We cannot build and sail your ships, or drive your engines; we are NEW YORK HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE 1884 Grad 759 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by HARPER & BROTHERS, In the Office of the. Librarian of Congress, at Washington. All rights reserved. grac 32604468 glyen rep) PREFACE. Ir is now about six years since the mothers whose discussions form the body of this little volume first conceived the idea of putting their heads together and of quietly talking over the topics that interested them as members of the social union charged with a special class of duties. At first they met merely to stimulate one another by readings from writers whose experience or reputation promised to afford them suggestions which might prove fruitful. In some cases they were not disappointed, but in others they found that common-sense contradicted the author, and it was felt that there were those in the growing club who were capable of treating practical subjects more to the edification of the others than any writer whose circumstances were likely to be far different from those of the club; and thus it came to pass that one member after another was asked to write on themes which were deemed specially interesting to her. As months passed by, and the life of the club at last came to be measured by years, it occurred to the writer that there was something in the accumulating |