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But my counsel said, it was of no material advantage to me to get them by a decree of the court of Massachusetts, since her laws were not binding upon Illinois citizens, and therefore counselled me to take them from his hands, rather than insist upon taking them by the Court's decree.

I accordingly yielded my judgment to theirs and took them with me, without opposition, to Chicago, Illinois, in June, 1869, where I have since lived with them in my own house at 496 Prairie Avenue.

My three oldest boys in their majority, doing business in Chicago, boarded with me and my three minor children, thus obtained, constituting "The Re-united Family" of seven, living in peace and harmony.

Thus the mother's battle was fought, and the victory won!

It has been a nine years' battle with despotism -- three of which were spent within the gloomy walls of the most terrible prison which could be found on this continent, and six in most excessive toil and labor to provide a home for my dear children.

As the sum of these six years toil, I wrote seven different books and published them myself, without either begging or borrowing money to aid me in so doing; and also sold twenty-eight thousand of these books myself, by single sales, besides doing the arduous and expensive work of lobbying for my four bills, during four different legislative sessions.

The only capital I had to commence with was health, education, and energy, and this capital is still entire and complete as when first invested. There have been no perceptible drafts upon the principal, but, on the contrary, have been adding annual interest to the principal continually!

From this experience I am prepared to infer, that vigorous, active, energetic, persevering exercise of both body and mind is a healthy, and, as I think, a natural condition, favorable to both intellectual and spiritual growth.

And that maternal love is the most potent element in the universe to lighten toil and render wearisome exertion a pleasure instead of a burden.

And here, too, the law of compensation and retribution is too evident to be passed unnoticed.

Six years previous to this triumph Mr. Parkard turned me out upon the cold world homeless, penniless and childless. He had the home, property and the children.

Now he is homeless, penniless, and childless; while I have a home of my own, property, and the children.

Yes, God has been at work through the immutable laws he has established in his government in rewarding honest toll with a competency; while idleness has brought poverty and shame and a tendency to mental imbecility as its natural result. Since 1866 he has had no ministerial charge, and been dependent for support upon the charity of others.

Since in the author's opinion maternal duties are paramount to all others, I have most cheerfully laid aside all public duties, except the sale of books sufficient to support my family comfortably, which took me from them about three months in a year.

The remaining nine months I have devoted almost exclusively to my family, refusing all the calls of social life and its varied responsibilities, that I might devote all my energies in moulding and shaping the characters of my long neglected children.

To my mind the claims of the public are secondary at least to those of maternity. Never primary when her children's training is at stake. Could I have prevented it my children would never have been separated from their mother.

CHAPTER LIII.
The Family Disperse.

In the order God has established the period in which an entire family live an unbroken unit, is usually a limited one. Ours was no exception to this law of our earthly existence.

Indeed, the memorable 3d of July, 1869, was the first day our family had ever met, an entire unit. The oldest and the youngest, then eleven years, had never before met in the same family circle. My oldest son was attending school at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, when our youngest was born, and before he returned home his mother was kidnapped! and this was the first day the father, mother, and all the children ever met under the same roof.

And the first and the only time we all ever worshiped God in his sanctuary together, was this memorable Sabbath evening when we all went in one solemn company to a Methodist church service in the vicinity of my home.

When I took the children from Mr. Packard in Massachusetts and brought them to Chicago, Illinois, he followed us, and has since lived in Manteno, Kankakee county, Illinois, in the family of his brother-in-law, Deacon Dole. While in Chicago, on his way to his final destination, he called upon his children to see them cozily living in their mother's home. My filial son, Theophilus, now standing as the guardian and protector of my family, told his father as he met him at the door:

"Father, you know this is mother's home. You have no right here. Our mother shall never be molested in her own home."

"Yes, I know it is -- I acknowledge I have no right here -- I shall not trouble your mother."