to the mercy

of fate and environment, it will bend and stray from the straight path.

When we want to build a house, we take care first to lay a firm foundation — often upon rock — so that it will be strong, and neither storms nor nature's hurricanes will have the power to tear it down.

And the hurricanes of society, Madam, are mightier and heavier in impact and effect than the hurricanes of nature; and this child, this small creature, is one of the pillars of the nation and a structure in the homeland more important and grander than the loftiest skyscrapers.

One of the physicians of society said: "Sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap

a trait; sow a trait and you reap a character."

And you, my dear, are the mother of a child who adored you as a little one, loved you as a youth, and accompanied you in middle age; he is in your hands from the cradle to the grave. If he grows up noble, a reformer, a great man, he will be a pride to you; and if he turns out sluggish, weak, a burden, or a vagrant and a criminal, the fault will be yours, because you neglected his upbringing — and if someone departs from this rule, no measure can be taken from the exception.

It is within the power of fathers and mothers to prepare the destiny of tomorrow's world, and this is the most glorious of works through all the ages. We know that we are still groping our way in this building, reform, renewal,

and progress toward the building of tomorrow; and the best means for us to follow is to sow the qual-ities that will fit this child to bear the responsibilities of tomorrow.