The reason, he inferred, was the perfection of the system which keeps the French family reduced in numbers.

The babies are out at nurse, sometimes till two, and sometimes till three years of age; and, at seven or eight, the girl goes into a pension, and the boy into a college, till they are ready to be taken out,--the girl to be married, and the boy to enter a profession: so the leisure of parents for literature, art, and society is preserved." "It seems to me the most perfectly dreary, dreadful way of living I ever heard of," said Mrs.Ferguson, with unwonted energy.

"How I pity people who know so little of real happiness!" "Yet the French are dotingly fond of children," said Mrs.Follingsbee.
"It's a national peculiarity; you can see it in all their literature.
Don't you remember Victor Hugo's exquisite description of a mother's feelings for a little child in 'Notre Dame de Paris'?
I never read any thing more affecting; it's perfectly subduing." "They can't love their children as I did mine," said Mrs.Ferguson: "it's impossible; and, if that's what's called organizing society, I hope our society in America never will be organized.

It can't be that children are well taken care of on that system.

I always attended to every thing for my babies _myself_; because I felt God had put them into my hands perfectly helpless; and, if there is any thing difficult or disagreeable in the case, how can I expect to _hire_ a woman for money to be faithful in what I cannot do for love ?" "But don't you think, dear madam, that this system of personal devotion to children may be carried too far ?" said Mrs.Follingsbee.
"Perhaps in France they may go to an extreme; but don't our American women, as a rule, sacrifice themselves too much to their families ?" "_Sacrifice_"! said Mrs.Ferguson.