doubted whether there has ever been another spot of equal extent on the globe, in which so great a number of intelligent and virtuous Homes could have been counted. The healthful influence of New England domestic life now reaches the newly rising States to the very shores of the Pacific.
To those who have known the joys and permanent benefits of well-ordered and happy Homes, the writer trusts that the reading of these pages may afford a tranquil pleasure. It is well to revive and cherish the sweet recollections of childhood and youth, to recall the vicissitudes of after years, and to bring back the dear faces of the loved and honored who have passed away from earth. Such reminiscences tend to make the heart better.
If what has here been written shall help, even in the least degree, to elevate in the minds of young men and women the ideal of the family and Home, and to deepen in the hearts of any a conviction of the sacredness and beauty of a pure domestic life and the peril to every interest of humanity involved in the desecration of household sanctities, the author will thankfully recognize the accomplishment of his highest purpose.
