ng a certain period of their married lives,
more fraught with vexation and disquietude than that ever-fruitful
source of annoyance, "the Nurse;" but, as we believe, there are
thousands of excellent wives and mothers who pass through life without
even a temporary embroglio in the kitchen, or suffering a state of moral
hectic the whole time of a nurse's empire in the nursery or bedroom. Our
own experience goes to prove, that although many unqualified persons
palm themselves off on ladies as fully competent for the duties they so
rashly and dishonestly undertake to perform, and thus expose themselves
to ill-will and merited censure, there are still very many fully equal
to the legitimate exercise of what they undertake; and if they do not in
every case give entire satisfaction, some of the fault,--and sometimes a
great deal of it,--may be honestly placed to the account of the ladies
themselves, who, in many instances, are so impressed with the propriety
of their own method of performing everything, as to insist upon the
adoption of _their_ system in preference to that of the nurse, whose
plan is probably based on a comprehensive forethought, and rendered
perfect in all its details by an ample experience.

2436. In all our remarks on this subject, we should remember with
gentleness the order of society from which our nurses are drawn; and
that those who make their duty a study, and are termed professional
nurses, have much to endure from the caprice and egotism of their
employers; while others are driven to the occupation from the laudable
motive of feeding their own children, and who, in fulfilling that
object, are too often both selfish and sensual, performing, without
further interest than is consistent with their own advantage, the
routine of customary duties.

2437. Properly speaking, there are two nurses,--the nurse for the mother
and the nurse for the child, or, the monthly and the wet nurse. Of the
former we have already spoken, and will now proceed to describe the
duties of the latter, and add some suggestions as to her age, physical
health, and moral conduct, subjects of the utmost importance as far as
the charge intrusted to her is concerned, and therefore demanding some
special remarks.

2438. When from illness, suppression of the milk, accident, or some
natural process, the mother is deprived of the pleasure of rearing her
infant, it becomes necessary at once to look around for a fitting
substitute, so that