothers. Knowledge, it is true, is
not hereditary, but high mental qualities are so, and experience and
observation seem to prove that the transmission is chiefly through the
mother's side. But leaving this physiological view, let us look at the
purely educational. Imagine an educated mother training and molding the
powers of her children, giving to them in the years of infancy those
gentle yet permanent tendencies which are of more account in the
formation of character than any subsequent educational influences,
selecting for them the best instructors, encouraging and aiding them in
their difficulties, rejoicing with them in their successes, able to take
an intelligent interest in their progress in literature and science.
JOHN WILLIAM DAWSON.