Watertown Republican

Influence of Mothers.—It is almost proverbial that a distinguished man is always found to have had a mother more than ordinarily endowed with vigor of mind. The care of a child in its early years is indeed of much consequence, but if the mother has good qualities she will impart them to her offspring at their birth; these will be fostered by maternal discipline, but will be seen to some extent, even under the most adverse circumstances, as the premature death or physical disability of the mother. The Gracchi, the Emperor Constantine, Charlemagne, and Napoleon are familiar instances of greatness which seemed to be derived chiefly from the mother. The inn-keeper's Daughter Helena, mother of Constantine, was indeed of humble origin, but the veneration which the emperor always exhibited towards her, even in her old age, is a sufficient proof of her remarkable qualities. Edward Third, of England, derived from his mother Isabella his gallant and enterprising character, although she was not a pattern of domestic virtue, but he inherited also her amative propensities. The warlike sons of the Duke of York (Edward Fourth and Richard Third) must have owed their energy to their mother who was an extraordinary woman.—A. H. Dana.