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7,davis7      ,,the ,,young ,,lady',s   
,,mentor  ,a ,guide to the ,formation of
 ,character4 ,in a ,series of ,letters  
to ,her ,unknown ,friends  by  ,a       
,,lady4  ,philadelphia3 ,h4,c4 ,peck    
,theo4 ,bliss4  #aheb        ,,preface  
,the work which forms the basis of the  
present volume is one of the most       
original and striking which has fallen  
under the notice of the editor4 ,the    
advice which it gives shows a remarkable
 knowledge of human character1 and      
insists on a very high standard of      
female excellence4 ,instead of          
addressing herself indiscriminately to  

all young ladies1 the writer addresses  
herself to those whom she calls her     
,unknown ,friends1 that is to say1 a    
class who1 by natural disposition and   
education1 are prepared to be benefited 
by the advice which she offers4 ,unless 
a peculiarity of intellectual nature and
 habits constituted them friends1 she   
says in her preface1 though unknown     
ones1 of the writer1 most of the        
observations contained in the following 
pages would be uninteresting1 many of   
them altogether unintelligible4  ,she   
continues3 ,that advice is useless which
 is not founded upon a knowledge of the 
character of those to whom it is        
addressed3 even were the attempt made to
 follow such advice1 it could not be    
successful4  ,the writer has therefore  
neither hope nor wish of exercising any 
influence over the minds of those who   
are not her ',unknown ,friends4' ,there 
may1 indeed1 be a variety in the        
character of these friends2 for almost  
all the following ,letters are addressed

 to different persons2 but the general  
intellectual features are always        
supposed to be the same1 however the    
moral ones may differ4  ,one word more  
must be added4 ,all of the rules and    
systems recommended in these ,letters   
have borne the test of long-tried and   
extensive experience4 ,there is nothing 
new about them but their publication4   
,the plan of the writer of the ,letters 
enables her to give specific and        
practical advice1 applicable to         
particular cases1 and entering into     
lively details2 whereas1 a more general 
work would have compelled her to confine
 herself to vague generalities1 as      
inoperative as they are commonplace4    
,the intelligent reader will readily    
appreciate and cordially approve of the 
writer's plan1 as well as the happy     
style in which it is executed4  ,to the 
,letters to ,unknown ,friends which are 
inserted entire1 the editor has added1  
as a suitable pendant1 copious extracts 
from that excellent work1 ,woman's      

,mission1 and some able papers by ,lord 
,jeffrey1 the late accomplished editor  
of the ,edinburgh ,review4  ,thus       
composed1 the editor submits the work to
 the fair readers of ,america1 trusting 
that it will be found a useful and      
unexceptionable ,young ,lady's ,mentor4 
,contents  ,contentment                 
#g  ,temper                             
#ca  ,falsehood and ,truthfulness       
#eb  ,envy                              
#fa  ,selfishness and ,unselfishness    
#gd  ,self-,control                     
#ic  ,economy                           
#aag  ,the ,cultivation of the ,mind    
#acg1 #afd  ,amusements                 
#aic  ,the ,influence of ,women on      
,society           #bah  ,the ,sphere of
 ,woman's ,influence             #bbg   
,education of ,women                    
#bcc  ,love--,marriage                  
#bdd  ,literary ,capabilities of ,women 
#bef  ,ennui1 and the ,desire to be     
,fashionable     #bfg  ,the ,influence  
of ,personal ,character         #bgj    

,on the ,means of ,securing ,personal   
,influence #bgf     ,,letter ,i4        
,,contentment4   ,it is1 perhaps1 only  
the young who can be very hopefully     
addressed on the present subject4 ,a few
 years hence1 and your habits of mind   
will be unalterably formed2 a few years 
hence1 and your struggle against a      
discontented spirit1 even should you be 
given grace to attempt it1 would be a   
perpetually wearisome and discouraging  
one4 ,the penalty of past sin will      
pursue you until the end1 not only in   
the pain caused by a discontented habit 
of mind1 but also in the consciousness  
of its exceeding sinfulness4  ,every    
thought that rebels against the law of  
,god involves its own punishment in     
itself1 by contributing to the          
establishment of habits that increase   
tenfold the difficulties to which a     
sinful nature exposes us4  ,discontent  
is in this1 perhaps1 more dangerous than
 many other sins1 being far less        
tangible3 unless we are in the constant 

habit of exercising strict watchfulness 
over our thoughts1 it is almost         
insensibly that they acquire an habitual
 tendency to murmuring and repining4    
,this is particularly to be feared in a 
person of your disposition4 ,many of    
your volatile1 thoughtless1             
worldly-minded companions1 destitute of 
all your holier feelings1 living without
 object or purpose in life1 and never   
referring to the law of ,god as a guide 
for thought or action1 may nevertheless 
manifest a much more contented          
disposition than your own1 and be       
apparently more submissive to the       
decision of your ,creator as to the     
station of life in which you have each  
been placed4  ,to account for their     
apparent superiority over you on this   
point1 it must be remembered that it is 
one of the dangerous responsibilities   
attendant on the best gifts of          
,god1--that if not employed according to
 his will1 they turn to the disadvantage
 of the possessor4  ,your powers of     

reflection1 your memory1 your           
imagination1 all calculated to provide  
you with rich sources of gratification  
if exercised in proper directions1 will 
turn into curses instead of blessings if
 you do not watchfully restrain that    
exercise within the sphere of duty4 ,the
 natural tendency of these faculties is1
 to employ themselves on forbidden      
ground1 for every imagination of man's  
heart is evil continually4 ,it is thus  
that your powers of reflection may only 
serve to give you a deeper and keener   
insight into the disadvantages of your  
position in life2 and trivial           
circumstances1 unpleasant probabilities1
 never dwelt on for a moment by the gay 
and thoughtless1 will with you acquire a
 serious and fatal importance1 if you   
direct towards them those powers of     
reasoning and concentrated thought which
 were given to you for far different    
purposes4  ,and while1 on the one hand1 
your memory1 if you allow it to acquire 
the bad habits against which ,i am now  

warning you1 will be perpetually        
refreshing in your mind vivid pictures  
of past sorrows1 wrongs1 and annoyances3
 your imagination1 at the same time1    
will continually present to you1 under  
the most exaggerated forms1 and in the  
most striking colours1 every possible   
unpleasantness that is likely to occur  
in the future4 ,you may thus create for 
yourself a life apart1 quite distinct   
from the real one1 depriving yourself by
 wilful self-injury of the power of     
enjoying whatever advantages1 successes1
 and pleasures1 your heavenly ,father   
may think it safe for you to possess4   
,happiness1 as far as it can be obtained
 in the path of duty1 is a duty in      
itself1 and an important one3 without   
that degree of happiness which most     
people may secure for themselves1       
independent of external circumstances1  
neither health1 nor energy1 nor         
cheerfulness can be forthcoming to help 
us through the task of our daily duties4
  ,it is indeed true1 that1 under the   

most favourable circumstances1 the      
thoughtful will never enjoy so much as  
others of that which is now generally   
understood by the word happiness4       
,anxieties must intrude upon them which 
others know nothing of3 the necessary   
business of life1 to be as well executed
 as they ought to execute it1 must at   
times force down their thoughts to much 
that is painful for the present and     
anxious for the future4 ,they cannot    
forget the past1 as the light-hearted   
do1 or life would bring them no         
improvement2 but the same difficulties  
and dangers would be rushed into        
heedlessly to-morrow1 that were         
experienced yesterday1 and forgotten    
to-day2 and not only past difficulties  
and dangers are remembered1 but sorrows 
too3 these they cannot1 for they would  
not1 forget4  ,in the contemplation of  
the future also1 they must exercise     
their imagination as well as their      
reason1 for the discovery of those evils
 and dangers which such foresight may   

enable them to guard against3 all this  
kind of thoughtfulness is their wisdom  
as well as their instinct2 which makes  
it more difficult for them than it is   
for others to fulfil the reverse side of
 the duty1 and to be careful for        
nothing4#a  ,to your strong mind1       
however1 a difficulty will be a thing to
 be overcome1 and you may1 if you only  
will it1 be prudent and sagacious1      
far-sighted and provident1 without      
dwelling for a moment longer than such  
duties require on the unpleasantnesses1 
past1 present1 and future1 of your lot  
in life4  ,having thus seen in what     
respects your superiority of mind is    
likely to detract from your happiness1  
in the point of the colouring given by  
your thoughts to your life1 let us1 on  
the other hand1 consider how this same  
superiority may be so directed as to    
make your thoughts contribute to your   
happiness1 instead of detracting from   
it4  ,i spoke first of your reasoning   
powers4 ,let them not be exercised only 

in discovering the dangers and          
disadvantages likely to attend your     
peculiar position in life2 let them     
rather be directed to discover the      
advantages of those very features of    
your lot which are most opposed to your 
natural inclinations4 ,consider1 in the 
first place1 what there may be to       
reconcile you to the secluded life you  
so unwillingly lead4 ,withdrawn1 indeed1
 you are from society1--from the        
delightful intercourse of refined and   
intellectual minds3 you hear of such    
enjoyments at a distance2 you hear of   
their being freely granted to those who 
cannot appreciate them as you could1    
7safely granted to them for perhaps this
 very reason47 ,you have no opportunity 
of forming those friendships1 so        
earnestly desired by a young and        
enthusiastic mind2 of admiring1 even at 
a reverential distance1 emperors of     
thought and hand4 ,but then1 as a       
compensation1 you ought to consider that
 you are1 at the same time1 freed from  

those intrusions which wear away the    
time1 and the spirits1 and the very     
powers of enjoyment1 of those who are   
placed in a more public position than   
your own4 ,when you do1 at rare         
intervals1 enjoy any intercourse with   
congenial minds1 it has for you a       
pleasurable excitement1 a freshness of  
delight1 which those who mix much and   
habitually in literary and intellectual 
society have long ceased to enjoy3 while
 the powers of your own mind are        
preserving all that originality and     
energy for which no intellectual        
experience can compensate1 you are saved
 the otherwise perhaps inevitable danger
 of adopting1 parrot-like1 the tastes   
and opinions of others who may indeed be
 your superiors1 but who1 in a copy1    
become wretchedly inferior to your real 
self4 ,time you have1 too1 to cultivate 
your mind in such a manner1 and to such 
a degree1 as may fit you to grace any   
society of the kind ,i have described2  
while those who are early and constantly

 engaged in this society are often      
obliged1 from mere want of this precious
 possession1 to copy others1 and resign 
all identity and individuality4 ,to you1
 nobly free as you are from the vice of 
envy1 ,i may venture to suggest another 
consideration1 viz4 the far greater     
influence you possess in your present   
small sphere of intellectual            
intercourse1 than if you were mixed up  
with a crowd of others1 most of them    
your equals1 many your superiors4  ,if  
you have few opportunities of forming   
friendships1 those few are tenfold more 
valuable than many acquaintance1 among a
 crowd of whom1 whatever merits you or  
they might possess1 little time could be
 spared to discover1 or experimentally  
appreciate them4 ,the one or two friends
 whom you now love1 and know yourself   
beloved by1 might1 in more exciting and 
busy scenes1 have gone on meeting you   
for years without discovering the many  
bonds of sympathy which now unite you4  
,in the seclusion you so much deplore1  

they and you have been given time to    
deliberate1 choose1 and fix3 the        
conclusion of the poet will probably be 
equally applicable1--you will then abide
 till death4#b ,such friends are        
possessions rare and valuable enough to 
make amends to you for any sacrifices by
 which they have been acquired4         
,another of your grievances1 one which  
presses the more heavily on those of    
graceful tastes1 refined habits1 and    
generous impulses1 is the very small    
proportion of this world's goods which  
has fallen to your lot4 ,you are        
perpetually obliged to deny yourself in 
matters of taste1 of self-improvement1  
of charity4 ,you cannot procure the     
books1 the paintings1 you wish for--the 
instruction which you so earnestly      
desire1 and would so probably profit by4
 ,above all1 your eyes are pained by the
 sight of distress you cannot relieve2  
and you are thus constantly compelled to
 control and subdue the kindest and     
warmest impulses of your generous       

nature4 ,the moral benefits of this     
peculiar species of trial belong to     
another part of my subject3 the present 
object is to find out the most          
favourable point of view in which to    
contemplate the unpleasantness of your  
lot1 merely with relation to your       
temporal happiness4 ,look1 then1 around 
you2 and1 even in your own limited      
sphere of observation1 it cannot but    
strike you1 that those who derive most  
enjoyment from objects of taste1 from   
books1 paintings1 c41 are exactly those 
who are situated as you are1 who cannot 
procure them at will4 ,it is certain    
that there is something in the          
difficulty of attainment which adds much
 to the preciousness of the objects we  
desire2 much1 too1 in the rareness of   
their bestowal4 ,when1 after long       
waiting1 and by means of prudent        
management1 it is at last within your   
power to make some long-desired object  
your own1 does it not bestow much       
greater pleasure than it does on those  

who have only to wish and to have8  ,in 
matters of charity this is still more   
strikingly true--the pleasure of        
bestowing ease and comfort on the poor  
and distressed is enhanced tenfold by   
the consciousness of having made some   
personal sacrifice for its attainment4  
,the rich1 those who give of their      
superfluities1 can never fully          
appreciate what the pleasures of        
almsgiving really are4  ,experience     
teaches that the necessity of scrupulous
 economy is the very best school in     
which those who are afterwards to be    
rich can be educated4 ,riches always    
bring their own peculiar claims along   
with them2 and unless a correct estimate
 is early formed of the value of money  
and the manner in which it can be laid  
out to the best advantage1 you will     
never enjoy the comforts and            
tranquillity which well-managed riches  
can bestow4 ,it is much to be doubted   
whether any one can skilfully manage    
large possessions1 unless1 at some      

period or other of life1 they have      
forced themselves1 or been forced1 to   
exercise self-denial1 and resolutely    
given up all those expenses the         
indulgence of which would have been     
imprudent4 ,those who indiscriminately  
gratify every taste for expense the     
moment it is excited1 can never         
experience the comforts of competency1  
though they may have the name of wealth 
and the reality of its accompanying     
cares4  ,still further1 let your memory 
and imagination be here exercised to    
assist in reconciling you to your       
present lot4 ,can you not remember a    
time when you wanted money still more   
than you do now8--when you had a still  
greater difficulty in obtaining the     
things you reasonably desire8 ,to those 
who have acquired the art of            
contentment1 the present will always    
seem to have some compensating advantage
 over the past1 however brighter that   
past may appear to others4 ,this        
valuable art will bring every hidden    

object gradually into light1 as the     
dawning day seems to waken into         
existence those objects which had before
 been unnoticed in the darkness4        
,lastly1 your imagination1 well         
employed1 will make use of your partial 
knowledge of other people's affairs to  
picture to you how much worse off many  
of those are1--how much worse off you   
might yourself be4 ,you1 for instance1  
can still accomplish much by the aid of 
self-denial2 while many1 with hearts as 
warm in charities1 as overflowing as    
your own1 have not more to give than the
 cup of cold water1 that word of mercy  
and consolation4  ,you may still        
further1 perhaps1 complain that you have
 no object of exciting interest to      
engage your attention1 and develop your 
powers of labour1 and endurance1 and    
cleverness4 ,never has this trial been  
more vividly described than in the      
well-remembered lines of a modern       
poet3--      ,she was active1 stirring1 
all fire--     ,could not rest1 could   

not tire--     ,to a stone she had given
 life6     --,for a shepherd's1 miner's1
 huntsman's wife1     ,never in all the 
world such a one6     ,and here was     
plenty to be done1     ,and she that    
could do it1 great or small1     ,she   
was to do nothing at all4#c  ,this wish 
for occupation1 for influence1 for power
 even1 is not only right in itself1 but 
the unvarying accompaniment of the      
consciousness of high capabilities4 ,it 
may1 however1 be intended that these    
cravings should be satisfied in a       
different way1 and at a different time1 
from that which your earthly thoughts   
are now desiring4 ,it may be that the   
very excellence of the office for which 
you are finally destined requires a     
greater length of preparation than that 
needful for ordinary duties and ordinary
 trials4 ,at present1 you are resting in
 peace1 without any anxious cares or    
difficult responsibilities1 but you know
 not how soon the time may come that    
will call forth and strain to the utmost

 your energies of both mind and body4   
,you should anxiously make use of the   
present interval of repose for          
preparation1 by maturing your prudence1 
strengthening your decision1 acquiring  
control over your own temper and your   
own feelings1 and thus fitting yourself 
to control others4  ,or are you1 on the 
contrary1 wasting the precious present  
time in vain repinings1 in murmurings   
that weaken both mind and body1 so that 
when the hour of trial comes you will be
 entirely unfitted to realize the       
beautiful ideal of the poet8--      ,a  
perfect woman1 nobly plann'd     ,to    
warn1 to counsel1 to command3     ,the  
reason firm1 the temperate will1        
,endurance1 foresight1 strength1 and    
skill4#d  ,then1 again1 ,i would ask you
 to make use of your powers of          
reflection and memory4 ,reflect what    
trials and difficulties are1 in the     
common course of events1 likely to      
assail you2 remember former             
difficulties1 former days or weeks of   

trial1 when all your now dormant        
energies were developed and strained to 
the utmost4 ,you felt then the need of  
much greater powers of mind and body    
than those which you now complain are   
lying dormant and useless4 ,further     
imagine the future cases that may occur 
in which every natural and acquired     
faculty may be employed for the great   
advantage of those who are dear to you1 
and when you will experience that this  
long interval of repose and preparation 
was altogether needful4  ,such          
reflections1 memories1 and imaginations 
must1 however1 be carefully guarded1    
lest1 instead of reconciling you to the 
apparent uselessness of your present    
life1 they should contribute to increase
 your discontent4 ,this they might      
easily do1 even though such reflections 
and memories related only to trials and 
difficulties1 instead of contemplating  
the pleasures and the importance of     
responsibilities4 ,to an ardent nature  
like yours1 trials themselves1 even     

severe ones1 which would exercise the   
powers of your mind and the energies of 
your character1 would be more welcome   
than the tame1 uniform life you at      
present lead4  ,the considerations above
 recommended can1 therefore1 be only    
safely indulged in connection with1 and 
secondary to1 a most vigilant and       
conscientious examination into the truth
 of one of your principal complaints1   
viz4 that you have to do1 like the      
,duke's wife1 nothing at all4#e ,you may
 be seeking great things to do1 and     
consequently neglecting those small     
charities which soothe1 and heal1 and   
bless4 ,listen to the words of a great  
teacher of our own day3 ,the situation  
that has not duty1 its ideal1 was never 
yet occupied by man4 ,yes1 here1 in this
 poor1 miserable1 pampered1 despised    
actual1 wherein thou even now standest1 
here1 or nowhere1 is thy ideal2 work it 
out1 therefore1 and1 working1 believe1  
live1 be free4 ,fool6 the ideal is in   
thyself2 the impediment1 too1 is in     

thyself3 thy condition is but the stuff 
thou art to shape that same ideal out   
of--what matters whether the stuff be of
 this sort or of that1 so the form thou 
give it be heroic1 be poetic8 ,o thou   
that pinest in the imprisonment of the  
actual1 and criest bitterly to the gods 
for a kingdom wherein to rule and       
create1 know this of a truth1--the thing
 thou seekest is already with thee1     
'here1 or nowhere1' couldst thou only   
see4  ,when you examine the above       
assertions by the light of ,scripture1  
can you contradict their truth8  ,let   
us1 however1 ascend to a still higher   
point of view4 ,have we not all1 under  
every imaginable circumstance1 a work   
mighty and difficult enough to develope 
our strongest energies1 to engage our   
deepest interests8 ,have we not all to  
work out our own salvation with fear and
 trembling8#f ,professing to believe1 as
 we do1 that the discipline of every day
 is ordered by ,infinite ,love and      
,infinite ,wisdom1 so as best to assist 

us in this awfully important task1 can  
we justly complain of any mental void1  
of any inadequacy of occupation1 in any 
of the situations of life8  ,the only   
work that can fully satisfy an immortal 
spirit's cravings for excitement is the 
work appointed for each of us4 ,it is   
one1 too1 that has no intervals of      
repose1 far less of languor or ennui2   
the labour it demands ought never to    
cease1 the intense and engrossing       
interest it excites can never vary or   
lessen in importance4 ,the alternative  
is a more awful one than human mind can 
yet conceive3 those who have not        
fulfilled their appointed work1 those   
who have not1 through the merits of     
,christ1 obtained the holiness without  
which no man shall see the ,lord1#g must
 depart into everlasting fire prepared  
for the devil and his angels4#h  ,with a
 hell to avoid1 and a heaven to obtain1 
do you murmur for want of interest1 of  
occupation6  ,in the words of the old   
story1 ,look below on the earth1 and    

then above in heaven3 remember that your
 only business here is to get there2    
then1 instead of repining1 you will be  
thankful that no great temporal work is 
given you to do which might1 as too     
often happens1 distract your attention  
and your labours from the attainment of 
life eternal4 ,having been once         
convinced of the awful and engrossing   
importance of this one thing we have to 
do1#i you will see more easily how many 
minor duties may be appointed you to    
fulfil1 on a path that before seemed a  
useless as well as an uninteresting one4
 ,for you would have now learned to     
estimate the small details of daily     
life1 not according to their            
insignificance1 not as they may         
influence your worldly fate1 but as they
 may have a tendency to mould your      
spirit into closer conformity to the    
image of the ,son4#aj ,you will now no  
longer inquire whether you have any work
 to do which you might yourself consider
 suitable to your capabilities and      

energies2 but whether there is within   
your reach any1 the smallest1 humblest  
work of love1 contemned or unobserved   
before1 when you were more proud and    
less vigilant4  ,look1 then1 with prayer
 and watchfulness into all the details  
of your daily life1 and you will        
assuredly find much formerly-unnoticed  
stuff1 out of which your ideal may be   
wrought4  ,you may1 for instance1 have  
no opportunity of teaching on an        
enlarged scale1 or even of taking a     
class at a ,sunday-school1 or of        
instructing any of your poor neighbours 
in reading or in the word of ,god4 ,such
 labours of love may1 it is possible1   
though not probable1 be shut out of your
 reach3 if1 however1 you are on the     
watch for opportunities1 7and we are    
best made quick-sighted to their        
occurrence in the course of the day1 by 
the morning's earnest prayer for their  
being granted to us17 you may be able to
 help your fellow-pilgrims ,zion-ward in
 a variety of small ways4 ,a word in    

season1 how good is it6 the mere        
expression of religious sympathy has    
often cheered and refreshed the weary   
traveller on his perhaps difficult and  
lonely way4 ,a verse of ,scripture1 a   
hymn taught to a child1 only the visitor
 of a day1 has often been blessed by    
,god to the great spiritual profit of   
the child so taught4 ,are not even such 
small works of love within your reach8  
,again1 with respect to family duties1  
,i know that in some cases1 when there  
are many to fulfil such duties1 it is a 
more necessary and often a more         
difficult task to refrain altogether    
from interfering in them4 ,they ought to
 be allowed to serve as a safety-valve  
for the energies of those members of the
 family who have no other occupations3  
of these there will always be some in a 
large domestic circle4 ,without1        
however1 interfering actively and       
habitually1 which it may not be your    
duty to do1 are you always ready to help
 when you are asked1 and to take trouble

 willingly upon yourself1 when the      
excitement and the credit of the        
arrangement will belong exclusively to  
others8 ,this is a good sign of the     
humility and lovingness of your spirit3 
how is the test borne8  ,further1 you   
may complain that your conversation is  
not valued1 and that therefore you have 
no excitement to exertion for the       
amusement of others2 that your          
cheerfulness and good temper under      
sorrows and annoyances are of no        
consequence1 as you are not considered  
of sufficient importance for any display
 of feeling to attract attention4 ,when 
,i hear such complaints1 and they are   
not unfrequent from the younger members 
of large families1 ,i have little doubt 
that the sting in all these murmurs is  
infixed by their pride4 ,they assure me1
 at the same time1 that if there was any
 one to care much about it1 to watch    
anxiously whether they were vexed or    
pleased1 they would be able to exercise 
the strictest control over their        

feelings and temper1--and ,i believe it1
 for here their pride and their         
affection would both come to the        
assistance of duty4 ,what ,god requires 
of us1 however1 is its fulfilment when  
all these things are against us4 ,the   
effort to control grief1 to conceal     
depression1 to conquer ill-temper1 will 
be a far more acceptable offering in his
 eyes1 when they alone are expected to  
witness it4 ,that which now his eyes    
alone see will one day be proclaimed    
upon the housetop4#aa  ,i must1 besides1
 remind you that your proud spirit may  
deceive you when it suggests1 that      
because your sadness or your ill-humour 
attracts no expressed notice or excites 
no efforts to remove it1 it does not    
therefore affect those around you4 ,this
 is not the case2 even the gloom and    
ill-humour of a servant1 who only       
remains a few minutes in attendance1    
will be depressing and annoying to the  
most unobservant master and mistress1   
though they might make no efforts to    

remove it4 ,how much more1 then1 may    
your want of cheerfulness and sweet     
temper affect1 though it may be         
insensibly1 the peace of your family    
circle4 ,here you are again seeking     
great things for yourself1 and          
neglecting your appointed work1 because 
it does not to you appear sufficiently  
worthy of your high capabilities4 ,your 
proud spirit needs being humbled1 and   
therefore1 probably1 it is that you will
 not be allowed to do great things4 ,no1
 you must first learn the less agreeable
 task of doing small things1 of doing   
what would perhaps be called easy things
 by those who have never tried them4 ,to
 wear a contented look when you know    
that1 perhaps1 the effort will not be   
observed1 certainly not appreciated1--to
 take submissively the humblest part in 
the conversation1 and still bear        
cheerfully that part1--to bear with     
patience every hasty word that may be   
spoken1 and so to forget it that your   
future conduct may be uninfluenced by   

it1--to remove every difficulty1 the    
removal of which is within your reach1  
without expecting that the part you have
 taken will be acknowledged or even     
observed1--to be always ready with your 
sympathy1 encouragement1 and counsel1   
however scornfully they may have before 
been rejected2 these are all acts of    
self-renunciation which are peculiarly  
fitted to a woman's sphere of duty1 and 
have a direct tendency to cherish the   
difficult and excellent grace of        
humility2 they may1 however1 help to    
foster rather than to subdue a spirit of
 discontent1 if they are performed from 
a motive of obtaining any1 even the most
 exalted1 human approbation4 ,they must 
be done to ,god alone1 and then the     
promise is sure1 thy ,father which seeth
 in secret shall reward thee openly4#ab 
,thus1 too1 the art of contentment may  
be much more easily learnt4             
,disappointment will surely sour your   
temper if you look forward to human     
appreciation of a self-denying habit of 

life2 but when the approbation of ,god  
is the object sought for1 no neglect    
from others can excite discontent or    
much regret4 ,for here there can be no  
disappointment3 that which comes to us  
through the day has all been decreed by 
him1 and as it must therefore give us   
opportunities of fulfilling his will1   
and gaining his approbation1 we must    
necessarily be content4  ,it must1      
indeed1 be always owing to some         
deficiency in religious principle1 that 
one discontented thought is suffered to 
dwell in the mind4 ,if our heart and our
 treasure were in heaven1#ac should we  
be easily excited to regret and         
irritation about the inconveniences of  
our position on earth8 ,if we sought    
first the kingdom of ,god and his       
righteousness1#ad should we have so much
 energy remaining to waste on petty     
worldly annoyances8 ,if we obeyed the   
injunction1 have faith in ,god1 should  
we daily and hourly1 by our sinful      
murmuring1 imply such doubts of the     

divine attributes of wisdom1 love1 and  
power8 ,this is a want of faith you do  
not manifest towards men4 ,you would    
trust yourself fearlessly to the care of
 some earthly physician2 you would      
believe that he understood how to adapt 
his strengthening or lowering remedies  
to each varying feature of your case2   
you would even provide yourself with    
remedies1 which1 on the faith of his    
skill1 you would trustingly use to meet 
every symptom that might arise on future
 occasions4 ,but when the ,great        
,physician manifests a still greater    
watchfulness to adapt his daily         
discipline to your varying temper and   
the different stages of your ,christian 
growth1 you murmur--you believe not in  
his wisdom as you do in that of the sons
 of earth4  ,do not1 then1 take his     
wisdom on faith alone2 you must indeed  
believe1 you must believe or perish2 but
 it may be as yet too difficult a lesson
 for you to believe against sense1      
against feeling4 ,what ,i would urge    

upon you is1 to strengthen your weak    
faith by the lessons of experience1 to  
seek anxiously1 and to pray to be       
enabled to see distinctly1 the peculiar 
manner in which each trial of your daily
 lot is adapted to your own individual  
case4  ,i do not speak now of great     
trials1 of such afflictions as crush the
 sufferer in the dust4 ,when the hand of
 ,god is so plainly seen1 it is         
comparatively easy to submit1 and his   
,holy ,spirit1 ever fulfilling the      
promise as thy day is1 so shall thy     
strength be1#ae sometimes makes the     
riven heart strong to bear that which1  
in prospective1 it dares not even       
contemplate4 ,you1 however1 have had no 
trial of this nature2 yours are the     
petty irritations1 the small vexations  
which smart more because they hold in   
,holy ,writ no place4#af ,even at more  
peaceful times1 when you can contemplate
 with resignation the general features  
of your lot in life1 you cannot subdue  
your spirit to patience under the hourly

 varying annoyances and temptations with
 which you are beset4 ,the peculiar     
sensitiveness of your disposition1 your 
affectionate1 generous nature1 your     
refinement of mind1 and quick tact1 all 
expose you to suffer more severely than 
others from the selfishness1 the        
coarse-mindedness1 the bluntness of     
perception of those around you4 ,you    
often say1 in the bitterness of your    
heart1 ,any other trial but this ,i     
could have borne2 every other           
chastisement would have been light in   
comparison4 ,but why have you so little 
faith8 ,why do you not see that it is   
because all these petty trials are so   
severe to you1 therefore are they sent8 
,all these amiable qualities that ,i    
have enumerated1 and the love which they
 win for you1 would make you admire and 
value yourself too much1 unless your    
system were reduced1 so to speak1 by a  
series of petty but continued           
annoyances4 ,as ,i said before1 you must
 seek to strengthen your faith by       

tracing the close connection between    
these annoyances and the needs be for   
them4 ,it is probably exactly at the    
time when you are too much elated by    
praise and admiration that you are sent 
some counterbalancing annoyance1 or     
perhaps suffered to fall into some fault
 of temper which will lessen you in your
 own eyes1 as well as in those of       
others4 ,you are often troubled by some 
annoyance1 too1 when you have blamed    
others for being too easily overcome by 
an annoyance of the very same kind4     
,stand upon an anxious watch1 and you   
will see how constantly severe judgments
 of others are punished by falling      
ourselves into temptations similar to   
those which we had treated as light ones
 when sitting in judgment upon others4  
,if you would acquire the habit of      
exercising faith with respect to the    
smallest details of your every-day life1
 by such faith the light itself might be
 won1 and your eyes be opened to see how
 wondrously all things1 even those which

 appear the most needlessly worrying1   
are made to work together for your      
good4#ag ,these are1 however1 but the   
first lessons in the school of faith1   
the first steps on the road which leads 
to rest in ,god4  ,severer trials are   
hastening onward1 for which your present
 petty trials are serving as a          
preparatory discipline4 ,according to   
the manner in which these are met and   
supported1 will be your patience in the 
hour of deep darkness and bitter        
desolation4 ,waste not one of your      
present petty sorrows3 let them all1 by 
the help of prayer1 and watchfulness1   
and self-control1 work their appointed  
work in your soul4 ,let them lead you   
each day more and more trustingly to    
cast all your care upon ,him who careth 
for you4#ah ,in the present hours of    
tranquillity and calm1 let the light and
 infrequent storms1 the passing clouds  
that disturb your peace1 serve as       
warnings to you to find a sure refuge   
before the clouds of affliction become  

so heavy1 and its storms so violent1    
that there will be no power of seeking a
 haven of security4 ,that must be sought
 and found in seasons of comparative    
peace4 ,though the agonized soul may    
finally1 through the waves of sorrow1   
make its way into the ark1 its long     
previous struggles1 and its after       
harrowing doubts and fears1 will shatter
 it nearly to pieces before it finds a  
final refuge4 ,it may1 indeed1 by the   
free grace of ,god1 be saved at the     
last1 but during the remainder of its   
earthly pilgrimage there is no hope for 
it of joy and peace in believing4  ,but 
when the hour of earthly desolation     
comes to those who have long            
acknowledged the special providence of  
,god in all the dreary intercourse of   
daily life1 they knew in whom they have 
believed1#ai and no storms can shake    
that faith4 ,they know from experience  
that all things work together for good  
to them that love ,god4 ,in the loving1 
child-like confidence of long-tried and 

now perfecting faith1 they are enabled  
to say from the depths of their heart1  
,it is the ,lord1 let him do what       
seemeth him good4#bj ,they seek not now 
to ascertain the needs be for this      
particular trial4 ,it might harrow up   
their human heart too much to trace the 
details of sorrows such as these1 in the
 manner in which they formerly examined 
into the details of those of daily life4
 ,it is the ,lord2 these words alone not
 only still all complaining1 but fill   
the soul with a depth of peace never    
experienced by the believer until all   
happiness is withdrawn but that which   
comes direct from ,god4 ,it is the      
,lord1 who died that we might live1 and 
can we murmur even if we dared8 ,no2 the
 love of ,christ constrains us to cast  
ourselves at his feet1 not only in      
submission1 but in grateful adoration4  
,it is through his redeeming love that  
our light affliction1 which is but for a
 moment1 will work for us a far more    
exceeding and eternal weight of glory4  

,even the very depth of mystery which   
may attend the sorrowful dispensation1  
will only draw forth a stronger         
manifestation of the ,christian's faith 
and love4 ,she will be enabled to       
rejoice that ,god does not allow her to 
see even one reason for the stroke that 
lays low all her earthly happiness2 as  
thus only1 perhaps1 can she experience  
all the fulness of peace that           
accompanies an unquestioning trust in   
the wisdom and love of his decrees4 ,for
 such unquestioning trust1 however1     
there must be a long and diligent       
preparation3 it is not the growth of    
days or weeks2 yet1 unless it is begun  
even this very day1 it may never be     
begun at all4 ,the practice of daily    
contentment is the only means of finally
 attaining to ,christian resignation4   
,i do not appeal to you for the         
necessity of immediate action1 because  
this day may be your last4 ,i do not    
exhort you to live as if this day were  
the whole of life1 and not a part or    

section of it1#ba because it may1 in    
fact1 be the whole of life to you4 ,it  
may be so1 but it is not probable1 and  
when you have certainties to guide you1 
they are better excitements to immediate
 action than the most solemn            
possibilities4  ,the certainty to which 
,i now appeal is1 that every duty ,i    
have been urging upon you will be much  
easier to you to-day than it would be1  
even so soon as to-morrow4 ,one hour's  
longer indulgence of a discontented     
spirit1 of rebellious and murmuring     
thoughts1 will stamp on your mind an    
impression1 which1 however slight it may
 be1 will entail upon you a lifelong    
struggle against it4 ,every indulged    
thought becomes a part of ourselves3 you
 have the awful freedom of will to make 
yourself what you will to be4 ,resist   
the devil1 and he will flee from you1#bb
 ,quench the ,spirit#bc and the holy    
flame will never be rekindled4 ,kneel1  
then1 before ,god1 even now1 to pray    
that you may be enabled to will aright4 

,before you opened these pages1 some of 
your daily irritations were probably    
preying on your mind4 ,you have often1  
perhaps1 recurred to the annoyance1     
whatever it may be1 while you read on   
and on4 ,make this annoyance your first 
opportunity of victory1 the first step  
in the path of contentment4 ,pray to an 
ever-present ,god1 that he may open your
 eyes to see how large may have been the
 portion of blame to yourself in the    
annoyance you complain of1--in how far  
it may be the due and inevitable        
chastisement of some former sin2 how1   
finally1 it may turn to your present    
profit1 by giving you a keener insight  
into the evils of your own heart1 and a 
more indulgent view of the often        
imaginary wrongs of others towards you4 
,let not this trial be lost to you2 by  
faith and prayer1 this cloud may rain   
down blessings upon you4 ,the annoyance 
from which you are suffering may be a   
small one1 casting but a temporary      
shadow1 even like the      ,cloud       

passing over the moon2     ',tis        
passing1 and 'twill pass full soon4#bd  
,but ere that shadow has passed away1   
your fate may be as decided as that of  
the renegade in poetic fiction4 ,during 
the time this cloud has rested upon you1
 the first link of an interminable chain
 of habits1 for good or for ill1 may    
have been fastened around you4 ,who can 
tell what ,now it is that is the        
accepted time8 ,we know from ,scripture 
that there is this awful period1 and    
your present temptation to murmuring and
 rebellion against the will of ,god 7for
 it is still his will1 though it may be 
manifested through a created instrument7
 may be to you that ,now4 ,pray         
earnestly before you decide what use you
 will make of it4   ,,footnotes3  #a    
,phil4 iv4 #f4  #b ,young's ,night      
,thoughts4  #c ,the ,flight of the      
,duchess4 ,browning4  #d ,wordsworth4   
#e ,see page #ae4  #f ,phil4 ii4 #ab4   
#g ,heb4 xii4 #ad4  #h ,matt4 xxv4 #da4 
#i ,phil4 iii4 #ac4  #aj ,rom4 viii4    

#bi4  #aa ,luke xii4 #c4  #ab ,matt4 vi4
 #ah4  #ac ,matt4 vi4 #bj1 #ba4  #ad    
,matt4 vi4 #cc4  #ae ,deut4 xxxiii4 #be4
  #af ,lyra ,apostolica4  #ag ,rom4     
viii4 #bh4  #ah #a ,pet4 v4 #g4  #ai #b 
,tim4 i4 #ab4  #bj #a ,sam4 iii4 #ah4   
#ba ,jean ,paul ,richter4  #bb #a ,pet4 
v4 #h1 #i4  #bc ,thess4 v4 #ai4  #bd    
,the ,siege of ,corinth4     ,,letter   
,,ii4  ,,temper4   ,the subject proposed
 for consideration in the following     
letter has been already treated of in   
perhaps all the different modes of which
 it appears susceptible4 ,every         
religious and moral motive has been     
urged upon the victim of ill-temper1 and
 it is scarcely necessary to add that   
each has1 in its turn1 been urged in    
vain4 ,this failing of the character    
comes gradually to be considered as one 
over which the rational will has no     
control2 it is even supposed possible   
that a ,christian may grow in grace and 
in the knowledge of the ,saviour while  
the vice of ill-temper is still         

flourishing triumphantly4  ,it is1      
indeed1 a certain fact that1 unless the 
temper itself is specially controlled1  
and specially watched over1 it may      
deteriorate even when the character in  
other respects improves2 for the habit  
of defeat weakens the exercise of the   
will in this particular direction1 and  
gradually diminishes the hope or the    
effort of acquiring a victory over the  
indulged failing4 ,it is a melancholy   
consideration1 if it be1 as ,i believe1 
really the case1 that a ,christian may  
increase in love to ,god and man1 while 
at the same time perpetually inflicting 
severe wounds on the peace and happiness
 of those who are nearest and dearest to
 her4 ,worse than all1 she is1 by such  
conduct1 wounding the ,saviour in the   
house of his friends1#be bringing       
disgrace and ridicule upon the ,holy    
,name by which she is called4  ,in the  
compatibility which is often tacitly    
inferred between a bad temper and a     
religious course of life1 there seems to

 be an instinctive recognition of this  
peculiar vice being so much the         
necessary result of physical            
organization1 that the motives proving  
effectual against other sins are        
ineffectual for the extirpation of this4
 ,perhaps1 if this recognition were     
distinct1 and the details of it better  
understood1 a new and more successful   
means might be made use of to effect the
 cure of ill-temper4  ,as an            
encouragement to this undertaking1 there
 can be no doubt1 from some striking    
instances within your own knowledge1    
that there are certain means by which1  
if they could only be discovered1 the   
vice in question may be completely      
subdued4 ,even among heathen nations1 we
 know that the art of self-control was  
so well understood1 and so successfully 
practised1 that ,plato1 ,socrates1 and  
other philosophers were able to bring   
their naturally fiery and violent       
tempers into complete subjection to     
their will4 ,can it be that this secret 

has been lost along with the other      
mysteries of those distant times1 that  
the mode of controlling the temper is   
now as undiscoverable as the manner of  
preparing the ,tyrian dye and other     
forgotten arts8 ,it is surely a disgrace
 to those cowardly ,christians who1     
having in addition to all the natural   
powers of the heathen moralist the      
freely-offered grace of ,god to work    
with them and in them1 should still walk
 so unworthy of the high vocation       
wherewith they are called1 as to shrink 
hopelessly from a moral competition with
 the ignorant worshippers of old4  ,my  
sister1 these things ought not so to be2
 you feel they ought not1 yet day after 
day you break through the resolutions   
formed in your calmer moments1 and      
repeat1 probably increase1 your         
manifestations of uncontrolled          
ill-temper4 ,this is not yet1 however1  
in your case1 a wilful sin2 you still   
mourn bitterly over the shame to        
yourself and the annoyance to others    

caused by the indulgence of your        
ill-temper4 ,you are also painfully     
alive to the doubts which your conduct  
excites in the mind of your more worldly
 associates as to the reality of a vital
 and transforming efficacy in religion4 
,you feel that you are not only         
disobeying ,god yourself1 but that you  
are providing others with excuses for   
disobeying him1 and with examples of    
disobedience4 ,you mourn over these     
considerations in bitterness of heart2  
you even pray for strength to resist    
this1 your besetting sin1 and then--you 
leave your room1 and fall into the same 
sin on the very first opportunity4  ,if1
 however1 prayer itself does not prove  
an effectual safeguard from persistence 
in sin1 you will ask what other means   
can be hopefully employed4 ,none--none  
whatever2 that from which real prayer   
cannot preserve us is an inevitable     
misfortune4 ,but think you that any kind
 of sin can be among those misfortunes  
that cannot be avoided8 ,no1 my friend3 

,he is able to succour them that are    
tempted2#bf and we are also assured that
 ,he is willing4 ,cease1 then1 from     
accusing the ,all-merciful1 even by     
implication1 of being the cause of your 
continuing in sin1 and examine carefully
 into the nature of those prayers which 
you complain have never been answered4  
,the ,scripture reason for such         
disappointments is clearly and          
distinctly given3 ,ye ask and receive   
not1 because ye ask amiss4#bg ,examine1 
then1 in the first place1 whether you   
yourself are asking amiss8 ,what is your
 primary motive for desiring the removal
 of this besetting sin8 ,is it the      
consideration of its being so hateful in
 the sight of ,god1 of its being        
injurious to the cause of religion8 or  
is it not rather because you feel that  
it makes you unloveable to those around 
you1 and inflicts pain on those who are 
very dear to you1 at the same time      
lessening your own dignity and wounding 
your self-respect8 ,these are all proper

 and allowable motives of action while  
kept in their subordinate place2 but if 
they become the primary actuating       
principle1 instead of a conscientious   
hatred of sin because it is the         
abominable thing that ,god hates1#bh if 
pleasing man be your chief object1 you  
have no reason to complain that your    
prayers are unanswered4 ,the word of    
,god has told you that it must be so4   
,you have asked amiss4 ,there is also a 
secondary sense in which we may ask     
amiss3 when we pray without             
corresponding effort4 ,some worthy      
people think that prayer alone is to    
obtain for them all the benefits they   
can desire1 and that the influences of  
the ,holy ,spirit will1 unassisted by   
human effort1 produce a transforming    
change in the temper and the conduct4   
,this they call magnifying the grace of 
,god1 as if it could be supposed that   
his gracious help would ever be granted 
for the purpose of slackening1 instead  
of encouraging and exciting1 our own    

exertions4 ,do not the ,scriptures      
abound in exhortations1 warnings1 and   
threatenings on the subject of          
individual watchfulness1 diligence1 and 
unceasing conflicts8 ,to the law and to 
the testimony1 if they speak not        
according to this word1 it is because   
there is no light in them4#bi ,perhaps  
you have prayed under the mental        
delusion ,i have above described2 you   
have expected the work should be done   
for you1 instead of with you2 that the  
constraining love of ,christ would      
constrain you necessarily to abandon    
your sinful habits1 while1 in fact1 its 
efficacy consists in constraining you to
 carry on a perpetual struggle against  
them4  ,look through the day that is    
past1 or watch yourself through that    
which is to come1 and observe whether   
any violent conflict takes place in your
 mind whenever you are tempted to sin4  
,i fear1 on the contrary1 that you      
expect the efficacy of your prayers to  
be displayed in preserving you from any 

painful conflict whatever4 ,it is       
strange1 most strange1 how generally    
this perversion of mind appears         
practically to exist4 ,notwithstanding  
all the opposing assertions of the      
,bible1 people imagine that the         
,christian's life1 after conversion1 is 
to be one of freedom from temptation and
 from all internal struggles4 ,the      
contrary fact is1 that they only really 
begin when we ourselves begin the       
,christian course with earnestness and  
sincerity4  ,if you would possess the   
safety of preparation1 you must look out
 for and expect constant temptations and
 perpetual conflicts4 ,by such means    
alone can your character be gradually   
forming into a meetness for the         
inheritance of the saints in light4#cj  
,whenever your conflicts cease1 you will
 enter into your glorious rest4 ,you    
will not be kept in a world of sin and  
sorrow one moment after that in which   
you have attained to sufficient         
,christian perfection to qualify you for

 a safe freedom from trials and         
temptations3 but as long as you remain  
in a temporal school of discipline1 your
 only safety is to feel the stretch and 
energy of a continual strife4#ca  ,if ,i
 have been at all successful in my      
endeavours to alter your views of the   
manner in which you are first to set    
about acquiring a permanent victory over
 your besetting sin1 you will be the    
more inclined to bestow your attention  
on the means which ,i am now going to   
recommend for your consequent adoption4 
,they have been often tried and proved  
effectual3 experience is their chief    
recommendation4 ,they may indeed startle
 some pious minds1 as seeming to        
encroach too far on what they think     
ought to be the unassisted work of the  
,spirit upon the human character2 but   
you are too intelligent to allow such   
assertions1 unfounded as they are on    
,scripture1 to prove much longer a      
stumbling-block in your way4 ,i would   
first of all recommend to you a very    

strict inquiry into the nature of the   
things that affect your temper1 so that 
you may be for the future on your guard 
to avoid them1 as far as lies in your   
power4 ,avoidance is always the safest  
plan when it involves no deviation from 
the straightforward path of duty2 and   
there will be enough of inevitable      
conflicts left1 to keep up the habits of
 self-control and watchfulness4 ,indeed1
 the avoidance which ,i recommend to you
 involves in itself the necessity of so 
much vigilance1 that it will help to    
prepare you for measures of more active 
resistance4 ,on this principle1 then1   
you will shrink from every species of   
discussion1 on either practical or      
abstract subjects1 which is likely to   
excite you beyond control1 and disable  
you from bearing with gentleness and    
calmness the triumph1 either real or    
imaginary1 of your opponent4 ,the time  
will come1 ,i trust1 when no subject    
need be forbidden to you on these       
grounds1 but at present you must submit 

to an invalid regimen1 and shun every   
thing that has even a tendency to       
excitement4  ,this system of avoidance  
is of the more importance1 because every
 time your ill-temper acquires the      
mastery over you1 its strength is       
tenfold increased for the next conflict1
 at the same time that your hopes of the
 power of resistance1 afforded either by
 your own will or by the assisting grace
 of ,god1 are of course weakened4 ,you  
find1 at each fall before the power of  
sin1 a greater difficulty in exercising 
faith in either human or divine means of
 improvement4 ,you do not1 indeed1 doubt
 the power of ,god1 but a disbelief     
steals over you which has equally fatal 
tendencies4 ,you allow yourself to      
indulge vague doubts of his willingness 
to help you1 or a suspicion insinuates  
itself that the ,god whom you so        
anxiously try to please would not allow 
you to fall so constantly into error1 if
 this error were of a very heinous      
nature4 ,you should be careful to shun  

any course of conduct possibly          
suggestive of such dangerous doubts4    
,you should seek to establish in your   
mind the habitual conviction that1      
victory being placed by ,god within your
 reach1 you must conquer or perish6     
,none but those who by obedience prove  
themselves children of ,god1 shall      
inherit the kingdom prepared for them   
from the foundation of the world4#cb  ,i
 have spoken of the vigilance and       
self-control required for the avoidance 
of every discussion on exciting         
subjects2 but this difficulty is small  
indeed when compared with those         
unexpected assaults on the temper which 
we are exposed to at every hour of the  
day4 ,it is to meet these with          
,christian heroism that the constant    
exertion of all our inherent and        
imparted powers is perpetually required4
 ,every device that ingenuity can       
suggest1 every practice that others have
 by experience found successful1 is at  
least worth the trial4 ,one plan of     

resistance suits one turn of mind2 an   
entirely opposite one proves more useful
 for another4 ,to you ,i should more    
especially recommend the habitual       
consideration that every trial of temper
 throughout the day is an opportunity   
for conflict and for victory4 ,think1   
then1 of every such trial as an occasion
 of triumphing over your animal nature1 
and of increasing the dominion of your  
rational will over the opposing         
temptations of the world1 the flesh1 and
 the devil4 ,consider each vexatious    
annoyance as coming1 through human      
instruments1 from the hand of ,god      
himself1 and as an opportunity offered  
by his love and his wisdom for          
strengthening your character and        
bringing your will into closer          
conformity with his4 ,you should        
cultivate the general habit of          
considering every trial in this peculiar
 point of view2 thinking over the       
subject in your quiet hours especially1 
that you may thus have your spirit      

prepared for moments of unexpected      
excitement4  ,to a person of your       
reflective turn of mind1 the prudent    
management of the thoughts is one of the
 principal means towards the proper     
government of the temper4 ,as some      
insects assume the colour of the plant  
they feed on1 so do the thoughts on     
which the mind habitually nourishes     
itself impart their own peculiar        
colouring to the mental and moral       
constitution4 ,on your thoughts1 when   
you are alone1 when you wander through  
the fields1 or by the roadside1 or sit  
at your work in useful hours of         
solitude1 depends very much the spirit  
you are of when you again enter into    
society4 ,if1 for instance1 you think   
over the trials of temper which you are 
inevitably exposed to during the day as 
indications of the unkindness of your   
fellow-creatures1 you will not fail to  
exaggerate mere trifles into serious    
offences1 and will prepare a sore place1
 as it were1 in your mind1 to which the 

slightest touch must give pain4 ,on the 
contrary1 if you forcibly withdraw      
yourself from any thought respecting the
 human instrument that has inflicted the
 wounds from which you suffer or are    
likely to suffer1--if you look upon the 
annoyance only as an opportunity of     
improvement and a message of mercy from 
,god himself1--you will then gradually  
get rid of all mental irritation1 and   
feel nothing but pity for your          
tormentors1 feeling that you have in    
reality been benefited instead of       
injured4 ,when you have acquired greater
 power of controlling your thoughts1 it 
will be serviceable to you to think over
 all the details of the annoyance from  
which you are suffering1 and to consider
 all the extenuating circumstances of   
the case2 to imagine 7this will be good 
use to make of your vivid imagination7  
what painful chord you may have         
unconsciously struck1 what circumstances
 may possibly have led the person who   
annoys you to suppose that the          

provocation originated with yourself    
instead of with her4 ,it may be possible
 that some innocent words of yours may  
have appeared to her as cutting         
insinuations or taunts1 referring to    
some former painful circumstance1       
forgotten or unknown by you1 but        
sorrowfully remembered by her1 or a     
wilful contradiction of her known       
opinion and known wishes1 for mere      
contradiction's sake4  ,by the time you 
have turned over in your mind all these 
possible or probable circumstances1 you 
will generally see that the person      
offending may really be not so much 7if 
at all7 to blame2 and then the candid   
and generous feelings of your nature    
will convert your anger into regret for 
the pain you have unintentionally       
inflicted4 ,i do not1 however1 recommend
 you to venture upon this practice yet4 
,under present circumstances1 any       
indulged reflection upon the minute     
features of the offence1 and the        
possible feelings of the offender1 will 

be more likely to increase your         
irritation than to subdue it2 you will  
not be able to view your own case       
through an unprejudiced medium1 until   
you have acquired the power of          
compelling your thoughts to dwell on    
those features only of an annoyance     
which may tend to soften your feelings1 
while you avoid all such as may irritate
 them4  ,a much lower stage of          
self-control1 and one in which you may  
immediately begin to exercise yourself1 
is the prevention of your thoughts from 
dwelling for one moment on any offence  
against you1 looking upon such offence  
in this point of view alone1 that it is 
one of those divinely-sent opportunities
 of ,christian warfare without which you
 could make no advance in the spiritual 
life4 ,the consideration of the subject 
of temper1 as connected with habits of  
thought1 on which ,i have dwelt so long 
and in so much detail1 is of the        
greatest importance4 ,it is absolutely  
impossible that you can exercise control

 over your temper1 or charitable and    
forgiving feelings toward those around  
you1 if you suffer your mind to dwell on
 what you consider their faults and your
 own injuries4 ,are you1 however1 really
 aware that you are in the habit of     
indulging such thoughts8 ,i doubt it4   
,few people observe the direction in    
which their thoughts are habitually     
exercised until they have practised for 
some little time strict watchfulness    
over those shadowy and fleeting things  
upon which most of the realities of life
 depend4 ,watch yourself1 therefore1 ,i 
entreat you1 even during this one day4  
,i ask only for one day1 because ,i know
 that1 in a character like yours1 such  
an examination1 once begun in all       
earnestness1 will only cease with life4 
,it is of sins of ignorance and         
carelessness alone that ,i accuse you2  
not of wilfully harbouring malicious and
 revengeful thoughts4 ,you have never1  
probably1 observed their existence3 how1
 then1 could you be aware of their      

tendency8 ,perhaps the following        
illustration may serve to suggest to you
 proofs of the danger of the practice ,i
 have been warning you against4 ,if one 
of your acquaintance had offended       
another1 you would feel no doubt as to  
the sinfulness and the cruelty to both  
of dwelling on all the aggravating      
circumstances of the offence1 until the 
temper of the offended one was          
thoroughly roused and exasperated1      
though1 before the interference of a    
third person1 the subject may have been 
passed over unnoticed4 ,is not this the 
very process you are continually        
carrying on in your own mind1 to your   
own injury1 indeed1 far more than to any
 one else's8 ,these habits of thought   
must be altered1 or no other measures of
 self-control can prosper with you1     
though1 in connection with this primary 
one1 many others must be adopted4  ,one 
practice that has been found beneficial 
is that of offering up a short prayer1  
even as your hand is upon the door which

 is to admit you into family            
intercourse1 an intercourse which1 more 
than any other1 involves duties and     
responsibilities as well as privileges  
and pleasures4 ,this practice could     
insure your never entering upon a scene 
of trial1 without having the subject of 
difficulty brought vividly before your  
mind4 ,david's prayer--,set a watch1 ,o 
,lord1 before my mouth2 keep the door of
 my lips#cc--would be very well suited  
to such occasions as these4 ,this prayer
 would1 at the same time1 bring you down
 help from ,heaven1 and1 by putting you 
on your guard1 rouse your own energies  
to brave any temptation that may await  
you4  ,there is another plan which has  
often been tried with success1--that of 
repeating the ,lord's prayer            
deliberately through to oneself1 before 
venturing to utter one word aloud on any
 occasion that excites the temper4 ,the 
spirit of this practice is highly       
commendable1 as1 there being no direct  
petition against the sin of ill-temper1 

it is principally by elevating the      
spirit into a higher moral atmosphere1  
that the experiment is expected to be   
successful4 ,you will find that a       
scrupulous politeness towards the       
members of your family1 and towards     
servants1 will be a great help in       
preserving your temper through the      
trials of domestic intercourse4 ,you are
 very seldom even tempted to indulge in 
irritable answers1 impatient            
interruptions1 abrupt contradictions1   
while in the society of strangers4 ,the 
reason of this is that the indulgence of
 your temper on such occasions would    
oblige you to break through the chains  
of early and confirmed habits ,from     
infancy those habits have been forming1 
and they impel you almost unconsciously 
to subdue even the very tones of your   
voice1 while strangers are present4     
,have you not sometimes in the middle of
 an irritable observation caught        
yourself changing and softening the     
harsh uncontrolled tones of your voice1 

or the roughness of your manner1 when   
you have discovered the unexpected      
presence of a stranger in the family    
circle8 ,you have still enough of       
self-respect to feel deep shame when    
such things have happened2 and the very 
moment when you are suffering from these
 feelings of shame is that in which you 
ought to form1 and begin to execute1    
resolutions of future amendment4 ,while 
under the influence of regretful        
excitement1 you will have the more      
strength to break through the chains of 
your old habits1 and to begin to form   
new ones4 ,if the same courtesy1 which  
until now you have only observed towards
 strangers1 were habitually exercised   
towards the members of your domestic    
circle1 it would1 in time1 become as    
difficult to break through the forms of 
politeness by indulging ill-temper      
towards them1 as towards strangers or   
mere acquaintance4  ,this is a point ,i 
wish to urge on you1 even more strongly 
with regard to servants4 ,there is great

 meanness in any display of ill-temper  
towards those who will probably lose    
their place and their character1 if they
 are tempted by your provocation 7and   
without your restraints of good-breeding
 and good education7 to the same display
 of ill-temper that you yourself are    
guilty of4 ,on the other hand1 there is 
no better evidence of dignity1          
self-respect1 and refined generosity of 
disposition1 than a scrupulous          
politeness in requiring and requiting   
those services for which the low-minded 
imagine that their money is a sufficient
 payment4 ,you will not alone receive as
 a recompense the love and the grateful 
respect of those who serve you1 but you 
will also be forming habits which will  
offer a powerful resistance to the      
temptations of ill-humour4  ,you will   
not surely object to any of the         
precautions or the practices recommended
 above1 that they are too trifling or   
too troublesome2 you have suffered so   
much from your besetting sin1 that ,i   

can suppose you willing to try every    
possible means of cure4  ,you should1   
however1 to strengthen your desire of   
resistance and of victory1 look much    
further than the unpleasant consequences
 of ill-temper in your own case alone4  
,you are still young1 life has gone     
prosperously with you1 the present is   
fair and smiling1 and the future full of
 bright hopes2 you have1 comparatively  
speaking1 few occasions for irritation  
or despondency4 ,a naturally warm temper
 is seen in you under the least         
forbidding aspect1 combined1 as it is1  
with gay animal spirits1 strong         
affections1 and ready good nature4 ,you 
need only to look around1 however1 to   
see the probability of things being     
quite different with you some years     
hence1 unless a thorough present change 
is effected4 ,look at those cases 7only 
too numerous and too apparent7 in which 
indulged habits of ill-temper have      
become stronger by the lapse of time1   
and are not now softened in their aspect

 by the modifying influences of youth1  
of hope1 of health4 ,see those victims  
to habitual ill-humour1 who are weighed 
down by the cares of a family1 by broken
 health1 by disappointed hopes1 by the  
inevitably accumulating sorrows of life4
 ,do you not know that they bestow      
wretchedness instead of happiness1 even 
on those who are dearest and nearest to 
them8 ,do you not know that their voice 
is dreaded and unwelcome1 as it sounds  
through their home1 deprived through    
them of the lovely peace of home8 ,is   
not their step shunned in the passage1  
or on the stairs1 in the certainty of no
 kind or cheerful greeting8 ,do you not 
observe that every subject but the most 
indifferent is avoided in their         
presence1 or kept concealed from their  
knowledge1 in the vain hope of keeping  
away food for their excitement of       
temper8 ,deprived of confidence1        
deprived of respect1 their society      
shunned even by the few who still love  
them1 the unfortunate victims of        

confirmed ill-temper may at last make   
some feeble efforts to shake off their  
voluntarily imposed yoke4  ,but1 alas6  
it is too late2 in feeble health1 in    
advanced years1 in depressed spirits1   
their powers of working together with   
,god are altogether broken4 ,they may be
 finally saved indeed1 but in this life 
they can never experience the peace that
 religion bestows on its faithful       
self-controlling followers4 ,they can   
never bestow happiness1 but always      
discomfort on those whom they best love2
 they can never glorify ,god by bringing
 forth the fruits of a meek and quiet   
spirit4 ,this is sad1 very sad1 but it  
is not the less true4 ,strange also it  
is1 in some respects1 that when sin is  
deeply mourned over and anxiously prayed
 against1 its power cannot be more      
effectually weakened4 ,this is1 however1
 an invariable feature throughout all   
the dispensations of ,god1 and you would
 do well to examine carefully into it1  
that you may add experience to your     

faith in the ,scripture assertion1 ,what
 a man soweth1 that shall he also       
reap4#cd ,may you be given grace to sow 
such present seed as may bring forth a  
harvest of peace to yourself1 and peace 
to your friends6  ,i must not forget to 
make some observations with respect to  
those physical influences which affect  
the temper and spirits4 ,it is true that
 these are1 at some times1 and for a    
short period1 altogether irresistible4  
,this is1 however1 only in the case of  
those whose character was not originally
 of sufficient force and strength to    
require much habitual self-control1 as  
long as they possessed good health and  
spirits4 ,when this original good health
 is altered in any way that alters their
 natural temper1 7all diseases1 however1
 have not this effect17 not having had  
any previous practice in resisting the  
new and unaccustomed evil1 they yield to
 it as hopelessly as they would do to   
the pain attending the gout and the     
rheumatism4 ,if1 however1 such persons  

as those above described are sincere in 
their desire to glorify ,god1 and to    
avoid disturbing the peace of those     
around them1 they will soon learn to    
make use of all the means within their  
reach to remove the moral disease1 as   
assiduously and as vigorously as they   
would labour to remove the physical one4
 ,their newly-acquired self-control will
 be blest to them in more ways than one1
 for the grace of ,god is always given  
in proportion to the need of those who  
are willing to work themselves1 and who 
have not incurred the evil they now     
struggle against1 by wilful and         
deliberate sin4 ,i have spoken of only a
 few cases of ill-temper being          
irresistible1 and even these few only to
 be considered so at first1 before      
proper means of cure and prevention are 
used4 ,under other circumstances1 though
 the ill-temper mourned over may be     
strongly influenced by physical causes1 
the sin must still remain the same as if
 the causes were strictly moral ones4   

,for instance1 if you know that by      
sitting up at night an hour or two later
 than usual1 or by not taking regular   
exercise1 or by eating of indigestible  
food1 you will put it out of your power 
to avoid being ill-tempered and         
disagreeable on the following day1 the  
failure is surely a moral one4 ,that the
 immediate causes of your ill-humour may
 be physical ones1 does not at all      
affect the matter1 seeing that such     
causes are1 in this case1 completely    
under your own control4 ,from this it   
follows that it must be a duty to watch 
carefully the effects produced on your  
temper by every habit of your life4 ,if 
you do not abandon such of these as     
produce undesirable effects1 you deserve
 to experience the consequences in the  
gradual diminution of the respect and   
affection of those who surround you4    
,should the habits producing irritation 
of temper be such as you cannot abandon 
without loss or detriment to yourself or
 others1 the object in view will be     

equally attained by exercising a more   
vigilant self-control while you are     
exposed to a dangerous influence4 ,for  
instance1 you have often heard it       
remarked1 and have perhaps observed in  
your own case1 that poetry and works of 
fiction excite and irritate the temper4 
,you may know some people who exhibit   
this influence so strongly that no one  
will venture to make them a request or  
even to apply to them about necessary   
business1 while they are engaged in the 
perusal of any thing interesting4 ,i    
know more than one excellent person1    
who1 in consequence of observing the    
effect produced on their temper1 by     
novels1 c41 have given up this style of 
reading altogether4 ,so far as the      
sacrifice was made from a conscientious 
motive1 they doubtless have their       
reward4 ,from the consequences1 however1
 ,i should be rather inclined to think  
that they were in many cases not only   
mistaken in the nature of the           
precautions they adopted1 but also in   

their motives for adopting them4 ,such  
persons too frequently seem to have no  
more control over their temper when     
exposed to other and entirely inevitable
 temptations1 than they had before the  
cultivation of their imagination was    
given up4 ,they do not1 in short1 seem  
to exercise1 under circumstances that   
cannot be escaped1 that vigilant        
self-control which would be the only    
safe test of the conscientiousness of   
their intellectual sacrifice4  ,for you1
 ,i should consider any sacrifice of the
 foregoing kind especially inexpedient4 
,your deep thoughtfulness of mind1 and  
your habitual delicacy of health1 make  
it impossible for you to give up light  
literature with any degree of safety2   
even were it right that you should      
abandon that species of mental          
cultivation which is effected by this   
most important branch of study4 ,people 
who never read difficult books1 and who 
are not of reflective habits of mind1   
can little understand the necessity that

 at times exists for entire repose to   
the higher powers of the mind--a repose 
which can be by no means so effectually 
procured as by an interesting work of   
fiction4 ,a drive in a pretty country1 a
 friendly visit1 an hour's work in the  
garden1 any of these may indeed effect  
the same purpose1 and on some occasions 
in a safer way than a novel or a poem4  
,the former1 however1 are means which   
are not always within one's reach1 which
 are impossible at seasons when entire  
rest to the mind is most required1--viz4
 during days and weeks of confinement to
 a sick and infected room4 ,at such     
periods1 it is true that the more idle  
the mind can be kept the better2 even   
the most trifling story may excite a    
dangerous exertion of its nervous       
action2 at times1 however1 when it is   
sufficiently strong and disengaged to   
feel a craving for active employment1 it
 is of great importance that the        
employment should be such as would      
involve no exercise of the higher       

intellectual faculties4 ,i have known   
serious evils result to both mind and   
body from an imprudent engagement in    
intellectual pursuits during temporary1 
and as it may often appear trifling1    
illness4 ,whenever the body is weak1 the
 mind also should be allowed to rest1 if
 the invalid be a person of thought and 
reflection2 otherwise ,butler's ,analogy
 itself would not do her any harm4 ,it  
is only ,lorsqu'il y a vie1 il y a      
danger4 ,this is a long digression1 but 
one necessary to my subject2 for ,i feel
 the importance of impressing on your   
mind that it can never be your duty to  
give up that which is otherwise         
expedient for you1 on the grounds of its
 being a cause of excitement4 ,you must 
only1 under such circumstances1 exercise
 a double vigilance over your temper4   
,thus you must try to avoid speaking in 
an irritated tone when you are          
interrupted2 you must be always ready to
 help another1 if it be otherwise       
expedient1 however deep may be the      

interest of the book in which you are   
engaged2 and1 finally1 if you are       
obliged to refuse your assistance1 you  
should make a point of expressing your  
refusal with gentleness and courtesy4   
,you should show others1 as well as be  
convinced of it yourself1 that the      
refusal to oblige is altogether         
irrespective of any effect produced on  
your temper by the studies in which you 
are engaged4 ,perhaps during the course 
of even this one day1 you may have an   
opportunity of experiencing both the    
difficulty and advantage of attending to
 the foregoing directions4  ,in         
conclusion1 ,i would remind you1 that it
 may1 some time or other1 be the will of
 ,god to afflict you with heavy and     
permanent sickness1 habitually affecting
 your temper1 generating despondency1   
impatience1 and irritation1 and making  
the whole mind1 as it were1 one vast    
sore1 shrinking in agony from every     
touch4 ,if such a trial should ever be  
allotted to you1 7and it may be sent as 

a punishment for the neglect of your    
present powers of self-control17 how    
will you be able to avoid becoming a    
torment to all around you1 and at the   
same time bringing doubt and ridicule on
 your profession of religion8  ,if1     
during your present enjoyment of mental 
and bodily health1 you do not acquire a 
mastery over your temper1 it will be    
almost impossible to do so when the     
effects of disease are added to the     
influences of nature and habit4 ,on the 
other hand1 from ,galen down to ,sir    
,henry ,halford1 there is high medical  
authority for the important fact that   
self-control acquired in health may be  
successfully exercised to subdue every  
external sign1 at least1 of the         
irritation and depression often         
considered inevitably attendant on many 
peculiar maladies4 ,there are few       
greater temporal rewards of obedience   
than the consciousness1 under such      
trying circumstances1 of still          
possessing the power of procuring peace 

for oneself1 love from one's neighbour1 
and glory to ,god4  ,remember1 finally1 
that every day and every hour you pause 
and hesitate about beginning to control 
your temper1 may probably expose you to 
years of more severe future conflict4   
,now is the accepted time1 now is the   
day of salvation1 is fully as true when 
asserted of the beginning of the slow   
moral process by which our own          
conformity to the image of the ,son is  
effected1 as of the saving moment in    
which we arise and go to our ,father4#ce
   ,,footnotes3  #be ,zach4 xiii4 #f4   
#bf ,heb4 ii4 #ah4  #bg ,james iv4 #c4  
#bh ,jer4 xliv4 #d4  #bi ,isa4 viii4    
#bj4  #cj ,col4 i4 #ab4  #ca ,archdeacon
 ,manning4  #cb ,matt4 xxv4 #bd4  #cc   
,ps4 cxli4 #c4  #cd ,gal4 vi4 #g4  #ce  
,luke xv4     ,,letter ,,iii4           
,,falsehood ,,and ,,truthfulness4   ,i  
do not accuse you of being a liar--far  
from it2 on the contrary1 ,i believe    
that if truth and falsehood were        
distinctly placed before you1 and the   

opportunity of a deliberate choice      
afforded you1 you would rather expose   
yourself to serious injury than submit  
to the guilt of falsehood4 ,it is1      
therefore1 with the more regret that    
your conscientious friends observe a    
daily-growing disregard of absolute     
truth in your statement of indifferent  
things1 and1 a plus forte raison1 in    
your statement of your own side of the  
question as opposed to that of another4 
,there are1 unfortunately1 a thousand   
opportunities and temptations to the    
exaggerated mode of expression for which
 ,i blame you2 and these temptations are
 generally of so trifling a nature1 that
 the whole energies of the conscience   
are never awakened to resist them1 as   
might be the case were the evil to      
others and the disgrace to yourself more
 strikingly manifest4 ,few people seem  
to be at all aware of the difficulties  
that really attend speaking the exact   
truth1 or they would shrink from        
indulging in any habits that            

immeasurably increase these             
difficulties1--increase it1 indeed1 to  
such a degree1 that some minds appear to
 have lost the very power of perceiving 
truth2 so that1 even when they are      
extremely anxious to be correct in their
 statement1 there is a total incapacity 
of transmitting a story to another in   
the way that they themselves received   
it4 ,this is one of the most striking   
temporal punishments of sin1--one of    
those that are the inevitable           
consequences of the sin itself1 and     
quite independent of the other          
punishments which the revealed will of  
,god attaches to it4 ,the persons of    
whom ,i speak must sooner or later      
perceive that no dependence is placed on
 their statements1 that even when       
respect and affection for their other   
good qualities may prevent a clear      
recognition of the falsehood of their   
character1 yet that they are now never  
applied to for information on any       
matters of importance4 ,perhaps1 to     

those who have any sensitiveness of     
observation1 such doubts are even the   
more painful the more vaguely they are  
implied4 ,for myself1 ,i have long      
acquired the habit of translating the   
assertions and the stories of the       
persons of whom ,i speak into the       
language in which ,i judge they         
originally existed4 ,by the aid of a    
small degree of ingenuity1 it is not    
very difficult to ascertain1 from the   
nature of the refracting medium1 the    
degree and the direction of the change  
that has taken place in the pure ray of 
truth4  ,yet such people as these often 
deserve pity as much as blame3 they are1
 perhaps1 unconscious of the degree in  
which habit has made them insensible to 
the perversion of truth in their        
statements2 and even now they scarcely  
believe that what seems to them so true 
should appear and really be false to    
others4 ,the intellectual effects of    
such habits are equally injurious with  
the moral ones4 ,all natural clearness  

and distinctness of intellect becomes   
gradually obscured2 the memory becomes  
perplexed2 the very style of writing    
acquires the taint of the perverted     
mind4 ,truth is impressed upon every    
line of ,dr4 ,arnold's vigorous diction1
 while other writers of equal1 perhaps1 
but less respectable eminence1 betray1  
even in their mode of expression1 the   
habitual want of honesty in their       
character and in their statements4  ,in 
your case1 none of the habits of which  
,i have spoken are1 as yet1 firmly      
implanted4 ,a warm temper1 ardent       
feelings1 and a vivid imagination are1  
as yet1 the only causes of your errors4 
,you have still time and power to       
struggle against them1 as the chains of 
habit have not been added to those of   
nature4 ,but1 before the struggle       
begins1 you must be convinced of its    
necessity2 and this is probably the     
point on which you are entirely         
incredulous4 ,listen to me1 then1 while 
,i help you to discover the hidden      

mysteries of a heart that is deceitful  
above all things1 and let the           
self-examination ,i urge upon you be    
prompt1 be immediate4 ,let it be        
exercised through the day that is       
coming2 watch the manner in which you   
express yourself on every subject2      
observe1 especially those temptations   
which will assail you to venture upon   
greater deviations from truth than those
 which you think you may harmlessly     
indulge in1 under the sanction of vivid 
imagination1 poetic fancy1 c4 ,this     
latter part of the examination may throw
 great light on the subject3 people are 
not assailed frequently and strongly by 
temptations that have never1 at any     
former time1 been yielded to4  ,i have  
reason to believe that1 as one of the   
preparations for such self-examination1 
you entertain a deep sense of the       
exceeding sinfulness of sin1 and feel an
 anxious desire to approve yourself as a
 faithful servant to your heavenly      
,master4 ,i do not1 therefore1 suppose  

that at present any temptation would    
induce you to incur the guilt of a      
deliberate falsehood4 ,the perception of
 moral evil may1 however1 be so blunted 
by habits of mere carelessness1 that ,i 
should have no dependence on your       
adhering for many future years to even  
this degree of plain1 downright truth1  
unless those habits are decidedly broken
 through4 ,but do not1 from this1       
imagine that ,i consider a distinct1    
decided falsehood more1 but rather less1
 dangerous for the future of your       
character than those lighter errors of  
which ,i have spoken4 ,though you may   
sink so far1 in course of time1 as to   
consider even a direct lie a very small 
transgression of the law of ,god1 you   
will never be able to persuade yourself 
that it is entirely free from sin4 ,the 
injury1 too1 to our neighbour1 of a     
direct lie1 can be so much more easily  
guarded against1 that1 for the sake of  
others1 ,i am far more earnest in       
warning you against equivocation than   

against decided falsehood4 ,it is sadly 
difficult for the injured person to ward
 off the effects of a deceitful glance1 
a misleading action1 an artful          
insinuation4 ,no earthly defence is of  
any avail here1 as the sorrows of many a
 wounded heart can testify2 but for such
 injured ones there is a sure1 though it
 may be a long-suffering1 ,defender4 ,he
 is the ,judge of all the earth2 and    
even in this world he will visit1 with a
 punishment inevitably involved in the  
consequences of their crime1 those who  
have in any manner deceived their       
neighbour to his hurt4  ,i do not1      
however1 accuse you of exaggerating or  
equivocating from malice alone3         
no1--more frequently it is for the sake 
of mere amusement1 or1 at the worst1 in 
cowardly self-defence2 that is1 you     
prefer throwing the blame by insinuation
 upon an innocent person to bearing     
courageously what you deserve yourself4 
,in most cases1 indeed1 you can plead in
 excuse that the blame is not of any    

serious nature2 that the insinuated     
accusation is slight enough to be       
entirely harmless3 so it may appear to  
you1 but so it frequently happens not to
 be4 ,this insinuated accusation1       
appearing to you so unimportant1 may    
have some peculiar relations that make  
it more injurious to the slandered one  
than the original blame could have been 
to yourself4 ,it may be the means of    
separating her from her chief friend1 or
 shaking her influence in quarters where
 perhaps it was of great importance to  
her that it should be preserved         
unimpaired4 ,when we lay sinful hands on
 the complicated machinery of ,god's    
providence1 it is impossible for us to  
see how far the derangement may extend4 
,you may1 during the course of this     
coming day1 have an opportunity of      
giving your own version of a matter in  
which another was concerned with you1   
and in which1 if the blame is thrown on 
her1 she will have no opportunity of    
defending herself4 ,be on your guard1   

then2 have a noble courage2 fear nothing
 but the meanness and the wickedness of 
accusing the absent and the defenceless4
 ,the opportunity offered you to-day of 
speaking conscientiously1 however       
trifling it may in itself appear1 may   
possibly be the turning point of your   
life2 may lead you on to future habits  
of cowardice and deceit1 or may impart  
to you new vigilance and energy for     
future victories over temptation4  ,you 
may1 also1 during the course of this    
day1 be strongly tempted as to the mode 
of repeating what another has said in   
conversation3 the slightest turn in the 
expression of the sentence1 the         
insertion or omission of one little     
word1 the change of a weaker to a       
stronger expression1 may exactly adapt  
to your purpose the sentence you are    
tempted to repeat4 ,you may also often  
be able to say to yourself that you are 
giving the impression of the real       
meaning of the speaker1 only withheld by
 herself because she had not courage to 

express it4 ,opportunities such as these
 are continually offering themselves to 
you1 and you have ingenuity enough to   
make the desired change in the repeated 
sentence so effectual1 that there will  
be no danger of contradiction1 even if  
the betrayed person should discover that
 she is called upon to defend herself4  
,i have heard this so cleverly done1    
that the success was complete1 and the  
poor slandered one lost1 in consequence1
 her admirer or her friend1 or at least 
much of her influence over them4 ,you1  
too1 may in like manner succeed3 but    
what is the loss of others in comparison
 of the penalty of your success8 ,the   
punishment of successful sin is not to  
be escaped4  ,in any of the cases ,i    
here bring forward as illustrations1 as 
helps to your self-examination1 ,i am   
not supposing that there is any         
tangible1 positive1 wilful deceit in    
your heart1 or that you deliberately    
contemplate any very serious injury     
being inflicted on the persons whose    

conversations and actions you           
misrepresent4 ,on the contrary1 ,i know 
that you are not thus hardened in sin4  
,with regard1 however1 to the deceit not
 assuming any tangible form in your own 
eyes1 you ought to remember the solemn  
words1 ,thou1 ,o ,god ,i seest me2 and  
what is sin in his eyes can only fail to
 be so in ours from the neglect of      
strict self-examination and prayer that 
the ,spirit of the ,lord may search the 
very depths of the heart4 ,sins of      
ignorance seem to assume even a deeper  
dye than others1 when the ignorance only
 arises from wilful neglect of the means
 of knowledge so abundantly and freely  
bestowed4 ,when you once begin in right 
earnest to try to speak the truth from  
your heart1 in the smallest as well as  
in the greatest things1 you will be     
surprised to find how difficult it is4  
,carelessness1 false shame1 a desire for
 admiration1 a vanity that leads you to 
disclaim any interest in that which you 
cannot obtain1--these are all           

temptations that beset your path1 and   
ought to terrify you against adding the 
chains of habit to so many other        
difficulties4  ,there is one more point 
of view in which ,i wish you to consider
 this subject2 that1 namely1 of honesty 
being the best policy4 ,there is no     
falsehood that is not found out in the  
end1 and so turned to the shame of the  
person who is guilty of it4 ,you may    
perpetually dread1 even at present1 the 
eye of the discriminating observer2 she 
can see through you1 even at the very   
moment of your committal of sin2 she    
quickly discovers that it is your habit 
to depreciate people or things1 only    
because you are not in your turn valued 
by them1 or because you cannot obtain   
them2 she can see1 in a few minutes'    
conversation1 that it is your habit to  
say that you are admired and loved1 that
 your society is eagerly sought for by  
such and such people1 whether it be the 
case or not4 ,quick observers discover  
in a first interview what others will   

not fail to discover after a time4 ,they
 will then cease to depend upon you for 
information on any subject in which your
 own interest or your vanity is         
concerned4 ,they will turn up their eyes
 in wonder1 from habit and politeness1  
not from belief4 ,they will always      
suspect some hidden motive for your     
words1 instead of the one you put       
forward2 nay1 your giving one reason for
 your actions will1 by itself alone1 set
 them on the search to discover a       
different one4 ,all this1 perhaps1 will 
in many cases take place without their  
accusing you1 even in their secret      
thoughts1 of being a liar4 ,they have   
only a vague consciousness that you are1
 it may be involuntarily1 quite         
incapable of giving correct information4
  ,the habitual1 the known              
truth-speaker1 occupies a proud         
position4 ,alas6 that it should be so   
rare4 ,alas6 that1 even among           
professedly religious people1 there     
should be so few who speak the truth    

from the heart2 so few to whom one can  
turn with a fearless confidence to ask  
for information on any points of        
personal interest4 ,i need not to be    
told that it is during childhood that   
the formation of strict habits of       
truthfulness is at once most sure and   
most easy4 ,the difficulty is indeed    
increased ten thousandfold1 when the    
neglect of parents has suffered even    
careless habits on this point to be     
contracted4 ,the difficulties1 however1 
though great1 are not insuperable to    
those who seek the freely-offered grace 
of ,god to help them in the conflict4   
,the resistance to temptation1 the      
self-control1 will indeed be more       
difficult when the effort begins later  
in life2 but the victory will be also   
the more glorious1 and the general      
effects on the character more permanent 
and beneficial4 ,not that this serves as
 any excuse for the cruel neglect of    
parents1 for they can have no certainty 
that future repentance will be granted  

for those habits of sin1 the formation  
of which they might have prevented4     
,dwelling1 however1 even in thought1 on 
the neglect of our parents can only lead
 to vain murmurings and complainings1   
and prevent the concentration of all our
 energies and interest upon the         
extirpation of the dangerous root of    
evil4  ,in this case1 as in all others1 
though the sin of the parent is surely  
visited on the children1 the very       
visitation is turned into a blessing for
 those who love ,god4 ,to such blessed  
ones it becomes the means of imparting  
greater strength and vigour to the      
character1 from the perpetual conflicts 
to which it is exposed in its efforts to
 overcome early habits of evil4  ,thus  
even sin itself is not excepted from the
 all things that work together for good 
to them that love ,god4#cf              
,,footnotes3  #cf ,rom4 viii4 #bh4      
,,letter ,,iv4  ,,envy4   ,it is1       
perhaps1 an unknown friend only who     
would venture to address a remonstrance 

to you on that particular sin which     
forms the subject of the following      
pages2 for it seems equally acknowledged
 by those who are guilty of it1 and     
those who are entirely free from its    
taint1 that there is no bad quality     
meaner1 more degrading1 than that of    
envy4 ,who1 therefore1 could venture    
openly to accuse another of such a      
failing1 however kind and disinterested 
the motive1 and still be admitted to    
rank as her friend8  ,there is1 besides1
 a strong impression that1 where this   
failing does exist1 it is so closely    
interwoven with the whole texture of the
 character1 that it can never be        
separated from it while life and this   
body of sin remain4 ,this is undoubtedly
 thus far true1 that its ramifications  
are more minute1 and more universally   
pervading1 than those of any other moral
 defect2 so that1 on the one hand1 while
 even an anxious and diligent           
self-examination cannot always detect   
their existence1 so1 on the other1 it is

 scarcely possible for its victims to be
 excited by an emotion of any nature    
with which envy will not1 in some manner
 or other1 connect itself4 ,it is still 
further true1 that no vice can be more  
difficult of extirpation1 the form it   
assumes being seldom sufficiently       
tangible to allow of the whole weight of
 religious and moral motives being      
brought to bear upon it4 ,but the       
greatest difficulty of all is1 in my    
mind1 the inadequate conception of the  
exceeding evil of this disposition1 of  
the misery it entails on ourselves1 the 
danger and the constant annoyance to    
which it exposes all connected with us4 
,few would recognise their own picture1 
however strong the likeness in fact     
might be1 in the following vivid        
description of ,lavater's3--,lorsque je 
cherche a representer ,satan1 je me     
figure une personne que les bonnes      
qualites d'autrui font souffrir1 et qui 
se rejouit des fautes et des malheurs du
 prochain4  ,analyze strictly1 however1 

during even this one day1 the feelings  
that have given you the most annoyance1 
and the contemplated or executed        
measures of deed or word to which those 
feelings have prompted you1 and you must
 plead guilty to the heinous charge of  
rejoicing at your brother's faults and  
misfortunes4 ,it is not so much1 indeed1
 with relation to important matters that
 this feeling is excited within you4 ,if
 you hear of your friends being left    
large fortunes1 or forming connections  
calculated to promote their happiness1  
you are not annoyed or grieved3 you may 
even1 perhaps1 experience some          
sensations of pleasure4 ,if1 however1   
the circumstances of good fortune are   
brought more home to yourself1 perhaps  
into collision with yourself1 by being  
of a more trifling nature1 you often    
experience a regret or annoyance at the 
success or the happiness of others1     
which would be ludicrous1 if it were not
 so wicked4 ,neither is there any vice  
which displays itself so readily to the 

keen eye of observation3 even when the  
guarded tongue restrains the disclosure1
 the expression of the lip and eye is   
unmistakeable1 and gradually impresses a
 character on the countenance which     
remains at times when the feeling itself
 is quite dormant4 ,only contemplate    
your case in this point of view3 is it  
not1 when dispassionately considered1   
shocking to think1 that when a stranger 
hopes to gratify you by the praise1 the 
judicious and well-merited praise1 of   
your dearest friend1 a pang is inflicted
 on you by the very words that ought to 
sound as pleasant music in your ears8 ,i
 have even heard some persons so        
incautious1 under such circumstances1 as
 to qualify the praise that gives them  
pain1 by detracting from the merits of  
the person under discussion1 though that
 person be their particular friend4     
,this is done in a variety of ways3 her 
merits and advantages may be accounted  
for by the peculiarly favouring         
circumstances in which she has been     

placed2 or different disparaging        
opinions entertained of her1 by other   
people better qualified to judge1 may   
also be mentioned4 ,now1 many persons   
thus imprudent are by no means utterly  
foolish at other times2 yet1 in the     
moment of temptation from their         
besetting sin1 they do not observe how  
inevitable it is that the stranger so   
replied to should immediately detect    
their unamiable motives1 and estimate   
them accordingly4  ,you will not1       
perhaps1 fall into so open a snare1 for 
you have sufficient tact and quickness  
of perception to know that1 under such  
circumstances1 you must1 on your own    
account1 bury in your bosom those       
emotions of pain which ,i much fear you 
will generally feel4 ,it is not1        
however1 the outward expression of such 
emotions1 but their inward experience1  
which is the real question we are       
considering1 both as regards your       
present happiness and your eternal      
interest4 ,ask yourself whether it is a 

pleasurable sensation1 or the contrary1 
when those you love 7,i am still putting
 a strong case7 are admired and         
appreciated1 ire held up as examples of 
excellence8 ,if you love truly1 if you  
are free from envy1 such praise will be 
far sweeter to your ears than any       
bestowed on yourself could ever be4     
,indeed1 it might be considered a       
sufficient punishment for this vice1 to 
be deprived of the deep and virtuous    
sensation of delight experienced by the 
loving heart when admiration is warmly  
expressed for the objects of their      
affection4  ,there has been a time when 
,i should have scornfully rejected the  
supposition that such a failing as envy 
could exist in companionship with aught 
that was loveable or amiable4 ,more     
observation of character has1 however1  
given me the unpleasant conviction that 
it occasionally may be found in the     
close neighbourhood of contrasting      
excellences4 ,alas6 instead of being    
concealed or gradually overgrown by     

them1 it1 on the contrary1 spreads its  
deadly blight over any noble features   
that may have originally existed in the 
character4 ,nothing but the severest    
discipline1 external and internal1 can  
arrest this1 its natural course4  ,when 
you were younger1 the feelings which ,i 
now warn you against were called        
jealousy1 and even now some indulgent   
friends may continue to give them this  
false name4 ,do not you suffer the      
dangerous delusion6 ,have the courage to
 place your feelings in all their       
natural deformity before you1 and this  
sight will give you energy to pursue any
 regimen1 however severe1 that may be   
required to subdue them4  ,i do really  
believe that it is the false name of    
jealousy that prevents many an early    
struggle against the real vice of envy4 
,i have heard young women even boast of 
the jealousy of their disposition1      
insinuating that it was to be considered
 as a proof of warm feelings and an     
affectionate heart4 ,perhaps genuine    

jealousy may deserve to be so           
considered3 the anxious watching over   
even imaginary diminution of affection  
or esteem in those we love and respect1 
the vigilance to detect the slightest   
external manifestation of any diminution
 in their tenderness and regard1 though 
proving a deficiency in that noble faith
 which is the surest safeguard and the  
firmest foundation of love and          
friendship1 may1 in some cases1 be an   
evidence of affection and warmth in the 
disposition and the heart4 ,so close1   
however1 is the connection between envy 
and jealousy1 that the latter in one    
moment may change into the former4 ,the 
most watchful circumspection1 therefore1
 is required1 lest that which is1 even  
in its best form1 a weakness and an     
instrument of misery to ourselves and   
others1 should still further degenerate 
into a meanness and a vice2--as1 for    
instance1 when you fear that the person 
you love may be induced1 by seeing the  
excellences of another1 to withdraw from

 you some of the time1 admiration1 and  
affection you wish to be exclusively    
bestowed upon yourself4 ,in this case1  
there is a strong temptation to display 
the failings of the dreaded rival1 or1  
at the best1 to feel no regret at their 
chance display4 ,under such             
circumstances1 even the excusable       
jealousy of affection passes over into  
the vice of envy4 ,the connection       
between them is1 indeed1 dangerously    
close2 but it is easy to trace the      
boundary line1 if we are inclined to do 
so4 ,jealousy is contented with the     
affection and admiration of those it    
loves and respects2 envy is in despair1 
if those whom it despises bestow the    
least portion of attention or admiration
 on those whom perhaps she despises     
still more4 ,jealousy inquires only into
 the feelings of the few valued ones2   
envy makes no distinction in her        
cravings for universal preference4 ,the 
very attentions and admiration which    
were considered valueless1 nay1         

troublesome1 as long as they were       
bestowed on herself1 become of exceeding
 importance when they are transferred to
 another4 ,envy would make use of any   
means whatever to win back the friend or
 the admirer whose transferred          
attentions were affording pleasure to   
another4 ,the power of inflicting pain  
and disappointment on one whose         
superiority is envied1 bestows on the   
object of former indifference1 or even  
contempt1 a new and powerful attraction4
 ,this is very wicked1 very mean1 you   
will say1 and shrink back in horror from
 the supposition of any resemblance to  
such characters as those ,i have just   
described4 ,alas6 your indignation may  
be honest1 but it is without foundation4
 ,already those earlier symptoms are    
constantly appearing1 which1 if not     
sternly checked1 must in time grow into 
hopeless deformity of character4 ,there 
is nothing that undermines all virtuous 
and noble qualities more surely or more 
insidiously than the indulged vice of   

envy4 ,its unresisting victims become1  
by degrees1 capable of every species of 
detraction1 until they lose even the    
very power of perceiving that which is  
true4 ,they become1 too1 incapable of   
all generous self-denial and            
self-sacrifice2 feelings of bitterness  
towards every successful rival 7and     
there are few who may not be our rivals 
on some one point or other7 gradually   
diffuse themselves throughout the heart1
 and leave no place for that love of our
 neighbour which the ,scriptures have   
stated to be the test of love to        
,god4#cg  ,unlike most other vices1 envy
 can never want an opportunity of       
indulgence2 so that1 unless it is early 
detected and vigilantly controlled1 its 
rapid growth is inevitable4  ,early     
detection is the first point2 and in    
that ,i am most anxious to assist you4  
,perhaps1 till now1 the possibility of  
your being guilty of the vice of envy   
has never entered your thoughts4 ,when  
any thing resembling it has forced      

itself on your notice1 you have probably
 given it the name of jealousy1 and have
 attributed the painful emotions it     
excited to the too tender               
susceptibilities of your nature4        
,ridiculous as such self-deception is1  
,i have seen too many instances of it to
 doubt the probability of its existing  
in your case4  ,i am not1 in general1 an
 advocate for the minute analysis of    
mental emotions3 the reality of them    
most frequently evaporates during the   
process1 as in anatomy the principle of 
life escapes during the most vigilant   
anatomical examination4 ,in the case1   
however1 of seeking the detection of a  
before unknown failing1 a strict mental 
inquiry must necessarily be instituted4 
,the many great dangers of mental       
anatomy may be partly avoided by        
confining your observations to the      
external symptoms1 instead of to the    
state of mind from whence they proceed4 
,this will be the safer as well as the  
more effectual mode of bringing         

conviction home to your mind4 ,for      
instance1 ,i would have you watch the   
emotions excited when enthusiastic      
praise is bestowed upon another1 with   
relation to those very qualities you are
 the most anxious should be admired in  
yourself4 ,when the conversation or the 
accomplishments of another fix the      
attention which was withheld from your  
own1--when the opinion of another1 with 
whom you fancy yourself on an equality1 
is put forward as deserving of being    
followed in preference to your own1 ,i  
can imagine you possessed of sufficient 
self-respect to restrain any external   
tokens of envy3 you will not insinuate1 
as meaner spirits would do1 that the    
beauty1 or the dress1 or the            
accomplishments so highly extolled are  
preserved1 cherished1 and cultivated at 
the expense of time1 kindly feelings1   
and the duty of almsgiving--that the    
conversation is considered by many      
competent judges flippant1 or pedantic1 
or presuming--that the opinion cannot be

 of much value when the conduct has been
 in some instances so deficient in      
prudence4  ,these are all remarks which 
envy may easily find an opportunity of  
insinuating against any of its rivals2  
but1 as ,i said before1 ,i imagine that 
you have too much self-respect to       
manifest openly such feelings1 to reveal
 such meanness to the eyes of man4      
,alas6 you have not an equal fear of the
 all-seeing eye of ,god4 ,what ,i       
apprehend most for you is the allowing  
yourself to cherish secretly all these  
palliative circumstances1 that you may  
thus reconcile yourself to a superiority
 that mortifies you4 ,if you habitually 
allow yourself in this practice1 it will
 be almost impossible to avoid feeling  
pleasure instead of pain when these same
 circumstances happen to be pointed out 
by others1 and when you have thus all   
the benefit1 and none of the guilt or   
shame1 of the disclosure4 ,when envy is 
freely allowed to take these two first  
steps1 a further progress is inevitable4

 ,self-respect itself will not long     
preserve you from outward demonstrations
 of that which is inwardly indulged1 and
 you are sure to become in time the     
object of just contempt and ridicule4   
,it will soon be well known that the    
surest way to inflict pain upon you is  
to extol the excellences or to dwell on 
the happiness of others1 and your       
failings will be considered an amusing  
subject for jesting observation to      
experimentalize upon4 ,i have often     
watched the downward progress ,i have   
just described2 and1 unless the grace of
 ,god1 working with your own vigorous   
self-control1 should alter your present 
frame of mind1 ,i can see no reason why 
you should escape when others inevitably
 fall4  ,the circumstance in which this 
vice manifests itself most painfully and
 most dangerously is that of a large    
family4 ,how deplorable is it1 when1    
instead of making each separate interest
 the interest of the whole1 and         
rejoicing in the love and admiration    

bestowed on each separate individual1 as
 if it were bestowed on the whole1 such 
love and such admiration excite1 on the 
contrary1 irritation and regret4  ,among
 children1 this evil seldom attracts    
notice2 if one girl is praised for      
dancing or singing much better than her 
sister1 and the sister taunted into     
further efforts by insulting            
comparisons1 the poor mistaken parent   
little thinks that1 in the pain she     
inflicts on the depreciated child1 she  
is implanting a perennial root of danger
 and sorrow4 ,the child may cry and sob 
at the time1 and afterward feel         
uncomfortable in the presence of one    
whose superiority has been made the     
means of worrying her2 and1 if envious  
by nature1 she will probably take the   
first opportunity of pointing out to the
 teachers any little error of her       
sister's4 ,the permanent injury1        
however1 remains to be effected when    
they both grow to woman's estate2 the   
envious sister will then take every     

artful opportunity of lessening the     
influence of the one who is considered  
her superior1 of insinuating charges    
against her to those whose good opinion 
they both value the most4 ,and she is   
only too easily successful2 she is      
successful1 that success may bring upon 
her the penalty of her sin1 for ,heaven 
is then the most incensed against us    
when our sin appears to prosper4        
,various and inexhaustible are the mere 
temporal punishments of this sin of     
envy2 of the sin which deprives another 
of even one shade of the influence1     
admiration1 and affection1 they would   
otherwise have enjoyed4  ,if the        
preference of a female friend excites   
angry and jealous feelings1 the         
attentions of an admirer are probably   
still more envied4 ,in some unhappy     
families1 one may observe the beginning 
of any such attentions by the vigilant  
depreciation of the admirer1 and the    
anxious manoeuvres to prevent any       
opportunities of cultivating the        

detected preference4 ,what prosperity   
can be hoped for to a family in which   
the supposed advantage and happiness of 
one individual member is feared and     
guarded against1 instead of being       
considered an interest belonging to the 
whole8 ,you will be shocked at such     
pictures as these3 alas6 that they      
should be so frequent even in domestic  
,england1 the land of happy homes and   
strong family ties4 ,you are of course  
still more shocked at hearing that ,i   
attribute to yourself any shade of so   
deadly a vice as that above described2  
and as long as you do not attribute it  
to yourself1 my warning voice will be   
raised in vain3 ,i am not1 however1     
without hope that the vigilant          
self-examination1 which your real wish  
for improvement will probably soon      
render habitual1 may open your eyes to  
your danger while it can still be easily
 averted4 ,supposing this to be the     
case1 ,i would earnestly suggest to you 
the following means of cure4 ,first1    

earnest prayer against this particular  
sin1 earnest prayer to be brought into a
 higher moral atmosphere1 one of        
unfeigned love to our neighbour1 one of 
rejoicing with all who do rejoice1 and  
weeping with those who weep4 ,this      
general habit is of the greatest        
importance to cultivate3 we should      
strive naturally and instinctively to   
feel pleasure when another is loved1 or 
praised1 or fortunate2 we should try to 
strengthen our sympathies1 to make the  
feelings of others1 as much as possible1
 our own4 ,many an early emotion of envy
 might be instantly checked by throwing 
one's self into the position of the     
envied one1 and exerting the imagination
 to conceive vividly the pleasure or the
 pain she must experience3 this will1   
even at the time1 make us forgetful of  
self1 and will gradually bring us into  
the habit of feeling for the pain and   
pleasure of others1 as if we really     
believed them to be members of the same 
mystical body4#ch ,we should1 in the    

next place1 attack the symptoms of the  
vice we wish to eradicate2 we should    
seek by reasonable considerations to    
realize the absurdity of our envy3 for  
this1 nothing is more essential than the
 ascertaining of our own level1 and     
fairly making up our minds to the       
certain superiority of others4 ,as soon 
as this is distinctly acknowledged1 much
 of the pain of the inferior estimation 
in which we are held will be removed3   
,there is no disgrace in being eclipsed 
by ,jupiter4 ,next1 let us examine into 
the details of the law of               
compensation--one which is never        
infringed2 let us consider that the very
 superiority of others involves many    
unpleasantnesses1 of a kind1 perhaps1   
the most disagreeable to us4 ,for       
instance1 it often involves the         
necessity of a sacrifice of time and    
feelings1 and almost invariably creates 
an isolation1--consequences from which  
we1 perhaps1 should fearfully shrink4   
,on the brilliant conversationist is    

inflicted the penalty of never enjoying 
a rest in society3 her expected         
employment is to amuse others1 not      
herself2 the beauty is the dread of all 
the jealous wives and anxious mothers1  
and the object of a notice which is     
almost incompatible with happiness3 ,i  
never saw a happy beauty1 did you8 ,the 
great genius is shunned and feared by1  
perhaps1 the very people whom she is    
most desirous to attract2 the exquisite 
musician is asked into society en       
artiste1 expected to contribute a       
certain species of amusement1 the world 
refusing to receive any other from her4 
,the woman who is surrounded by admirers
 is often wearied to death of attentions
 which lose all their charm with their  
novelty1 and which frequently serve to  
deprive her of the only affection she   
really values4 ,experience will convince
 you of the great truth1 that there is a
 law of compensation in all things4 ,the
 same law also holds good with regard to
 the preferences shown to those who have

 no superiority over us1 who are nothing
 more than our equals in beauty1 in     
cleverness1 in accomplishments4 ,if     
,ellen ,b4 or ,lydia ,c4 is liked more  
than you are by one person1 you1 in your
 turn1 will be preferred by another2 no 
one who seeks for affection and         
approbation1 and who really deserves it1
 ever finally fails of acquiring it4    
,you have no right to expect that every 
one should like you the best3 if you    
considered such expectations in the     
abstract1 you would be forced to        
acknowledge their absurdity4 ,besides1  
would it not be a great annoyance to you
 to give up your time and attention to  
conversing with1 or writing to1 the very
 people whose preference you envy for   
,ellen ,b4 or ,lydia ,c48 ,they are     
suited to each other1 and like each     
other3 in good time1 you will meet with 
people who suit you1 and who will       
consequently like you2 nay1 perhaps at  
this present moment1 you may have many  
friends who delight in your society1 and

 admire your character3 will you lose   
the pleasure which such blessings are   
intended to confer1 by envying the      
preferences shown to others8 ,bring the 
subject distinctly and clearly home to  
your mind4 ,whenever you feel an emotion
 of pain1 have the courage to trace it  
to its source1 place this emotion in all
 its meanness before you1 then think how
 ridiculous it would appear to you if   
you contemplated it in another4         
,finally1 ask yourself whether there can
 be any indulgence of such feelings in a
 heart that is bringing into captivity  
every thought to the obedience of       
,christ1--whether there can be any room 
for them in a temple of ,god wherein the
 spirit of ,god dwelleth4#ci            
,,footnotes3  #cg #a ,john iii4  #ch #a 
,cor4 xii4 #be1 #bf4  #ci ,cor4 iii4    
#af4     ,,letter ,v4  ,,selfishness    
,,and ,,unselfishness4   ,this is a     
difficult subject to address you upon1  
and one which you will probably reject  
as unsuited to yourself4 ,there are few 

qualities that the possessor is less    
likely to be conscious of than either   
selfishness or unselfishness2 because   
the actions proceeding from either are  
so completely instinctive1 so           
unregulated by any appeal to principle1 
that they never1 in the common course of
 things1 attract any particular notice4 
,we go on1 therefore1 strengthening     
ourselves in the habits of either1 until
 a double nature1 as it were1 is formed1
 overlaying the first1 and equally      
powerful with it4 ,how unlovely is this 
in the case of selfishness1 even where  
there are1 besides1 fine and striking   
features in the general character1 and  
how lovely in the case of unselfishness1
 even when1 as too frequently happens1  
there is little comparative strength or 
nobleness in its intellectual and moral 
accompaniments6  ,you are now young1 you
 are affectionate1 good-natured1        
obliging1 possessed of gay and happy    
spirits1 and a sweetness of temper that 
is seldom seen united with so much      

sparkling wit and lively sensibilities4 
,altogether1 then1 you are considered a 
very attractive person1 and1 in the love
 which all those qualities have won for 
you from those around you1 may bring    
forward strong evidence against my      
charge of selfishness4 ,but is not this 
love more especially felt by those who  
are not brought into daily and hourly   
collision with you4 ,they only see you  
bright with good-humour1 ready to talk1 
to laugh1 and to make merry with them in
 any way they please4 ,they therefore1  
in all probability1 do not think you    
selfish4 ,are you certain1 however1 that
 the estimate formed of you by your     
nearest relatives will not be the       
estimate formed of you by even          
acquaintance some years hence1 when     
lessened good-humour and strengthened   
habits of selfishness have brought out  
into more striking relief the natural   
faults of your character8  ,the         
selfishness of the gay1 amusing1        
good-humoured girl is often unobserved1 

almost always tolerated2 but when youth1
 beauty1 and vivacity are gone1 the vice
 appears in its native deformity1 and   
she who indulges it becomes as unlovely 
as unloved4 ,it is for the future you   
have cause to fear1--a future for which 
you are preparing gloom and dislike by  
the habits you are now forming in the   
small details of daily life1 as well as 
in the pleasurable excitements of social
 intercourse4 ,as ,i said before1 these1
 at present almost imperceptible1 habits
 are unheeded by those who are only your
 acquaintance3 but they are not the less
 sowing the seeds of future unhappiness 
for you4 ,you will1 assuredly1 at some  
period or other1 reap in dislike what   
you are now sowing in selfishness4 ,if1 
however1 the warning voice of an unknown
 friend is attended to1 there is yet    
time to complete a comparatively easy   
victory over this1 your besetting sin2  
while1 on the contrary1 every week and  
every month's delay1 by riveting more   
strongly the chains of habit1 increases 

at once your difficulties and your      
consequent discouragement4  ,this day1  
this very hour1 the conflict ought to   
begin3 but1 alas6 how may this be1 when 
you are not yet even aware of the       
existence of that danger which ,i warn  
you4 ,it is most truly a part of sin to 
be unconscious of itself4#dj ,it will   
also be doubly difficult to effect the  
necessary preliminary of convincing you 
of selfishness1 when ,i am so situated  
as not to be able to point out to you   
with certainty any particular act       
indicative of the vice in question4     
,this obliges me to enter into more     
varied details1 to touch a thousand     
different strings1 in the hope that1    
among so many1 ,i may by chance touch   
upon the right one4  ,now1 it is a      
certain fact1 that in such inquiries as 
the present1 our enemies may be of much 
more use to us than our friends4 ,they  
may1 they generally do1 exaggerate our  
faults1 but the exaggeration gives them 
a relief and depth of colouring which   

may enable the accusation to force its  
way through the dimness and             
heavy-sightedness of our self-deception4
 ,examine yourself1 then1 with respect  
to those accusations which others bring 
against you in moments of anger and     
excitement2 place yourself in the       
situation of the injured party1 and ask 
yourself whether you would not attach   
tho blame of selfishness to similar     
conduct in another person4 ,for         
instance1 you may perhaps be seated in a
 comfortable chair by a comfortable     
fire1 reading an interesting book1 and a
 brother or sister comes in to request  
that you will help them in packing      
something1 or writing something that    
must be finished at a certain time1 and 
that cannot be done without your        
assistance3 the interruption alone1 at a
 critical part of the story1 or in the  
middle of an abstruse and interesting   
argument1 is enough to irritate your    
temper and to disqualify you for        
listening with an unprejudiced ear to   

the request that is made to you4 ,you   
answer1 probably1 in a tone of          
irritation2 you say that it is          
impossible1 that the business ought to  
have been attended to earlier1 and that 
they could then have concluded it       
without your assistance2 or perhaps you 
rise and go with them1 and execute the  
thing to be done in a most ungracious   
manner1 with a pouting lip and a surly  
tone1 insinuating1 too1 for days        
afterwards1 how much you had been       
annoyed and inconvenienced4 ,the case   
would have been different if a stranger 
had made the request of you1 or a       
friend1 or any one but a near and       
probably very dear relative4 ,in the    
former case1 there would have been1     
first1 the excitement which always in   
some degree distinguishes social from   
mere family intercourse2 there would    
have been the wish to keep up their good
 opinion of your character1 which they  
may have been deluded into considering  
the very reverse of unselfish4 ,lastly1 

their thanks would of course be more    
warm than those which you are likely to 
receive from a relative1 7who           
instinctively feels it to be your duty  
to help in the family labours17 and thus
 your vanity would have been            
sufficiently gratified to reconcile you 
to the trouble and interruption to which
 you had been exposed4  ,still further1 
it is1 perhaps1 only to your own family 
that you would have indulged in that    
introductory irritation of which ,i have
 spoken4 ,we have all witnessed cases in
 which inexcusable excitement has been  
displayed towards relatives or servants 
who have announced unpleasant           
interruptions1 in the shape of an       
unwelcome visitor2 while the moment     
afterwards the real offender has been   
greeted with an unclouded brow and a    
warm welcome1 she not having the        
misfortune of being so closely connected
 with you as the innocent victim of your
 previous ill-temper4  ,i enter into    
these details1 not because they are     

necessarily connected with selfishness1 
for many unselfish1 generous-minded     
people are the unfortunate victims of   
ill-temper1 to which vice the preceding 
traits of character more peculiarly     
belong2 but for the purpose of showing  
you that your conduct towards strangers 
can be no test of your unselfishness4   
,it is only in the more trying details  
of daily life that the existence of the 
vice or the virtue can be evidenced4 ,it
 is1 nevertheless1 upon qualities so    
imperceptible to yourself as to require 
this close scrutiny that most of the    
happiness and comfort of domestic life  
depends4  ,you know the story of the    
watch that had been long out of order1  
and the cause of its irregularity not to
 be discovered4 ,at length1 one         
watchmaker1 more ingenious than the     
rest1 suggested that a magnet might1 by 
some chance1 have touched the           
mainspring4 ,this was ascertained by    
experiment to have been the case2 the   
casual and temporary neighbourhood of a 

magnet had deranged the whole           
complicated machinery3 and on equally   
imperceptible1 often undiscoverable1    
trifles does the healthy movement of the
 mainspring of domestic happiness       
depend4 ,observe1 then1 carefully1 every
 irregularity in its motion1 and        
exercise your ingenuity to discover the 
cause in good time2 the derangement may 
otherwise soon become incurable1 both by
 the strengthening of your own habits1  
and the dispositions towards you which  
they will impress on the minds of       
others4  ,do let me entreat you1 then1  
to watch yourself during the course of  
even this one day1--first1 for the      
purpose of ascertaining whether my      
accusation of selfishness is or is not  
well founded1 and afterwards1 for the   
purpose of seeking to eradicate from    
your character every taint of so        
unlovely1 and1 for the credit of the    
sex1 ,i may add1 so unfeminine a        
failing4  ,before we proceed further on 
this subject1 ,i must attempt to lay    

down a definition of selfishness1 lest  
you should suppose that ,i am so        
mistaken as to confound with the vice   
above named that self-love1 which is at 
once an allowable instinct and a        
positive duty4  ,selfishness1 then1 ,i  
consider as a perversion of the natural 
and divinely-impressed instinct of      
self-love4 ,it is a desire for things   
which are not really good for us1       
followed by an endeavour to obtain those
 things to the injury of our            
neighbour4#da ,where a sacrifice which  
benefits your neighbour can inflict no  
real injury on yourself1 it would be    
selfishness not to make the sacrifice4  
,on the contrary1 where either one or   
the other must suffer an equal injury1  
7equal in all points of view--in        
permanence1 in powers of endurance1 c417
 self-love requires that you should here
 prefer yourself4 ,you have no right to 
sacrifice your own health1 your own     
happiness1 or your own life1 to preserve
 the health1 or the life1 or the        

happiness of another2 for none of these 
things are your own3 they are only      
entrusted to your stewardship1 to be    
made the best use of for ,god's glory4  
,your health is given you that you may  
have the free disposal of all your      
mental and bodily powers to employ them 
in his service2 your happiness1 that you
 may have energy to diffuse peace and   
cheerfulness around you2 your life1 that
 you may work out your salvation with   
fear and trembling4 ,we read of fine    
sacrifices of the kind ,i deprecate in  
novels and romances3 we may admire them 
in heathen story2 but with such         
sacrifices the real ,christian has no   
concern4 ,he must not give away that    
which is not his own4 ,ye are bought    
with a price3 therefore glorify ,god in 
your body1 and in your spirit1 which are
 ,god's4#db  ,in the case of a sacrifice
 of life--one which1 of course1 can very
 rarely occur1--the dangerous results of
 thus1 as it were1 taking events out of 
the hand of ,god cannot be always       

visible to our sight at present3 we     
should1 however1 contemplate what they  
might possibly be4 ,let us1 then1       
consider the injury that may result to  
the self-sacrificer1 throughout the     
countless ages of eternity1 from the    
loss of that working-time of hours1     
days1 and years1 wilfully flung from him
 for the uncertain benefit of another4  
,yes1 uncertain1 for the person may at  
that time have been in a state of       
greater meetness for heaven than he will
 ever again enjoy3 there may be future  
fearful temptations1 and consequent     
falling into sin1 from which he would   
have been preserved if his death had    
taken place when the providence of ,god 
seemed to will it4 ,of course1 none of  
us can1 by the most wilful disobedience1
 dispose events in any way but exactly  
that which his hand and his counsel have
 determined before the foundation of the
 world2#dc but when we go out of the    
narrow path of duty1 we attempt1 as far 
as in us lies1 to reverse his           

unchangeable decrees1 and we have our   
reward2 we mar our own welfare1 and that
 of others1 when we make any effort to  
take the providing for it out of the    
hands of the ,omnipotent4  ,it is1      
however1 only for the establishment of a
 principle that it could be necessary to
 discuss the duties involved in such    
rare emergencies4 ,i shall therefore    
proceed without further delay to the    
more common sacrifices of which ,i have 
spoken1 and explain to you what ,i mean 
by such sacrifices4  ,i have alluded to 
those of health and happiness4 ,we have 
all known the first wilfully thrown away
 by needless attendance on such sick    
friends as would have been equally well 
taken care of had servants or hired     
nurses shared in the otherwise          
overpowering labour4 ,often is this     
labour found to incapacitate the        
nurse-tending friend for fulfilling     
towards the convalescent those offices  
in which no menial could supply her     
place --such as the cheering of the     

drooping spirit1 the selection and      
patient perusal of amusing books1 an    
animated1 amusing companionship in their
 walks and drives1 the humouring of     
their sick fancy--a sickness that often 
increases as that of the body decreases4
 ,for all these trying duties1 during   
the often long and always painfully     
tedious period of convalescence1 the    
nightly watcher of the sick-bed has1 it 
is most likely1 unfitted herself4 ,the  
affection and devotion which were       
useless and unheeded during days and    
nights of stupor and delirium have      
probably by this time worn out the weak 
body which they have been exciting to   
efforts beyond its strength1 so that it 
is now incapable of more useful         
demonstrations of attachment4 ,far be it
 from me to depreciate that fond1       
devoted watching of love1 which is      
sometimes even a compensation to the    
invalid for the sufferings of sickness1 
at periods1 too1 when hired attendance  
could not be tolerated4 ,here woman's   

love and devotion are often brightly    
shown4 ,the natural impulses of her     
heart lead her to trample under foot all
 consideration of personal danger1      
fatigue1 or weakness1 when the need of  
her loved ones demands her exertions4   
,this1 however1 is comparatively easy2  
it is only following the instincts of   
her loving nature never to leave the    
sick room1 where all her anxiety1 all   
her hopes and fears are centred1--never 
to breathe the fresh air of             
heaven1--never to mingle in the social  
circle1--never to rest the weary limbs1 
or close the languid eye4 ,the          
excitement of love and anxiety makes all
 this easy as long as the anxiety itself
 lasts3 but when danger is removed1 and 
the more trying duties of tending the   
convalescent begin1 the genuine devotion
 of self-denial and unselfishness is put
 to the test4  ,nothing is more         
difficult than to bear with patience the
 apparently unreasonable depression and 
ever-varying whims of the peevish       

convalescent1 whose powers of           
self-control have been prostrated by    
long bodily exhaustion4 ,nothing is more
 trying than to find anxious exertions  
for their comfort and amusement1 either 
entirely unnoticed and useless1 or met  
with petulant contradiction and         
ungrateful irritation4 ,those who have  
themselves experienced the helplessness 
caused by disease well know how bitterly
 the trial is shared by the invalid     
herself4 ,how deeply she often mourns   
over the unreasonableness and irritation
 she is without power to control1 and   
what tears of anguish she sheds in      
secret over those acts of neglect and   
words of unkindness her own ill-humour  
and apparent ingratitude have           
unintentionally provoked4  ,those who   
feel the sympathy of experience will    
surely wish1 under all such             
circumstances1 to exercise untiring     
patience and unremitting attention2 but1
 however strong this wish may be1 they  
cannot execute their purpose if their   

own health has been injured by previous 
unnecessary watchings1 by exclusion from
 fresh air and exercise4 ,those whose   
nervous system has been thus unstrung   
will never be equal to the painful      
exertion which the recovering invalid   
now requires4 ,how much better it would 
have been for her if walks and sleep had
 been taken at times when an attentive  
nurse would have done just as well to   
sit at the bedside1 when absence would  
have been unnoticed1 or only temporarily
 regretted6 ,this prudent1 and1 we must 
remember1 generally self-denying care of
 one's self1 would have averted the     
future bodily illness or nervous        
depression of the nurse of the          
convalescent1 at a time too when the    
latter has become painfully alive to    
every look and word1 as well as act1 of 
diminished attention and watchfulness2  
you will surely feel deep self-reproach 
if1 from any cause1 you are unable to   
control your own temper1 and to bear    
with cheerful patience the petulance of 

hers4  ,i have dwelt so long on this    
part of my subject1 because ,i think it 
very probable that1 with your warm      
affections1 and before your selfishness 
has been hardened by habits of          
self-indulgence1 you might some time or 
other fall into the error ,i have been  
describing4 ,in the ardour of your      
anxiety for some beloved relative1 you  
may be induced to persevere in such     
close attendance on the sick-bed as may 
seriously injure your own health1 and   
unfit you for more useful1 and certainly
 more self-denying exertion afterwards4 
,how much easier is it to spend days and
 nights by the sick-bed of one from whom
 we are in hourly dread of a final      
separation1 whose helpless and suffering
 state excites the strongest feelings of
 compassion and anxiety1 than to sit by 
the sofa1 or walk by the side1 of the   
same invalid when she has regained just 
sufficient strength to experience       
discomfort in every thing2--when she    
never finds her sofa arranged or placed 

to her satisfaction2 is never pleased   
with the carriage1 or the drive1 or the 
walk you have chosen2 is never          
interested in the book or the           
conversation with which you anxiously   
and laboriously try to amuse her4 ,here 
it is that woman's power of endurance1  
that the real strength and nobleness of 
her character is put to the most        
difficult test4 ,well1 too1 has this    
test been borne3 right womanly has been 
the conduct of many a loving wife1      
mother1 and sister1 under the trying    
circumstances above described4 ,woman   
alone1 perhaps1 can steadily maintain   
the clear vision of what the beloved one
 really is1 and can patiently view the  
wearisome ebullitions of ill-temper and 
discontent as symptoms equally physical 
with a cough or a hectic flush4  ,this  
noble picture of self-control can be    
realized only by those who keep even the
 best instincts of a woman's nature     
under the government of strict          
principle1 remembering that the most    

beautiful of these instincts may not be 
followed without guidance or restraint4 
,those who yield to such instincts      
without reflection and self-denial will 
exhaust their energies before the time  
comes for the fulfilment of duties4     
,the third branch of my subject is the  
most difficult4 ,it may1 indeed1 appear 
strange that we should not have the     
right to sacrifice our own happiness3   
that surely belongs to us to dispose of1
 if nothing else does4 ,besides1        
happiness is evidently not the state of 
being intended for us here below2 and   
that much higher state of mind from     
which all hap#dd is excluded--viz4      
blessedness--is seldom granted unless   
the other is altogether withdrawn4  ,you
 must1 however1 observe that this       
blessedness is only granted when the    
lower state--that of happiness--could   
not be preserved except by a positive   
breach of duty1 or when it is withheld  
or destroyed by the immediate           
interposition of ,god ,himself1 as in   

the case of death1 separation1 incurable
 disease1 c4 ,under any of the above    
circumstances1 we have the sure promise 
of ,god1 ,as thy days are1 so shall thy 
strength be4 ,the lost and mourned      
happiness will not be allowed to deprive
 us of the powers of rejoicing in hope1 
and serving ,god in peace2 also of      
diffusing around us the cheerfulness and
 contentment which is one of the most   
important of our ,christian duties4     
,these privileges1 however1 we must not 
expect to enjoy1 if1 by a mistaken      
unselfishness1 7often deeply stained    
with pride17 we sacrifice to another the
 happiness that lay in our own path1 and
 which may1 in reality1 be prejudicial  
to them1 as it was not intended for them
 by ,providence3 while1 on the contrary1
 it may have been by the same           
,providence intended for us as the      
necessary drop of sweetness in the      
otherwise overpowering bitterness of our
 earthly cup4  ,we take1 as it were1 the
 disposal of our fate out of the hands  

of ,god as much when we refuse the      
happiness ,he sends us as when we turn  
aside from the path of duty on account  
of some rough passage we see there      
before us4 ,good and evil both come from
 the hands of the ,lord4 ,we should be  
watchful to receive every thing exactly 
in the way ,he sees it fit for us4      
,experience1 as well as theory1 confirms
 the truth of the above assertions4     
,consider even your own case with       
relation to any sacrifice of your own   
real happiness to the supposed happiness
 of another4 ,i can imagine this        
possible even in a selfish disposition1 
not yet hardened4 ,your good-nature1    
warm feelings1 and pride 7in you a      
powerfully actuating principle7 may have
 at times induced you to make1 in       
moments of excitement1 sacrifices of    
which you have not fully counted the    
cost4 ,let us1 then1 examine this point 
in relation to yourself1 and to the     
petty sacrifices of daily life4 ,if you 
have allowed others to encroach too much

 on your time1 if you have given up to  
them your innocent pleasures1 your      
improving pursuits1 and favourite       
companions1 has this indulgence of their
 selfishness really added to their      
happiness8 ,has it not rather been      
unobserved1 except so far to increase   
the unreasonableness of their           
expectations from you1 to make them     
angry when it at last becomes necessary 
to resist their advanced encroachments8 
,on your own side1 too1 has it not      
rather tended to irritate you against   
people whom you formerly liked1 because 
you are suffering from the daily and    
hourly pressure of the sacrifices you   
have imprudently made for them8 ,believe
 me1 there can be no peace or happiness 
in domestic life without a bien entendu 
self-love1 which will be found by       
intelligent experience to be a          
preservative from selfishness1 instead  
of a manifestation of it4  ,from all    
that ,i have already said1 you will1 ,i 
hope1 infer that ,i am not likely to    

recommend any extravagant social        
sacrifices1 or to bring you in guilty of
 selfishness for actions not really     
deserving of the name4 ,indeed1 ,i have 
said so much on the other side1 that ,i 
may now have some difficulty in proving 
that1 while defending self-love1 ,i have
 not been defending you4 ,we must       
therefore go back to my former          
definition of selfishness--namely1 a    
seeking for ourselves that which is not 
our real good1 to the neglect of all    
consideration for that which is the real
 good of others4 ,this is viewing the   
subject an grand1--a very general       
definition1 indeed1 but not a vague one1
 for all the following illustrations    
from the minor details of life may      
clearly be referred under this head4    
,these are the sort of illustrations ,i 
always prefer--they come home so much   
more readily to the heart and mind4     
,will not some of the following come    
home to you8 ,the indulgence of your    
indolence by sending a tired person on a

 message when you are very well able to 
go yourself--sending a servant away from
 her work which she has to finish within
 a certain time--keeping your maid      
standing to bestow much more than       
needful decoration on your dress1 hair1 
c41 at a time when she is weak or       
tired--driving one way for your own mere
 amusement1 when it is a real           
inconvenience to your companion not to  
go another--expressing or acting on a   
disinclination to accompany your friend 
or sister when she cannot go            
alone--refusing to give up a book that  
is always within your reach to another  
who may have only this opportunity of   
reading it--walking too far or too fast1
 to the serious annoyance of a tired or 
delicate companion--refusing1 or only   
consenting with ill-humour1 to write a  
letter1 or to do a piece of work1 or to 
entertain a visitor1 or to pay a visit1 
when the person whose more immediate    
business it is1 has1 from want of time1 
and not from idleness or laziness1 no   

power to do what she requests of        
you--dwelling on all the details of a   
painful subject1 for the mere purpose of
 giving vent to and thus relieving your 
own feelings1 though it may be by the   
harrowing up of those of others who are 
less able to bear it4 ,all these are    
indeed trifles--but      ,trifles make  
the sum of human things1#de  and are    
sure to occur every day1 and to form the
 character into such habits as will fit 
or unfit it for great proofs of         
unselfishness1 should such be ever      
called for4 ,besides1 it is on trifles  
such as these that the smoothness of the
 current of domestic joy depends4 ,it is
 a smoothness that is easily disturbed3 
do not let your hand be the one to do   
it4  ,in all the trifling instances of  
selfishness above enumerated1 ,i have   
generally supposed that a request has   
been made to you1 and that you have not 
the trouble of finding out the exact    
manner in which you can conquer         
selfishness for the advantage of your   

neighbour4 ,i must now1 however1 remind 
you that one of the penalties incurred  
by past indulgence in selfishness is    
this1 that those who love you will not  
continue to make those requests which   
you have been in the habit of refusing1 
or1 if you ever complied with them1 of  
reminding the obliged person1 from time 
to time1 how much serious inconvenience 
your compliance has subjected you to4   
,this1 ,i fear1 may have been your      
habit2 for selfish people exaggerate so 
much every little 7by the good man7     
nameless1 unremembered act1 that they   
never consider them gratefully enough   
impressed on the heart of the receiver  
without frequent reminders from         
themselves4 ,if such has been the case1 
you must not expect the frank1 confiding
 request1 the entire trust in your      
willingness to make any not unreasonable
 sacrifice1 with which the unselfish are
 gratified and rewarded1 and for which  
perhaps you often envy them1 though you 
would not take the trouble to deserve   

the same confidence yourself4 ,even     
should you now begin the attempt1 and   
begin it in all earnestness1 it will    
take some time to establish your new    
character4 ,en attendant1 you must be on
 the watch for opportunities of obliging
 others1 for they will not be freely    
offered to you2 you must now exercise   
your own observation to find out what   
they would once have frankly told       
you1--whether you are tiring people     
physically or distressing them morally1 
or putting them to practical            
inconvenience4 ,i do not make the       
extravagant supposition that all those  
with whom you associate have attained to
 ,christian perfection2 the proud and   
the resentful1 as well as the           
delicate-minded1 will suffer much rather
 than repeat appeals to your            
unselfishness which have often before   
been disregarded4 ,they may exercise the
 ,christian duty of forgiveness in other
 ways1 but this is the most difficult of
 all4 ,few can attain to it1 and you    

must not hope it4  ,finally2 ,i wish to 
warn you against believing those who    
tell you that such minute analysis of   
motives1 such scrutiny into the smallest
 details of daily conduct1 has a        
tendency to produce an unhealthy        
self-consciousness4 ,this might1 indeed1
 be true1 if the original state of your 
nature1 before the examination began1   
were a healthy one4 ,if ,adam had always
 remained in ,paradise1 there would have
 been no anatomy and no metaphysics3 as 
it is not so1 we require both4 ,sin has 
entered the world1 and death by sin2 and
 therefore it is that both soul and body
 require a care and a minute            
watchfulness that cannot1 in the present
 state of things1 originate either      
disease or sin4 ,they have both existed 
before4  ,no one ever became or can     
become selfish by a prayerful           
examination into the fact of being so or
 not4 ,in matters of mere feeling1 it is
 indeed dangerous to scrutinize too     
narrowly the degree and the nature of   

our emotions4 ,we have no standard by   
which to try them4 ,if a medical man    
cannot be trusted to ascertain correctly
 the state of his own pulse1 how much   
more difficult is it for the amateur to 
sit in judgment on the strength and     
number of the pulsations of his own     
heart and mind4  ,the case is quite     
different when feelings manifest        
themselves in overt acts3 then they     
become of a nature requiring and        
susceptible of minute analyzation4 ,this
 is the self-scrutiny ,i recommend to   
you4  ,may you be led to seek earnestly 
for help from above to overcome the     
hydra of selfishness1 and may you be    
encouraged1 by that freely offered help1
 to exert your own energies to the      
utmost6  ,let me urge on your especial  
attention the following verses from the 
,bible on the subjects which we have    
been considering4 ,if you selected each 
one of these for a week's practice1     
making it at once a question1 a warning1
 and a direction1 it would be a         

tangible1 so to speak1 use of the ,holy 
,scriptures1 that has been found        
profitable to many3--  ,we then that are
 strong ought to bear the infirmities of
 the weak1 and not to please ourselves4 
,let every one of us please his         
neighbour for his good to edification4  
,even ,christ pleased not himself4#df   
,the ,son of ,man came not to be        
ministered unto1 but to minister4#dg    
,he died for all1 that they which live  
should not henceforth live unto         
themselves1 but unto him which died for 
them1 and rose again4#dh  ,look not     
every man on his own things1 but every  
man also on the things of others4#di    
,let all your things be done with       
charity4#ej  ,by love serve one         
another4#ea  ,but as touching brotherly 
love1 ye need not that ,i write unto    
you1 for ye yourselves are taught of    
,god to love one another4#eb  ,my little
 children1 let us not love in word1     
neither in tongue1 but in deed and in   
truth4#ec  ,thou shalt love thy         

neighbour as thyself4 ,love worketh no  
ill to his neighbour1 therefore love is 
the fulfilling of the law4#ed  ,all     
things whatsoever ye would that men     
should do to you1 do ye even so to      
them4#ee   ,,footnotes3  #dj ,archdeacon
 ,manning4  #da ,see ,bishop ,butler's  
,sermons4  #db #a ,cor4 vi4 #bj4  #dc   
,acts iv4 #bh4  #dd ,coleridge's ,aids  
to ,reflection4  #de ,hannah ,more4  #df
 ,rom4 xv4 #a1 #b1 #c4  #dg ,matt4 xx4  
#bh4  #dh #b ,cor4 v4 #ae4  #di ,phil4  
ii4 #d4  #ej #a ,cor4 xvi4 #ad4  #ea    
,gal4 v4 #ac4  #eb ,thess4 iv4 #i4  #ec 
#a ,john iii4 #ah4  #ed ,rom4 xiii4 #i1 
#aj4  #ee ,matt4 vii4 #ab4     ,,letter 
,,vi4  ,,self-,,control4   ,you will    
probably think it strange that ,i should
 consider it necessary to address you1  
of all others1 upon the subject of      
self-control1--you who are by nature so 
placid and gentle1 so dignified and     
refined1 that you have never been known 
to display any of the outbreaks of      
temper which sometimes disgrace the     

conduct of your companions4  ,you       
compare yourself with others1 and       
probably cannot help admiring your      
superiority4 ,you have1 besides1 so     
often listened to the assurances of your
 friends that your temper is one that   
cannot be disturbed1 that you may think 
self-control the very last point to     
which your attention needed to be       
directed4 ,self-control1 however1 has   
relation to many things besides mere    
temper4 ,in your case ,i readily believe
 that to be of singular sweetness1      
though even in your case the temper     
itself may still require self-control4  
,you will esteem it perhaps a paradox   
when ,i tell you that the very causes   
which preserve your temper in an        
external state of equability1 your      
refinement of mind1 your self-respect1  
your delicate reserve1 your abhorrence  
of every thing unfeminine and           
ungraceful1 may produce exactly the     
contrary effect on your feelings1 and   
provoke internally a great deal of      

contempt and dislike for those whose    
conduct transgresses from your exalted  
ideas of excellence4  ,on your own      
account you would not allow any unkind  
word to express such feelings as ,i have
 described1 but you cannot or do not    
conceal them in the expression of your  
features1 in the very tones of your     
voice4 ,you further allow them free     
indulgence in the depths of your heart2 
in its secret recesses you make no      
allowances for the inferiority of people
 so differently constituted1 educated1  
and disciplined from yourself1--people  
whom1 instead of despising and avoiding1
 you ought certainly to pity1 and1 if   
possible1 to sympathize with4  ,in this 
respect1 therefore1 the control which ,i
 recommend to you has reference even to 
your much vaunted temper1 for though any
 outward display of ill-breeding and    
petulance might be much more opposed to 
your respect for yourself1 any inward   
indulgence of the same feelings must be 
equally displeasing in the sight of     

,god1 and nearly as prejudicial to the  
passing on of your spirit towards being 
perfect1 even as your ,father which is  
in heaven is perfect4#ef  ,besides1     
though there may be no outbreak of      
ill-temper at the time your annoyance is
 excited1 nor any external manifestation
 of contempt even in your expressive    
countenance1 you will certainly be      
unable to preserve kindness and respect 
of manner towards those whose errors and
 failings are not met by internal       
self-control4 ,you will be              
contemptuously heedless of the          
assertions of those whose prevarication 
you have even once experienced2 those   
who have once taunted you with          
obligation will never be again allowed  
to confer a favour upon you2 you will   
avoid all future intercourse with those 
whose unkind and taunting words have    
wounded your refinement and             
self-respect4 ,all this would contribute
 to the formation of a fine character in
 a romance1 for every thing that ,i have

 spoken of implies your own truth and   
honesty1 your generous nature1 your     
delicate and sensitive habits of mind1  
your dread of inflicting pain4 ,for all 
these admirable qualities ,i give you   
full credit1 and1 as ,i said before1    
they would make an heroic character in a
 romance4 ,in real life1 however1 they1 
every one of them1 require strict       
self-control to form either a ,christian
 character1 or one that will confer     
peace and happiness4 ,you may be all    
that ,i have described1 and ,i believe  
you to be so1 while1 at the same time   
your severe judgments and unreasonable  
expectations may be productive of       
unceasing discomfort to yourself and all
 around you4 ,your friends plainly see  
that you expect too much from them1 that
 you are annoyed when their duller      
perceptions can discover no grounds for 
your annoyance1 that you decline their  
offers of service when they are not made
 in exactly the refined manner your     
imagination requires4 ,your annoyance   

may seldom or never express itself in   
words1 but it is nevertheless           
perceptible in the restraint of your    
manner1 in your carelessness of sympathy
 on any point with those who generally  
differ from you1 in the very tone of    
your voice1 in the whole character of   
your conversation4 ,gradually the gulf  
becomes wider and wider that separates  
you from those among whom it has pleased
 ,god that your lot should be cast4     
,you cannot yet be at all sensible of   
the dangers ,i am now pointing out to   
you4 ,you cannot yet understand the     
consequences of your present want of    
self-control in this particular point4  
,the light of the future alone can waken
 them out of present darkness into      
distinct and fatal prominence4  ,habit  
has not yet formed into an isolating    
chain that refinement of mind and       
loftiness of character which your want  
of self-control may convert into        
misfortunes instead of blessings4       
,whenever1 even now1 a sense of total   

want of sympathy forces itself upon you1
 you console yourself with such thoughts
 as these3 ,sheep herd together1 eagles 
fly alone1#eg;c4  ,small consolation    
this1 even for the pain your loneliness 
inflicts on yourself1 still less for the
 breach of duties it involves4  ,there  
must1 besides1 be much danger in a habit
 of mind that leads you to attribute to 
your own superiority those very         
unpleasantnesses which would have no    
existence if that superiority were more 
complete4 ,for1 in truth1 if your       
spiritual nature asserted its due       
authority over the animal1 you would    
habitually exercise the power which is  
freely offered you1 of supreme control  
over the hidden movements of your heart 
as well as over the outward expression  
of the lips4  ,i would strongly urge you
 to consider every evidence of your     
isolation--of your want of sympathy with
 others--as marks of moral inferiority2 
then1 from your conscientiousness of    
mind1 you would seek anxiously to       

discover the causes of such isolation1  
and you would endeavour to remove them4 
,nothing is more difficult than the     
perpetual self-control necessary for    
this purpose4 ,constant watchfulness is 
required to subdue every feeling of     
superiority in the contemplation of your
 own character1 and constant            
watchfulness to look upon the words and 
actions of others through1 as it were1 a
 rose-coloured medium4 ,the mind of man 
has been aptly compared to cut glass1   
which reflects the very same light in   
various colours as well as different    
shapes1 according to the forms of the   
glass4 ,display then the mental         
superiority of which you are justly     
conscious1 by moulding your mind into   
such forms as will represent the words  
and actions of others in the most       
favourable point of view4 ,the same     
illustration will serve to suggest the  
best manner of making allowances for    
those whose minds are unmanageable1     
because uneducated and undisciplined4   

,they cannot see things in the same     
point of view that you do2 how          
unreasonable then is it of you to expect
 that they should form the same estimate
 of them4  ,let us now enter into the   
more minute details of this subject1 and
 consider the many opportunities for    
self-control which may arise in the     
course of even this one day4 ,i will    
begin with moral evil4  ,you may hear   
falsehoods asserted1 you may hear your  
friend traduced1 you may hear unfair and
 exaggerated statements of the conduct  
of others1 given to the very people with
 whom they are most anxious to stand    
well4 ,these are trials to which you may
 be often exposed1 even in domestic     
life2 and their judicious management1   
the comparative advantages to one's     
friends or one's self of silence or     
defence1 will require your calmest      
judgment and your soundest discretion2  
qualities which of course cannot be     
brought into action without complete    
self-control4 ,i can hardly expect1 or1 

indeed1 wish that you should hear the   
falsehoods of which ,i have spoken      
without some risings of indignation2    
these1 however1 must be subdued for your
 friend's sake as well as your own4 ,you
 would think it right to conquer        
feelings of anger and revenge if you    
were yourself unjustly accused1 and     
though the other excitement may bear the
 appearance of more generosity1 you must
 on reflection admit that it is equally 
your duty to subdue such feelings when  
they are aroused by the injuries        
inflicted on a friend4 ,the happy       
safeguard1 the instinctive test1 by     
which the well-regulated and            
comparatively innocent mind may safely  
try the right or the wrong of every     
indignant feeling is this3 so far as the
 feeling is painful1 so far is it       
tainted with sin4 ,to be angry and sin  
not1#eh there must be no pain in the    
anger3 pain and sin cannot be separated3
 there may indeed be sorrow1 but this is
 to be carefully distinguished from     

pain4 ,the above is a test which1 after 
close examination and experience1 you   
will find to be a safe and true one4    
,whenever they are thus safe and true1  
our instinctive feelings ought to be    
gratefully made use of2 thus even our   
animal nature may be made to come to the
 assistance of our spiritual nature1    
against which it is too often arrayed in
 successful opposition4  ,i have spoken 
of the exceeding difficulty of          
exercising self-control under such      
trying circumstances as those above     
described1 and this difficulty will1 ,i 
candidly confess1 be likely to increase 
in proportion to your own honesty and   
generosity4 ,be comforted1 however1 by  
this consideration1 that1 conflict being
 the only means of forming the character
 into excellence1 and your natural      
amiability averting from you many of the
 usual opportunities for exercising     
self-control1 you would be in want of   
the former essential ingredient in      
spiritual discipline did not your very  

virtues procure it for you4  ,while1    
however1 ,i allow you full credit for   
these virtues1 ,i must insist on a      
careful distinction between a mere      
virtue and a ,christian grace4 ,every   
virtue becomes a vice the moment it     
overpasses its prescribed boundaries1   
the moment it is given free power to    
follow the bent of animal nature1       
instead of being1 even though a virtue1 
kept under the strict control of        
religious principle4  ,i must now       
suggest to you some means by which ,i   
have known self-control to be           
successfully exhibited and perpetuated1 
with especial reference to that         
annoyance which we have last considered4
 ,instead1 then1 of dwelling on the     
deviations from truth of which ,i have  
spoken1 even when they are to the injury
 of a friend1 try to banish the subject 
from your mind and memory2 or1 if you   
are able to think of it in the very way 
you please1 try to consider how much the
 original formation of the speaker's    

mind1 careless habits1 and want of any  
disciplining education1 may each and all
 contribute to lessen the guilt of the  
person who has annoyed you4 ,no one     
knows better than yourself that tho     
original nature of the mind1 as well as 
its implanted habits1 modifies every    
fact presented to its notice4 ,still    
further1 the point of view from which   
the fact or the character has been seen 
may have been entirely different from   
yours4 ,these other persons may         
absolutely have seen the thing spoken of
 in a position so completely unlike your
 mental vision of it1 that they are as  
incapable of understanding your view as 
you may be of understanding theirs4 ,if 
sincere in your wish for improvement1   
you had better prove the truth of the   
above assertion by the following        
process4 ,take into your consideration  
any given action1 not of a decidedly    
honourable nature--one which1 perhaps1  
to most people would appear of an       
indifferent nature1--but to your lofty  

and refined notions deserving of some   
degree of reprehension4 ,you have a     
sufficiently metaphysical head to be    
able to abstract yourself entirely from 
your own view of the case1 and then you 
can contemplate it with a total freedom 
from prejudice4 ,such a contemplation   
can only be attempted when no feeling is
 concerned1--feeling giving life to     
every peculiarity of moral sentiment1 as
 the heat draws out those characters    
which would otherwise have passed       
unknown and unnoticed4 ,i would then    
have you examine carefully into all the 
considerations which might qualify and  
alter1 even your own view of the case4  
,dwell long and carefully upon this part
 of the process4 ,it is astonishing     
7incredible indeed until it is tried7   
how much our opinions of the very same  
action may alter if we determinately    
confine ourselves to the favourable     
aspect in which it may be viewed1       
keeping the contrary side entirely out  
of sight4  ,as soon as this has been    

carried to the utmost1 you must further 
7that my experiment may be fairly tried7
 endeavour to throw yourself1 in        
imagination1 not only into the position1
 but also into the natural and acquired 
mental and moral perceptions of the     
person whose action you are taking into 
your consideration4 ,for this purpose   
you must often imagine--natural dimness 
of perception1 absence of acute         
sensibility1 indifference to wounding   
the feelings of others from mere        
carelessness and want of reflective     
powers1 little natural                  
conscientiousness1 an entire absence of 
the taste or the power of metaphysical  
examination into the effect produced by 
our actions4 ,all these natural         
deficiencies1 you must further consider1
 may in this case be increased by a     
totally neglected education1--first1 by 
the want of parental discipline1 and    
afterwards of that more important       
self-education which few people have    
sufficient strength of character to     

subject themselves to4 ,lastly1 ,i would
 have you consider especially the moral 
atmosphere in which they have habitually
 breathed3 according to the nature of   
this the mental health varies as        
certainly as the physical strength      
varies in a bracing or relaxing air4 ,a 
strong bodily constitution may resist   
longer1 and finally be less affected by 
a deleterious atmosphere than a weak or 
diseased frame2 and so it is with the   
mental constitution4 ,minds insensibly  
imbibe the tone of the atmosphere in    
which they most frequently dwell2 and   
though natural loftiness of character   
and natural conscientiousness may for a 
very long period resist such influences1
 it cannot be expected that inferior    
natures will be able to do so4  ,you are
 then to consider whether the habits of 
mind and conversation among those who   
are the constant associates of the      
persons you blame have been such as to  
cherish or to deaden keen and refined   
perceptions of moral excellence and     

nobility of mind2 still further1 whether
 their own literary tastes have created 
around them an even more penetrating    
atmosphere2 whether from the elevated   
inspirations of appreciated poetry1 from
 the truthful page of history1 or from  
the stirring excitements of romantic    
fiction1 their heart and their          
imagination have received those lofty   
lessons for which you judge them        
responsible1 without knowing whether    
they have ever received them4  ,there is
 still another consideration4 ,while the
 actions of those who are not habitually
 under the control of high principle    
depend chiefly on the physical          
constitution1 as they are too often a   
mere yielding to the immediate impulse  
of the senses1 their judgment of men and
 things1 on the contrary1 when          
uninfluenced by personal feeling1 depend
 probably more on that keen perception  
of the beautiful which is the natural   
instinct of a superior organization4    
,morality and religion will indeed      

supply the place of these lofty natural 
instincts1 by giving habits of mind     
which may in time become so burnt in1 as
 it were1 that they assume the form of  
natural instincts1 while they are at    
once much safer guides and much stronger
 checks4  ,it is surprising that a mere 
sense of the beautiful will often confer
 the clearest perceptions of the real   
nature of moral excellence4 ,you may    
hear the devoted worldling1 or the      
selfish sensualist1 giving the highest  
and most inspiring lessons of           
self-renunciation1 self-sacrifice1 and  
devotedness to ,god4 ,their lessons1    
truthful and impressive1 because        
dictated by a keen and exquisite        
perception of the beautiful1 which ever 
harmonizes with the precepts and        
doctrines of ,christianity1 have kindled
 in many a heart that living flame1     
which in their own has been smothered by
 the fatal homage of the lips and of the
 feelings only1 while the actions of the
 life were disobedient4 ,often has such 

a writer or speaker stood in stern and  
truthfully severe judgment on the weak  
brother in ,christ when he has acted or 
spoken with an inconsistency which the  
mere instinct of the beautiful would in 
his censor have prevented4 ,such        
censors1 however1 ought to remember that
 these weak brethren1 though their      
instincts be less lofty1 their          
sensibility less acute1 live closer to  
their principles than they themselves do
 to their feelings2 for the moment the  
natural impulse1 in cases where that is 
the only guide1 is enlisted on the side 
of passion1 the perception of the       
beautiful is entirely sacrificed to the 
gratification of the senses4 ,when the  
animal nature comes into collision with 
the spiritual1 the highest dictates of  
the latter will be unheeded1 unless the 
supremacy of the spiritual nature be    
habitually maintained in practice as    
well as in theory4 ,in short1 that keen 
perception of the true and the          
beautiful1 which is an essential        

ingredient in the formation of a noble  
character1 becomes1 in the case of the  
self-indulgent worldling1 only an       
increase of his responsibility1 and a   
deepening dye to his guilt4 ,at present1
 however1 ,i suppose you to be sitting  
in judgment on those who are entirely   
destitute of the aids and the           
responsibilities of a keen sense of the 
beautiful3 by nature or by education    
they know or have learned nothing of it4
 ,how different1 then1 from your own    
must be their estimate of virtue and    
duty6 ,add this1 therefore1 to all the  
other allowances you have to make for   
them1 and ,i will answer for it that any
 action viewed through this qualifying  
medium will entirely change its aspect1 
and your blame will most frequently turn
 to pity1 though of course you can feel 
neither sympathy nor respect4  ,on the  
other hand1 the practice of dwelling    
only on the aggravating circumstances of
 a case1 will magnify into crime a      
trifling and otherwise easily forgotten 

error4 ,this is a fact in the mind's    
history of which few people seem to be  
aware1 and only few may be capable of   
understanding4 ,its truth1 however1 may 
be easily proved by watching the effect 
of words in irritating one person       
against another1 and increasing1 by     
repeated insinuations1 the apparent     
malignity of some really trifling       
action4 ,no one1 probably1 has led so   
blessed a life as not to have been      
sometimes pained by observing one person
 trying to exasperate another1 who is1  
perhaps1 rather peacefully inclined1 by 
pointing out all the aggravating        
circumstances of some probably imaginary
 offence1 until the listener is wrought 
up to a state of angry excitement1 and  
induced to look on that as an           
exaggerated offence which would probably
 otherwise have passed without notice4  
,what is in this case the effect of     
another's sin is a state often produced 
in their own mind by those who would be 
incapable of the more tangible1 and     

therefore more evidently sinful act of  
exciting the anger of one friend or     
relative against another4  ,the sin of  
which ,i speak is peculiarly likely to  
be that of a thoughtful1 reflective1 and
 fastidious person like yourself4 ,it is
 therefore to you of the utmost         
importance to acquire1 and to acquire at
 once1 complete control over your       
thoughts1--first1 carefully ascertaining
 which those are that you ought to      
avoid1 and then guarding as carefully   
against such as if they were the open   
semblance of positive sin4 ,this is     
really the only means by which a        
truthful and candid nature like your own
 can ever maintain the deportment of    
,christian love and charity towards     
those among whom your lot is cast4 ,you 
must resolutely shut your eyes against  
all that is unlovely in their character4
 ,if you suffer your thoughts to dwell  
for a moment on such subjects1 you will 
find additional difficulty afterwards in
 forcing them away from that which is   

their natural tendency1 besides having  
probably created a feeling against which
 it will be vain to struggle4 ,it is one
 of the strongest reasons for the       
necessity of watchful self-control1 that
 no mind1 however powerful1 can exercise
 a direct authority over the feelings of
 the heart2 they are susceptible of     
indirect influence alone4 ,this much    
increases the necessity of our          
watchfulness as to the indirect         
tendencies of thoughts and words1 and   
our accountability with respect to them4
 ,our anxiety and vigilance ought to be 
altogether greater than if we could     
exercise over our feelings that direct  
and instantaneous control which a strong
 mind can always assert in the case of  
words and actions4  ,unless the indirect
 influence of which ,i have spoken were 
practicable1 the warnings and commands  
of ,scripture would be a mockery of our 
weakness1--a cruel satire on the        
helplessness of a victim whose efforts  
to fulfil duty must1 however strenuous1 

prove unavailing4 ,the child is         
commanded to honour his parent1 the wife
 to reverence her husband2 and you are  
to observe attentively that there is no 
exception made for the cases of those   
whose parents or husbands are           
undeserving of love and reverence4      
,there must1 then1 be a power granted1  
to such as ask and strive to acquire it1
 of closing the mental eyes resolutely  
against those features in the character 
of the persons to whom we are bound by  
the ties of duty1 which would unfit us1 
if much dwelt upon1 for obedience in    
such important particulars as the love  
and reverence we are commanded to feel  
towards them4  ,even where there is such
 high principle and such uncommon       
strength of character as to induce      
perseverance in the mere external forms 
of obedience1 how vain are all such     
while the heart has turned aside from   
the appointed path of duty1 and broken  
those commands of ,god which1 we should 
always remember1 have reference to      

feeling as well as to action3--,honour  
thy father and thy mother2#ei ,let the  
wife see that she reverence her         
husband4#fj  ,in the habitual exercise  
of that self-control which ,i now urge  
upon you1 you will experience an ample  
fulfilment of that promise1--,the work  
of righteousness shall be peace4#fa     
,instead of becoming daily further and  
further severed from those who are      
indeed your inferiors1 but towards whom 
,god has imposed duties upon you1 you   
will daily find that1 in proportion to  
the difficulty of the task1 will be the 
sweetness and the peace rewarding its   
fulfilment4 ,no affection resulting from
 the most perfect sympathy of mind and  
heart will ever confer so deep a        
pleasure1 or so holy a peace1 as the    
blind1 unquestioning1 unsifting#fb      
tenderness which a strong principle of  
duty has cherished into existence4      
,glorious in every way will be the final
 result to those who are capable 7alas6 
few are so7 of such a course of conduct4

 ,far different in its effects from the 
blind tenderness of infatuated passion  
is the noble blindness of ,christian    
self-control4 ,while the one warms into 
existence1 or at least into open        
manifestation1 all the selfishness and  
wilfulness of the fondled plaything1 the
 other creates a thousand virtues that  
were not known before4 ,flowers spring  
up from the hardest rocks1 the coldest1 
sternest natures are gradually softened 
into gentleness1 the faults of temper or
 of character that never meet with      
worrying opposition1 or exercise        
unforgiving influence1 gradually die    
away1 and fade from the memory of both4 
,the very atmosphere alone of such rare 
and lovely self-control seems to have a 
moral influence resembling the effects  
of climate upon the rude and rugged     
marble1--every roughness is by degrees  
smoothed away1 and even the colouring   
becomes subdued into calm harmony with  
all the features of its allotted        
position4  ,to the rarity of the virtue 

upon which ,i have so long dwelt1 we may
 trace the cause of almost all the      
domestic unhappiness we witness whenever
 the veil is withdrawn from the secrets 
of home4 ,alas6 how often is this       
blessed word only the symbol of         
freely-indulged ill-tempers1 unresisted 
selfishness1 or1 perhaps the most       
dangerous of all1 exacting and          
unforgiving requirements4 ,while the one
 party select their home as the only    
scene where they may safely and freely  
vent their caprices and ill-humours1 the
 other require a stricter compliance    
with their wishes1 a more exact         
conformity with their pursuits and      
opinions1 than they meet with even from 
the temporary companions of their       
lighter hours4 ,they forget that these  
companions have only to exert themselves
 for a short time for their             
gratification1 and that they can then   
retire to their own home1 probably to be
 as disagreeable there as the relations 
of whom the others complain4 ,for then  

the mask is off1 and they are at        
liberty1--yes1 at liberty1--freed from  
the inspection and the judgments of the 
world1 and only exposed to those of     
,god6  ,my friend1 ,i am sure you have  
often shared in the pain and grief ,i   
feel1 that in so few cases should home  
be the blessed1 peaceful spot that      
poetry pictures to us4 ,there is no real
 poetry that is not truth in its purest 
form--truth as it appears to eyes from  
which the mists of sense are cleared    
away4 ,surely our earthly homes ought to
 realize the representations of poetry2 
they would then become each day a       
nearer1 though ever a faint type of1    
that eternal home for which our earthly 
one ought daily to prepare us4  ,poetry 
and religion always teach the same      
duties1 instil the same feelings4 ,never
 believe that any thing can be truly    
noble or great1 that any thing can be   
really poetical1 which is not also      
religious4 ,the poet is now partly a    
priest1 as he was in the old heathen    

world2 and though1 alas6 he may1 like   
,balaam1 utter inspirations which his   
heart follows not1 which his life       
denies1 yet1 like ,balaam also1 his     
words are full of lessons for us1 though
 they may only make his own guilt the   
deeper4  ,i have been led to these      
concluding considerations respecting    
poetry by my anxiety that you should    
turn your refined tastes and your acute 
perceptions of the beautiful to a       
universally moral purpose4 ,there is no 
teaching more impressive than that which
 comes to us through our passions4 ,in  
the moment of excited feeling stronger  
impressions may be made than by any of  
the warnings of duty and principle4 ,if 
these latter1 however1 be not motives   
co-existent1 and also in strength and   
exercise1 the impressions of feeling are
 temporary1 and even dangerous4 ,it is  
only to the faithful followers of duty  
that the excitements of romance and     
poetry are useful and improving4 ,to    
such they have often given strength and 

energy to tread more cheerfully and     
hopefully over many a rugged path1 to   
live more closely to their beau-ideal1 a
 vivid vision of which has1 by poetry1  
been awakened and refreshed in their    
hearts4  ,to others1 on the contrary1   
the danger exceeds the profit4 ,by the  
excitement of admiration they may be    
deceived into the belief that there must
 be in their own bosoms an answering    
spirit to the greatness1 the            
self-sacrifice1 the pure and lofty      
affections they see represented in the  
mirror of poetry4 ,they are deceived1   
because they forget that we have each   
within us two natures struggling for the
 mastery4 ,as long as we practically    
allow the habitual supremacy of the     
lower over the higher1 there can be no  
real excellence in the character1       
however a mere sense of the beautiful   
may temporarily exalt the feelings1 and 
thus increase our responsibility1 and   
consequent condemnation4  ,i am sure you
 have experimentally understood the     

subject on which ,i have been writing4  
,i am sure you have often risen from the
 teaching of the poet with enthusiasm in
 your heart1 ready to trample upon all  
those temptations and difficulties which
 had1 perhaps an hour before1 made the  
path of self-denial and self-control    
apparently impracticable4  ,receive such
 intervals of excitement as heaven-sent 
aids1 to help you more easily over1 it  
may be1 a wearying and dreary path4     
,they are most probably sent in answer  
to prayer--in answer to the prayers of  
your own heart1 or to those of some     
pious friend4  ,our ,father in heaven   
works constantly by earthly means1 and  
moulds the weakest1 the often apparently
 useless instrument to the furtherance  
of his purposes of mercy1 one of which  
you know is your own sanctification4 ,it
 is not his holy word only that gives   
you appointed messages and helps exactly
 suited to your need4 ,the flower       
growing by the way-side1 the picture or 
the poem1 the works of ,god's own hand1 

or the works of the genius which he has 
breathed into his creature ,man1 may all
 alike bear you messages of love1 of    
warning1 of assistance4  ,listen        
attentively1 and you will hear--clearer 
still and clearer--every day and hour4  
,it is not by chance you take up that   
book1 or gaze upon that picture2 you    
have found1 because you are on the watch
 for it1 in the first1 a suggestion that
 exactly suits your present need1 in the
 latter an excitement and an inspiration
 which makes some difficult action you  
may be immediately called on to perform 
comparatively easy and comparatively    
welcome4  ,there is a deep and universal
 meaning in the vulgar#fc proverb1      
,strike while the iron is hot4 ,if it be
 left to cool without your purpose being
 effected1 the iron becomes harder than 
ever1 the chains of nature and of habit 
are more firmly riveted4  ,there are    
some other features of self-control to  
which ,i wish1 though more cursorily1 to
 direct your attention4 ,they have all  

some remote bearing on your moral       
nature1 and may exercise much influence 
over your prospects in life4  ,like many
 other persons of a refined and         
sensitive organization1 you suffer from 
the very uncommon disease of shyness4   
,at the very time1 perhaps1 when you    
desire most to please1 to interest1 to  
amuse1 your over-anxiety defeats its own
 object4 ,the self-possession of the    
indifferent generally carries off the   
palm from the earnest and the anxious4  
,this is ridiculous2 this is degrading4 
,what you wish to do you ought to be    
able to do1 and you will be able1 if you
 habitually exercise control over the   
physical feelings of your nature4  ,i am
 quite of the opinion of those who hold 
that shyness is a bodily as well as a   
mental disease1 much influenced by our  
state of health1 as well as by the      
constitutional state of the circulation2
 but ,i only put forward this opinion   
respecting its origin as additional     
evidence that it too may be brought     

under the authority of self-control4 ,if
 the grace of ,god1 giving efficacy and 
help to our own exertions1 can enable us
 to resist the influence of indigestion 
and other kinds of ill-health upon the  
temper and the spirits1 will not the    
same means be found effectual to subdue 
a shyness which almost sinks us to the  
level of the brute creation by depriving
 us of the advantages of a rational     
will8 ,even this latter distinguishing  
feature of humanity is prostrated before
 the mysterious power of shyness4  ,you 
understand1 doubtless1 the wide         
distinction that exists between modesty 
and shyness4 ,modesty is always         
self-possessed1 and therefore           
clear-sighted and cool-headed4 ,shyness1
 on the contrary1 is too confused either
 to see or hear things as they really   
are1 and as often assumes the appearance
 of forwardness as any other disguise4  
,depriving its victims of the power of  
being themselves1 it leaves them little 
freedom of choice1 as to the sort of    

imitations the freaks of their animal   
nature may lead them to attempt4 ,you   
feel1 with deep annoyance1 that a       
paroxysm of shyness has often made you  
speak entirely at random1 and express   
the very opposite sentiments to those   
you really feel1 committing yourself    
irretrievably to1 perhaps1 falsehood and
 folly1 because you could not exercise  
self-control4 ,try to bring vividly     
before your mental eye all that you have
 suffered in the recollection of past   
weaknesses of this kind1 and that will  
give you energy and strength to struggle
 habitually1 incessantly1 against every 
symptom of so painful a disease4 ,it is1
 at first1 only the smaller ones that   
can be successfully combated2 after the 
strength acquired by perseverance in    
lesser efforts1 you may hope to overcome
 your powerful enemy in his very        
stronghold4  ,even in the quietest      
family life many opportunities will be  
offered you of combat and of victory4   
,false shame1 the fear of being laughed 

at now1 or taunted afterwards1 will     
often keep you silent when you ought to 
speak2 and you ought to speak very often
 for no other than the sufficient reason
 of accustoming yourself to disregard   
the hampering feeling of ,what will     
people say8 ,what do ,i expose myself to
 by making this observation8 ,follow the
 impulses of your own noble and generous
 nature1 speak the words it dictates1   
and then you may and ought to trample   
under foot the insinuations of shyness1 
as to the judgments which others may    
pass upon you4  ,you may observe that   
those censors who make a coward of you  
can always find something to say in     
blame of every action1 some taunt with  
which to reflect upon every word4 ,do   
not1 then1 suffer yourself to be        
hampered by the dread of depreciating   
remarks being made upon your            
conversation or your conduct4 ,such     
fears are one of the most general causes
 of shyness4 ,you must not suffer your  
mind to dwell upon them1 except to      

consider that taunting and depreciating 
remarks may and will be made on every   
course of conduct you may pursue1 on    
every word you or others may speak4  ,i 
have myself been cured of any shackling 
anxiety as to ,what will people say8 by 
a long experience of the fact1 that the 
remarks of the gossip are totally       
irrespective of the conduct or the      
conversation they gossip over4 ,that    
which is blamed one moment1 is highly   
extolled the next1 when the necessity of
 depreciating contrast requires the     
change2 and as for the inconsequence of 
the remarks so rapidly following each   
other1 the gossip is thankful she has   
not an argumentative head4 ,she is1     
therefore1 privileged one moment to     
contradict the inevitable consequences  
of the assertions made the moment       
before4  ,you cannot avoid such         
criticisms2 brave them nobly4 ,the more 
you disregard them1 the more true will  
you be to yourself1 the more free will  
you be from that shyness which1 though  

partly the result of keen and acute     
perceptions and refined sensibilities1  
has besides a large share of            
over-anxious vanity and deeply-rooted   
pride4  ,do not believe those who tell  
you that shyness will decrease of       
itself1 as you advance in age1 and mix  
more in the world4 ,there is1 indeed1 a 
species of shyness which may thus be    
removed2 but it is not that which arises
 from a morbid refinement4 ,this latter 
species1 unguarded by habitual          
self-control1 will1 on the contrary1    
rather increase than decrease1 as       
further experience shows you the        
numerous modes of failure1 the thousand 
tender points in which you may be       
assailed by the world without4  ,be     
assured that your only hope of safety is
 in an early and persevering struggle1  
accompanied by faith in final           
victory1--without that who can have     
strength for conflict8 ,do not treat    
your boasted intellect so depreciatingly
 as to doubt its power of giving you    

successful aid in your triumph over     
difficulties4 ,what has been done may be
 done again1--why not by you8  ,nothing 
is more interesting 7and also imposing7 
than to see a strong mind evidently     
struggling against1 and obtaining a     
victory over1 the shyness of its animal 
nature4 ,the appreciative observer pays 
it1 at the same time1 the involuntary   
homage which always attends success1 and
 the still deeper respect due to those  
who having been thus ,caesar unto       
themselves1#fd are also sure1 in time1  
to conquer all external things4  ,in    
conclusion1 ,i must remind you that your
 life has1 as yet1 flowed on in a smooth
 and untroubled course1 so that you     
cannot from experience be at all aware  
of the much greater future necessity    
there may be for those habits of        
self-control which ,i am now urging upon
 you4 ,but though no overwhelming       
shocks1 no stunning surprises1 have1 as 
yet1 disturbed the even tenor of your   
way1 it cannot be always thus4 ,alas6   

the time must come when sorrows will    
pour in upon you like a flood1 when you 
will be called upon for rapid decisions1
 for far-sighted and comprehensive      
arrangements1 for various exercises of  
the coolest1 calmest judgment1 at the   
very moment that present anguish and    
anxiety for the future are raising      
whirlwinds of clouds around your mental 
vision4 ,if you are not now acquiring   
the power of self-control in minor      
affairs by managing them judiciously    
under circumstances of trifling         
excitement or disturbance1 how will you 
be able to act your part with skill and 
courage1 when the hours of real trial   
overtake you8 ,a character like yours1  
as it possesses the power1 so likewise  
is it responsible for the duty of moving
 on steadily through moral clouds and   
storms1 seeing clearly1 resisting       
firmly1 and uninfluenced by any motives 
but those suggested by your higher      
nature4  ,the passing shadow1 or the    
gleam of sunshine1 the half-expressed   

sneer1 or the tempests of angry passion1
 the words of love and flattery1 or the 
cruel insinuations of envy and jealousy1
 may pale your cheek1 or call into it a 
deeper flush2 may kindle your eye with  
indignation1 or melt its rays in sorrow2
 but they must not1 for all that1 turn  
you aside one step from the path which  
your calm and deliberate judgment had   
before marked out for you3 your         
insensibility to such annoyances as     
those ,i have described would show an   
unfeminine hardness of character2 your  
being influenced by them would          
strengthen into habit any natural       
unfitness for the high duties you may   
probably be called on to fulfil4 ,when  
in future years you may be appealed to1 
by those who depend on you alone1 for   
guidance1 for counsel1 for support in   
warding off1 or bearing bravely1        
dangers1 difficulties1 and sorrows1 you 
will have cause for bitter repentance if
 you are unable to answer such appeals2 
nor can you answer them successfully    

unless1 in the present hours of         
comparative calm1 you are1 in daily     
trifles1 habituating yourself to the    
exercise of self-control4 ,every day    
thus wasted now will in future cause you
 years of unavailing regret4            
,,footnotes3  #ef ,matt4 v4 #dh4  #eg   
,sir ,philip ,sidney4  #eh ,eph4 iv4    
#bf4  #ei ,ex4 xx4 #ab4  #fj ,eph4 v4   
#cc4  #fa ,isa4 xxxii4 #ag4  #fb        
,maria4 ,how can we love8--             
,giovanna 7interrupting74 ,mainly1 by   
hearing none     ,decry the object1 then
 by cherishing     ,the good we see in  
it1 and overlooking     ,what is less   
pleasant in the paths of life4     ,all 
have some virtue if we leave it them    
,in peace and quiet1 all may lose some  
part     ,by sifting too minutely good  
and bad4     ,the tenderer and the      
timider of creatures     ,often desert  
the brood that has been handled1     ,or
 turned about1 or indiscreetly looked   
at4     ,the slightest touches1 touching
 constantly1     ,irritate and inflame4 

,,landor',s ,giovanna and ,andrea4  #fc 
,miss ,edgeworth says that proverbs are 
vulgar because they are common sense4   
#fd ,emerson4     ,,letter ,,vii4       
,,economy4   ,perhaps there is no lesson
 that needs to be more watchfully and   
continually impressed on the young and  
generous heart than the difficult one of
 economy4 ,there is no virtue that in   
such natures requires more vigilant     
self-control and self-denial1 besides   
the exercise of a free judgment1        
uninfluenced by the excitement of       
feeling4  ,to you this virtue will be   
doubly difficult1 because you have so   
long watched its unpleasant             
manifestations in a distorted form4 ,you
 are exposed to danger from that which  
has perverted many notions of right and 
wrong2 you have so long heard things    
called by false names that you are      
inclined to turn away in disgust from a 
noble reality4 ,you have been accustomed
 to hear the name of economy given to   
penuriousness and meanness1 so that now1

 the wounded feelings and the refined   
tastes of your nature having been       
excited to disgust by this system of    
falsehood1 you will find it difficult to
 realize in economy a virtue that joins 
to all the noble instincts of generosity
 the additional features of             
strong-minded self-control4  ,it will   
therefore be necessary1 before ,i       
endeavour to impress upon your mind the 
duty and advantages of economy1 that ,i 
should previously help you to a clear   
understanding of the real meaning of the
 word itself4  ,the difficulty of       
forming a true and distinct conception  
of the virtue thus denominated is much  
increased by its being equally          
misrepresented by two entirely opposite 
parties4 ,the avaricious1 those to whom 
the expenditure of a shilling costs a   
real pang of regret1 claim for their    
mean vice the honour of a virtue that   
can have no existence1 unless the same  
pain and the same self-control were     
exercised in withholding1 as with them  

would be exercised in giving4 ,on the   
other hand1 the extravagant1 sometimes  
wilfully1 sometimes unconsciously1 fall 
into the same error of applying to the  
noble self-denial of economy the        
degrading misnomers of avarice1         
penuriousness1 c4  ,it is indeed        
possible that the avaricious may become 
economical1--after first becoming       
generous1 which is an absolutely        
necessary preliminary4 ,that which is   
impossible with man is possible with    
,god1 and who may dare to limit his free
 grace8 ,this1 however1 is one of the   
wonders ,i have never yet witnessed4 ,it
 seems indeed that the love of money is 
so literally the root of all evil1#fe   
that there is no room in the heart where
 it dwells for any other growth1 for any
 thing lovely or excellent4 ,the taint  
is universal1 and while much that is    
amiable and interesting may originally  
exist in characters containing the seeds
 of every other vice1 7however in time  
overshadowed and poisoned by such       

neighbourhood17 it would seem that the  
love of money always reigns in sovereign
 desolation1 admitting no warm or       
generous feeling into the heart which it
 governs4 ,such1 however1 you will at   
once deny to be the case of those from  
whose penuriousness your early years    
have suffered2 you know that their      
character is not thus bare of virtues4  
,but do not for this contradict my      
assertion2 theirs was not always innate 
love of money for its own sake1 though  
at length they may have unfortunately   
learned to love it thus1 which is the   
true test of avarice4 ,it has1 on the   
contrary1 been owing to the faults of   
others1 to their having long experienced
 the deprivations attendant on a want of
 money1 that they have acquired the     
habit of thinking the consciousness of  
its possession quite as enjoyable as the
 powers and the pleasures its           
expenditure bestows4 ,they know too well
 the pain of want of money1 but have    
never learned that the real pleasure of 

its possession consists in its          
employment4#ff ,it is only from habit1  
only from perverted experience1 that    
they are avaricious1 therefore ,i at    
once exonerate them from the charges ,i 
have brought against those whose very   
nature it is to love money for its own  
sake4 ,at the same time the strong      
expressions ,i have made use of         
respecting these latter1 may1 ,i hope1  
serve to obviate the suspicion that ,i  
have any indulgence for so despicable a 
vice1 and may induce you to expect an   
unprejudiced statement of the merits and
 the duty of economy4  ,it is carefully 
to be remembered that the excess of     
every natural virtue becomes a vice1 and
 that these apparently opposing         
qualities are only divided from each    
other by almost insensible boundaries4  
,the habitual exercise of strong        
self-control can alone preserve even our
 virtues from degenerating into sin1 and
 a clear-sightedness as to the very     
first step of declension must be sought 

for by self-denial on our own part1 and 
by earnest prayer for the assisting     
graces of the ,holy ,spirit1 to search  
the depths of our heart1 and open our   
eyes to see4  ,thus it is that the free 
and generous impulses of a warm and     
benevolent nature1 though in themselves 
among the loveliest manifestations of   
the merely natural character1 will and  
necessarily must degenerate into        
extravagance and self-indulgence1 unless
 they are kept vigilantly and constantly
 under the control of prudence and      
justice4 ,and this1 if you consider the 
subject impartially1 is fully as much   
the case when these generous impulses   
are not exercised alone in procuring    
indulgences for one's friends or one's  
self1 but even when they excite you to  
the relief of real suffering and        
pitiable distress4  ,this last is1      
indeed1 one of the severest trials of   
the duty of economy2 but that it is a   
part of that duty to resist even such   
temptations1 will be easily ascertained 

if you consider the subject             
coolly1--that is1 if you consider it    
when your feelings are not excited by   
the sight of a distressed object1 whose 
situation may be readily altered by some
 of that money which you think1 and     
think justly1 is only useful1 only      
enjoyable1 in the moment of expenditure4
  ,the trial is1 ,i confess1 a difficult
 one3 it is best the decision with      
respect to it should be made when your  
feelings are excited on the opposite    
side1 when some useful act of charity to
 the poor has incapacitated you from    
meeting the demands of justice4  ,i am  
sure your memory1 ay1 and your present  
experience too1 can furnish you with    
some cases of this kind4 ,it may be that
 the act of generosity was a judicious  
and a useful one1 that the suffering    
would have been great if you had not    
performed it2 but1 on the other hand1 it
 has disabled you from paying some bills
 that you knew at the very time were    
lawfully due as the reward of honest    

labour1 which had trusted to your honour
 that this reward should be punctually  
paid4 ,you have a keen sense of justice 
as well as a warm glow of generosity2   
one will serve to temper the other4 ,let
 the memory of every past occasion of   
this kind be deeply impressed1 not only 
on your mind but on your heart1 by      
frequent reflection on the painful      
thoughts that then forced themselves    
upon you1--the distress of those upon   
whose daily labour the daily maintenance
 of their family depends1 the collateral
 distress of the artisans employed by   
them1 whom they cannot pay because you  
cannot pay1 the degradation to your own 
character1 from the experience of your  
creditors that you have expended that   
which was in fact not your own1 the     
diminished1 perhaps for ever injured1   
confidence which they and all who become
 acquainted with the circumstances will 
place in you1 and1 finally1 the         
probability that you have deprived some 
honest1 industrious1 self-denying       

tradesman of his hardly-earned dues1 to 
bestow the misnamed generosity upon some
 object of distress1 who1 however real  
the distress may be now1 has probably   
deserved it by a deficiency in all those
 good qualities which maintain in       
respectability your defrauded creditor4 
,the very character1 too1 of your       
creditor may suffer by your inability to
 pay him1 for he1 miscalculating on your
 honesty and truthfulness1 may1 on his  
side1 have engaged to make payments     
which become impossible for him1 when   
you fail in your duty1 in which case you
 can scarcely calculate how far the     
injury to him may extend2 becoming a    
more permanent and serious evil than his
 incapacity to answer those daily calls 
upon him of which ,i have before spoken4
 ,in short1 if you will try to bring    
vividly before you all the painful      
feelings that passed through your mind1 
and all the contingencies that were     
contemplated by you on any one of these 
occasions1 you will scarcely differ from

 me when ,i assert my belief that the   
name of dishonesty would be a far more  
correct word than that of generosity to 
apply to such actions as the above3 you 
are1 in fact1 giving away the money of  
another person1 depriving him of his    
property1 his time1 or his goods1 under 
false pretences1 and1 in addition to    
this1 appropriating to yourself the     
pleasure of giving1 which surely ought  
to belong by right to those to whom the 
gift belongs4  ,i have here considered  
one of the most trying cases1 one in    
which the withholding of your liberality
 becomes a really difficult duty1 so    
difficult that the opportunity should be
 avoided as much as possible2 and it is 
for this very purpose that the science  
of economy should be diligently studied 
and practised1 that so you may have to  
give to him that needeth1 without taking
 away that which is due to others4      
,probably in most of the cases to which 
,i have referred your memory1 some      
previous acts of self-denial would have 

saved you from being tempted to the sin 
of giving away the property of another4 
,i would not willingly suppose that an  
act of self-denial at the very time you 
witnessed the case of distress might    
have provided you with the means of     
satisfying both generosity and honesty1 
for1 as ,i said before1 ,i know you to  
have a keen sense of justice2 and though
 you have never yet been vigilant enough
 in the practice of economy1 ,i cannot  
believe that1 with an alternative before
 you1 you would indulge in any personal 
expenditure1 even bearing the appearance
 of almost necessity1 that would involve
 a failure in the payment of your debts4
 ,i speak1 then1 only of acts of        
previous self-denial1 and ,i wish you to
 be persuaded1 that unless these are    
practised habitually and incessantly you
 can never be truly generous4 ,a        
readiness to give that which costs you  
nothing1 that which is so truly a       
superfluity that it involves no         
sacrifice1 is a mere animal instinct1 as

 selfish perhaps1 though more refinedly 
so than any other species of            
self-indulgence4 ,generosity is a nobler
 quality1 and one that can have no real 
existence without economy and           
self-denial4  ,i have spoken several    
times of the study of economy1 and of   
the science of economy2 and ,i used     
these words advisedly4 ,however natural 
and comparatively easy it may be to some
 persons to form an accurate judgment of
 the general average of their ordinary  
expenses1 and of all the contingencies  
that are perpetually arising1 ,i do not 
believe that you possess this power by  
nature3 you only need1 however1 to force
 your intellectual faculties into this  
direction to find that here1 as         
elsewhere1 they may be made available   
for every imaginable purpose4 ,you have 
sometimes probably envied those among   
your acquaintance1 much less highly     
gifted perhaps than yourself1 who have  
so little difficulty in practising      
economy1 that without any effort at all1

 they have always money in hand for any 
unexpected exigency1 as well as to      
fulfil all regular demands upon their   
purse4 ,it is an observation made by    
every one1 that among the same number of
 girls1 some will be found to dress     
better1 give away more1 and be better   
provided for sudden emergencies1 than   
their companions4 ,nor are these        
ordinarily the more clever girls of     
one's acquaintance3 ,i have known some  
who were decidedly below par as to      
intellect who yet possessed in a high   
degree the practical knowledge of       
economy4 ,instead of vainly lamenting   
your natural inferiority on such an     
important point1 you should seek        
diligently to remove it4  ,an acquired  
knowledge of the art of economy is far  
better than any natural skill therein2  
for the acquisition will involve the    
exercise of many intellectual faculties1
 such as generalization1 foresight1     
calculation1 at the same time that the  
moral faculties are strengthened by the 

constant exercise of self-control4 ,for1
 granted that the naturally economical  
are neither shabbily penurious nor      
deficient in the duty of almsgiving1 it 
is still evident that it cannot be the  
same effort to them to deny themselves a
 tempting act of liberality1 or the     
gratification of elegant and commendable
 tastes1 as it must be to those who are 
destitute of equally instinctive        
feelings as to the inadequacy of their  
funds to meet demands of this nature4   
,it is invariably true that economy must
 be difficult1 and therefore admirable  
in proportion to the warm-heartedness   
and the refined tastes of those who     
practise it4 ,the highly-gifted and the 
generous meet with a thousand           
temptations to expenditure beyond their 
means1 of the number and strength of    
which the less amiable and refined can  
form no adequate conception4 ,if1       
however1 those above spoken of are      
exposed to stronger temptations than    
others1 they also carry within          

themselves the means1 if properly       
employed1 of more powerful and skillful 
defence4 ,there is1 as ,i said before1  
no right purpose1 however contrary to   
the natural constitution of the mind1   
for which intellectual powers may not be
 made available2 and if strong feelings 
render self-denial more difficult1      
especially in points of charity or      
generosity1 they1 on the other hand1    
serve to impress more deeply and vividly
 on the mind the painful self-reproach  
consequent to any act of imprudence and 
extravagance4  ,the first effort made by
 your intellectual powers towards       
acquiring a practical knowledge of the  
science of economy should be the        
important one of generalizing all your  
expenses1 and then performing the same  
process upon the funds that there is a  
fair probability of your having at your 
disposal4 ,the former is difficult1 as  
the expenditure of even a single person1
 independent of any establishment1      
involves so many unforeseen             

contingencies1 that1 unless by combining
 the past and the future you generalize 
a probable average1 and then bring this 
average within your income1 you can     
never experience any of the peace of    
mind and readiness to meet the calls of 
charity which economy alone bestows4    
,no one of strict justice can combine   
tranquillity with the indulgence of     
generosity unless she lives within her  
income4 ,whether the expenditure be on a
 large or a small scale1 it signifies   
little2 she alone is truly rich who has 
brought her wants sufficiently within   
the bounds of her income to have always 
something to spare for unexpected       
contingencies4 ,in laying down rules for
 your expenditure1 you will1 of course1 
impose upon yourself a regular          
dedication of a certain part of your    
income to charitable purposes4 ,this    
ought to be considered as entirely set  
apart1 as no longer your own3 your      
opportunities must determine the exact  
proportion2 but the tenth1 at least1 of 

the substance which ,god has given you  
must be considered as appropriated to   
his service2 nor can you hope for a     
blessing upon the remainder1 if you     
withhold that which has been distinctly 
claimed from you4 ,besides the regular  
allowance for the wants of the poor1 ,i 
can readily suppose that it will be a   
satisfaction to you to deny yourself1   
from time to time1 some innocent        
gratification1 when a greater           
gratification is within your reach1 by  
laying out your money to make the       
widow's heart to sing for joy2 to bring 
upon yourself the blessing of him that  
was ready to perish4#fg ,here1 however1 
will much watchfulness be required2 you 
must be sure that it is only some       
self-indulgence you sacrifice1 and      
nothing of that which the claims of     
justice demand4 ,for when1 after        
systematic1 as well as present1         
self-denial1 you still find that you    
cannot afford to relieve the distress   
which it pains your heart to witness1 be

 careful to resist the temptation of    
giving away that which is lawfully due  
to others4 ,for the purpose of saving   
suffering in one direction you may cause
 it in another2 and besides1 you set    
yourself as plainly in opposition to    
that which is the will of ,god          
concerning you as if your imprudent     
expenditure were caused by some         
temptation less refined and unselfish   
than the relief of real distress4 ,the  
gratification that another woman would  
find in a splendid dress1 you derive    
from more exalted sources2 but if you or
 she purchase your gratification by an  
act of injustice1 by spending money that
 does not belong to you1 you1 as well as
 she1 are making an idol of self1 in    
choosing to have that which the         
providence of ,god has denied you4 ,the 
silver and the gold is mine1 saith the  
,lord2 and it cannot be without a       
special purpose1 relating to the        
peculiar discipline requisite for such  
characters1 that this silver and gold is

 so often withheld from those who would 
make the best and kindest use of it4    
,murmur not1 then1 when this hard trial 
comes upon you1 when you see want and   
sorrow which you cannot in justice to   
others relieve2 and when you see        
thousands1 at the very moment you       
experience this generous suffering1     
expended on entirely selfish1 perhaps   
sinful gratifications1 neither be       
tempted to murmur or to act unjustly4   
,is it not the ,lord2 has not he in his 
infinite love and infinite wisdom       
appointed this very trial for you8 ,bow 
your head and heart in submission1 and  
dare not to seek an escape from it by   
one step out of the path of duty4 ,it   
may be that close examination1 a        
searching of the stores of memory1 will 
bring even this trial under the almost  
invariable head of needful chastisement2
 it may be that it is the consequence of
 some former act of self-indulgence and 
extravagance1 which would have been     
forgotten1 or not deeply enough repented

 of1 unless your sin had in this way    
been brought to remembrance4 ,thus even 
this trial assumes the invariable       
character of all ,god's chastisements3  
it is the inevitable consequence of     
sin1--as inevitable as the relation of  
cause and effect4 ,it results from no   
special interposition of ,providence1   
but is the natural result of those      
decrees upon which the whole system of  
the world is founded2 secondarily1      
however1 overruled to work together for 
good to the penitent sinner1 by         
impressing more deeply on his mind the  
humbling remembrance of past sin1 and   
leading to a more watchful future       
avoidance of the same4  ,it is indeed   
probable1 that without many trials of   
this peculiarly painful kind1 the duty  
of economy could not be deeply enough   
impressed on a naturally generous and   
warm heart4 ,the restraints of prudence 
would be unheeded1 unless bitter        
experience1 as it were1 burned them in4 
,i have spoken of two necessary         

preparations for the practice of        
economy1--the first1 a clear general    
view of our probable expenses2 the      
second1 which ,i am now about to notice1
 is the calculation of the probable     
funds that are to meet these expenses4  
,in your case1 there is a certain       
income1 with sundry contingencies1 very 
much varying1 and altogether uncertain4 
,such probabilities1 then1 as the       
latter1 ought to be appropriated to such
 expenses as are occasional and not     
inevitable3 you must never calculate on 
them for any of your necessary          
expenditure1 except in the same average 
manner as you have calculated that      
expenditure2 and you must estimate the  
average considerably within             
probabilities1 or you will be often     
thrown into discomfort4 ,it is much     
better that all indulgences of mere     
taste1 of entirely personal             
gratification1 should be dependent on   
this uncertain fund2 and here again ,i  
would warn you to keep in view the more 

pressing wants that may arise in the    
future4 ,the gratification in which you 
are now indulging yourself may be a     
perfectly innocent one2 but are you     
quite sure that you are not expending   
more money than you can prudently1 or1  
to speak better1 conscientiously afford1
 on that which offers only a temporary  
gratification1 and involves no          
improvement or permanent benefit8 ,you  
certainly are not sufficiently rich to  
indulge in any merely temporary         
gratification1 except in extreme        
moderation4 ,with relation to that part 
of your income which is varying and     
uncertain1 ,i have observed that it is a
 very common temptation assailing the   
generous and thoughtless1 7about money  
matters1 often those who are least      
thoughtless about other things17 that   
there is always some future prospect of 
an increase of income1 which is to free 
them from present embarrassments1 and   
enable them to pay for the enjoyment of 
all those wishes that they are now      

gratifying4 ,it is a future1 however1   
that never arrives2 for every increase  
of property brings new claims or new    
wants along with it2 and it is found1   
too late1 that1 by exceeding present    
income1 we have destroyed both the      
present and the future1 we have created 
wants which the future income will find 
a difficulty in supplying1 having in    
addition its own new ones to provide    
for4  ,it may indeed in a few1 a very   
few1 cases be necessary1 in others      
expedient1 to forestall that money which
 we have every certainty of presently   
possessing2 but unless the expenditure  
relates to particulars coming under the 
term of daily bread1 it appears to me   
decided dishonesty to lay out an        
uncertain future income4 ,even if it    
should become ours1 have we not acted in
 direct contradiction to the revealed   
will of ,god concerning us8 ,the station
 of life in which ,god has placed us    
depends very much on the expenditure    
within our power2 and if we double that1

 do we not in fact choose wilfully for  
ourselves a different position from that
 which he has appointed1 and withdraw   
from under the guiding hand of his      
providence8 ,let us not hope that even  
temporal success will be allowed to     
result from such acts of disobedience4  
,what a high value does it stamp on the 
virtue of economy1 when we thus consider
 it as one of the means towards enabling
 us to submit ourselves to the will of  
,god6  ,i cannot close a letter to a    
woman on the subject of economy without 
referring to the subject of dress4      
,though your strongest temptations to   
extravagance may be those of a generous1
 warm heart1 ,i have no doubt that you  
are also1 though in an inferior degree1 
tempted by the desire to improve your   
personal appearance by the powerful aid 
of dress4 ,it ought not to be otherwise2
 you should not be indifferent to a very
 important means of pleasing4 ,your     
natural beauty would be unavailing      
unless you devoted both time and care to

 its preservation and adornment4 ,you   
should be solicitous to win the         
affection of those around you2 and there
 are many who will be seriously         
influenced by any neglect of due        
attention to your personal appearance4  
,besides the insensible effect produced 
on the most ignorant and unreasonable   
spectator1 those whom you will most wish
 to please will look upon it1 and with  
justice1 as an index to your mind2 and a
 simple1 graceful1 and well-ordered     
exterior will always give the impression
 that similar qualities exist within4   
,dressing well is some a natural and    
easy accomplishment2 to others1 who may 
have the very same qualities existing in
 their minds without the power 7which is
 in a degree mechanical7 of displaying  
the same outward manifestation of them1 
it will be much more difficult to attain
 the same object with the same expense4 
,your study1 therefore1 of the art of   
dress must be a double one1--must first 
enable you to bring the smallest details

 of your apparel into as close          
conformity as possible to the forms and 
tastes of your mind1 and1 secondly1     
enable you to reconcile this exercise of
 taste with the duties of economy4 ,if  
fashion is to be consulted as well as   
taste1 ,i fear that you will find this  
impossible2 if a gown or a bonnet is to 
be replaced by a new one1 the moment a  
slight alteration takes place in the    
fashion of the shape or the colour1 you 
will often be obliged to sacrifice taste
 as well as duty4 ,rather make up your  
mind to appear no richer than you are2  
if you cannot afford to vary your dress 
according to the rapidly--varying       
fashions1 have the moral courage to     
confess this in action4 ,nor will your  
appearance lose much by the sacrifice4  
,if your dress is in accordance with    
true taste1 the more valuable of your   
acquaintance will be able to appreciate 
that1 while they would be unconscious of
 any strict and expensive conformity to 
the fashions of the month4 ,of course1  

,i do not speak now of any glaring      
discrepancy between your dress and the  
general costume of the time4 ,there     
could be no display of a simple taste   
while any singularity in your dress     
attracted notice2 neither could there be
 much additional expense in a moderate  
attention to the prevailing forms and   
colours of the time1--for bonnets and   
gowns do not1 alas1 last for ever4 ,what
 ,i mean to deprecate is the laying     
aside any one of these1 which is        
suitable in every other respect1 lest it
 should reveal the secret of your having
 expended nothing upon dress during this
 season4 ,remember how many indulgences 
to your generous nature would be        
procured by the price of1 a fashionable 
gown or bonnet1 and your feelings will  
provide a strong support to your duty4  
,another way in which you may           
successfully practise economy is by     
taking care of your clothes1 having them
 repaired in proper time1 and neither   
exposing them to sun or rain            

unnecessarily4 ,a ten-guinea gown may be
 sacrificed in half an hour1 and the    
indolence of your disposition would lead
 you to prefer this sacrifice to the    
trouble of taking any preservatory      
precautions1 or thinking about the      
matter at all4 ,is this right8 ,even if 
you can procure money to satisfy the    
demands of mere carelessness1 are you   
acting as a faithful steward by thus    
expending it8 ,i willingly grant to you 
that some women are so wealthy1 placed  
in situations requiring so much         
representation1 that it would be        
degrading to them to take much thought  
about any thing but the beauty and      
fashion of their clothes2 and that an   
anxiety on their part about the         
preservation of1 to them1 trifles would 
indicate meanness and parsimoniousness4 
,their office is to encourage trade by a
 lavish expenditure1 conformable to the 
rank in life in which ,god has placed   
them4 ,happy are they if this wealth do 
not become a temptation too hard to be  

overcome6 ,happier those from whom such 
temptations1 denounced in the word of   
,god more strongly than any other1 are  
entirely averted6  ,this is your        
position2 and as much as it is the duty 
of the very wealthy to expend           
proportionally upon their dress1 so is  
it yours to be scrupulously economical1 
and to bring down your aspiring thoughts
 from the regions of poetry and romance 
to the homely duties of mending and     
caretaking4 ,there will be poetry and   
romance too in the generous and useful  
employment you may make of the money    
thus economised4 ,besides1 if you do not
 yet see that they exist in the smallest
 and homeliest of every-day cares1 it is
 only because your mind has not been    
sufficiently developed by experience to 
find poetry and romance in every act of 
self-control and self-denial4  ,there   
is1 ,i believe1 a general idea that     
genius and intellectual pursuits are    
inconsistent with the minute            
observations and cares that ,i have been

 recommending2 and by nature perhaps    
they are so4 ,the memoirs of great men  
are filled with anecdotes of their      
incompetency for commonplace duties1    
their want of observation1 their        
indifference to details3 you may        
observe1 however1 that such men were    
great in learning alone2 they never     
exhibited that union of action and      
thought which is essential to constitute
 a heroic character4  ,we read that a   
,charlemagne and a ,wallenstein could   
stoop1 in the midst of their vast       
designs and splendid successes1 to the  
cares of selling the eggs of their      
poultry-yard1#fh and of writing minute  
directions for its more skilful         
management4#fi ,a proper attention to   
the repair of the strings of your gowns 
or the ribbons of your shoes could      
scarcely be farther1 in comparison1     
beneath your notice4  ,the story of ,sir
 ,isaac ,newton's cat and kitten has    
often made you smile2 but it is no smile
 of admiration3 such absence of mind is 

simply ridiculous4 ,if1 indeed1 you     
should refer to its cause you may by    
reflection ascertain that the           
concentration of thought secured by such
 abstraction1 in his particular case1   
may have been of use to mankind in      
general2 but you must at the same time  
feel that he1 even a ,sir ,isaac        
,newton1 would have been a greater man  
had his genius been more universal1 had 
it extended from the realms of thought  
into those of action4  ,with women the  
same case is much stronger2 their minds 
are seldom1 if ever1 employed on        
subjects the importance and difficulty  
of which might make amends for such     
concentration of thought as would       
necessarily1 except in first-rate minds1
 produce abstraction and inattention to 
homely every-day duties4  ,even in the  
case of a genius1 one of most rare      
occurrence1 an attention to details1 and
 thoughtfulness respecting them1 though 
certainly more difficult1 is            
proportionally more admirable than in   

ordinary women4  ,it was said of the    
wonderful ,elizabeth ,smith1 that she   
equally excelled in every department of 
life1 from the translation of the most  
difficult passages of the ,hebrew ,bible
 down to the making of a pudding4 ,you  
should establish it as a practical truth
 in your mind1 that1 with a strong will1
 the intellectual powers may be turned  
into every imaginable direction1 and    
lead to excellence in one as surely as  
in another4  ,even where the strong will
 is wanting1 and there may not be the   
same mechanical facility that belongs to
 more vigorous organizations1 every     
really useful and necessary duty is     
still within the reach of all           
intellectual women4 ,among these1 you   
can scarcely doubt that the science of  
economy1 and that important part of it  
which consists in taking care of your   
clothes1 is within the power of every   
woman who does not look upon it as      
beneath her notice4 ,this ,i suppose you
 do not1 as ,i know you to take a       

rational and conscientious view of the  
minor duties of life1 and that you are  
anxious to fulfil those of exactly that 
state of life unto which it has pleased 
,god to call you4#gj  ,i must not close 
this letter without adverting to an     
error into which those of your sanguine 
temperament would be the most likely to 
fall4  ,you will1 perhaps--for it is a  
common progress--run from one extreme to
 another1 and from having expended too  
large a proportion of your income on    
personal decoration1 you may next       
withdraw even necessary attention from  
it4 ,all must be given to the poor1 will
 be the decision of your own impulses   
and of over-strained views of duty4     
,this1 however1 is1 in an opposite      
direction1 quitting the station of life 
in which ,god has placed you1 as much as
 those do who indulge in an expenditure 
of double their income4 ,your dressing  
according to your station in life is as 
much in accordance with the will of ,god
 concerning you1 as your living in a    

drawing-room instead of a kitchen1 in a 
spacious mansion instead of a peasant's 
cottage4 ,besides1 as you are situated1 
there is another consideration with     
respect to your dress which must not be 
passed over in silence4 ,the allowance  
you receive is expressly for the purpose
 of enabling you to dress properly1     
suitably1 and respectably2 and if you do
 not in the first place fulfil the      
purpose of the donor1 you are surely    
guilty of a species of dishonesty4 ,you 
have no right to indulge personal       
feeling1 or gratify a mistaken sense of 
duty1 by an expenditure of money for a  
different purpose from that for which it
 was given to you2 nor even1 were your  
money exclusively your own1 would you   
have a right to disregard the opinions  
of your friends by dressing in a        
different manner from them1 or from what
 they consider suitable for you4 ,if you
 thus err1 they will neither allow you  
to exercise any influence over them1 nor
 will they be at all prejudiced in      

favour of the1 it may be1 stricter      
religious principles which you profess1 
when they find them lead to unnecessary 
singularity1 and to disregard of the    
feelings and wishes of those around you4
 ,it is therefore your duty to dress    
like a lady1 and not like a peasant     
girl1--not only because the former is   
the station in life ,god himself has    
chosen for you1 but also because you    
have no right to lay out other people's 
money on your own devices2 and1 lastly1 
because it is your positive duty1 in    
this as in all other points1 to consult 
and consider the reasonable wishes and  
opinions of those with whom ,god has    
connected you by the ties of blood or   
friendship4   ,,footnotes3  #fe #a ,tim4
 vi4 #aj4  #ff ,the saying of the ,great
 ,captain1 ,gonsalvo di ,cordova4  #fg  
,job xxix4 #ac4  #fh ,montesquieu4      
,esprit des ,lois4  #fi ,colonel        
,mitchell's ,life of ,wallenstein4  #gj 
,the ,church ,catechism4     ,,letter   
,,viii4  ,,the ,,cultivation ,,of ,,the 

,,mind4   ,in writing to you upon the   
subject of mental cultivation1 it would 
seem scarcely necessary to dwell for a  
moment on its advantages2 it would seem 
as if1 in this case at least1 ,i might  
come at once to the point1 and state to 
you that which appears to me the best   
manner of attaining the object in view4 
,experience1 however1 has shown me1 that
 even into such minds as yours1 doubts  
will often obtain admittance1 sometimes 
from without1 sometimes self-generated1 
as to the advantages of intellectual    
education for women4 ,the time will     
come1 even if you have never yet        
momentarily experienced it1 when1       
saddened by the isolation of            
superiority1 and witnessing the greater 
love or the greater prosperity acquired 
by those who have limited or neglected  
intellects1 you may be painfully        
susceptible to the slighting remarks on 
clever women1 learned ladies1 c41 which 
will often meet your ear1--remarks which
 you will sometimes hear from uneducated

 women1 who may seem to be in the       
enjoyment of much more peace and        
happiness than yourself1 sometimes from 
well-educated and sensible men1 whose   
opinions you justly value4 ,i fear1 in  
short1 that even you may at times be    
tempted to regret having directed your  
attention and devoted your early days to
 studies which have only attracted envy 
or suspicion2 that even you may some day
 or other attribute to the pursuits     
which are now your favourite ones those 
disappointments and unpleasantnesses    
which doubtless await your path1 as they
 do that of every traveller along life's
 weary way4 ,this inconsistency may     
indeed be temporary2 in a character such
 as yours it must be temporary1 for you 
will feel1 on reflection1 that nothing  
which others have gained1 even were your
 loss of the same occasioned by your    
devotion to your favourite pursuits1    
could make amends to you for their      
sacrifice4 ,a mind that is really       
susceptible of culture must either      

select a suitable employment for the    
energies it possesses1 or they will find
 some dangerous occupation for          
themselves1 and eat away the very life  
they were intended to cherish and       
strengthen4 ,i should wish you to be    
spared1 however1 the humiliation of even
 temporary regrets1 which1 at the very  
least1 must occasion temporary loss of  
precious hours1 and a decrease of that  
diligent labour for improvement which   
can only be kept in an active state of  
energy by a deep and steady conviction  
of its nobleness and utility2 further   
still1 7which would be worse than the   
temporary consequences to yourself17 at 
such times of despondency you might be  
led to make admissions to the           
disadvantage of mental cultivation1 and 
to depreciate those very habits of study
 and self-improvement which it ought to 
be one of the great objects of your life
 to recommend to all4 ,you might thus   
discourage some young beginner in the   
path of self-cultivation1 who1 had it   

not been for you1 might have cheered a  
lonely way by the indulgence of healthy1
 natural tastes1 besides exercising     
extensive beneficial influence over     
others4 ,your incautious words1 doubly  
dangerous because they seem to be the   
result of experience1 may be the cause  
of such a one's remaining in useless and
 wearisome1 because uninterested        
idleness4 ,that you may guard the more  
successfully against incurring such     
responsibilities1 you should without    
delay begin a long and serious          
consideration1 founded on thought and   
observation1 both as to the relative    
advantages of ignorance and knowledge4  
,when your mind has been fully made up  
on the point1 after the careful         
examination ,i recommend to you1 you    
must lay your opinion aside on the      
shelf1 as it were1 and suffer it no     
longer to be considered as a matter of  
doubt1 or a subject for discussion4 ,you
 can then1 when temporarily assailed by 
weak-minded fears1 appeal to the former 

dispassionate and unprejudiced decision 
of your unbiassed mind4 ,to one like    
you1 there is no safer appeal than that 
from a present excited1 and consequently
 prejudiced self1 to another            
dispassionate1 and consequently wiser   
self4 ,let us then consider in detail   
what foundation there may be for the    
remarks that are made to the            
depreciation of a cultivated intellect1 
and illustrate their truth or falsehood 
by the examples of those upon whose     
habits of life we have an opportunity of
 exercising our observation4  ,first1   
then1 ,i would have you consider the    
position and the character of those     
among your unmarried friends who are    
unintellectual and uncultivated1 and    
contrast them with those who have by    
education strengthened natural powers   
and developed natural capabilities3     
among these1 it is easy for you to      
observe whose society is the most useful
 and the most valued1 whose opinion is  
the most respected1 whose example is the

 most frequently held up to             
imitation1--,i mean by those alone whose
 esteem is worth possessing4 ,the giddy1
 the thoughtless1 and the uneducated may
 indeed manifest a decided preference   
for the society of those whose pursuits 
and conversation are on a level with    
their own capacity2 but you surely      
cannot regret that they should even     
manifestly 7which however is not often  
ventured upon7 shrink from your society4
 ,like to like is a proverb older than  
the time of ,dante1 whose answer it was 
to ,can della ,scala1 when reproached by
 him that the society of the most       
frivolous persons was more sought after 
at court than that of the poet and      
philosopher4 ,given the amuser1 the     
amusee must also be given4#ga ,you      
surely ought not to regret the cordon   
sanitaire which protects you from the   
utter weariness1 the loss of time1 ,i   
might almost add of temper1 which       
uncongenial society would entail upon   
you4 ,in the affairs of life1 you must  

generally make up your mind as to the   
good that deserves your preference1 and 
resolutely sacrifice the inferior       
advantage which cannot be enjoyed with  
the greater one4 ,you must consequently 
give up all hope of general popularity1 
if you desire that your society should  
be sought and valued1 your opinion      
respected1 your example followed1 by    
those whom you really love and admire1  
by the wise and good1 by those whose    
society you can yourself in your turn   
enjoy4 ,you must not expect that at the 
same time you should be the favourite   
and chosen companion of the worthless1  
the frivolous1 the uneducated2 you ought
 not1 indeed1 to desire it4 ,crush in   
its very birth that mean ambition for   
popularity which might lead you on to   
sacrifice time and tastes1 alas6        
sometimes even principles1 to gain the  
favour and applause of those whose      
society ought to be a weariness to you4 
,nothing1 besides1 is more injurious to 
the mind than a studied sympathy with   

mediocrity3 nay1 without any study1 any 
conscious effort to bring yourself down 
to their level1 your mind must          
insensibly become weakened and tainted  
by a surrounding atmosphere of ignorance
 and stupidity1 so that you would       
gradually become unfitted for that      
superior society which you are formed to
 love and appreciate4 ,it is quite a    
different case when the dispensations of
 ,providence and the exercise of social 
duties bring you into contact with      
uncongenial minds4 ,whatever is a duty  
will be made safe to you3 it can only be
 from your own voluntary selection that 
any unsuitable association becomes      
injurious and dangerous4                
,notwithstanding1 however1 that it may  
be laid down as a general rule that the 
wise will prefer the society of the     
wise1 the educated that of the educated1
 it sometimes happens that highly       
intellectual and cultivated persons     
select1 absolutely by their own choice1 
the frivolous and the ignorant for their

 constant companions1 though at the same
 time they may refer to others for      
counsel1 and direction1 and sympathy4   
,is this choice1 however1 made on       
account of the frivolity and ignorance  
of the persons so selected8 ,i am sure  
it is not4 ,i am sure1 if you inquire   
into every case of this kind1 you will  
see for yourself that it is not4 ,such  
persons are thus preferred1 sometimes on
 account of the fairness of their       
features1 sometimes on account of the   
sweetness of their temper1 sometimes for
 the lightheartedness which creates an  
atmosphere of joyousness around them1   
and insures their never officiously     
obtruding the cares and anxieties of    
this life upon their companions4 ,do    
not1 then1 attribute to want of         
intellect those attractions which only  
need to be combined with intellect to   
become altogether irresistible1 but     
which1 however1 ,i must confess1 it may 
have an insensible influence in         
destroying4 ,for instance1 the          

sweetness1 of the temper is seldom      
increased by increased refinement of    
mind2 on the contrary1 the latter serves
 to quicken susceptibility and render   
perception more acute2 and therefore1   
unless it is guarded by an accompanying 
increase of self-control1 it will       
naturally produce an alteration for the 
worse in the temper4 ,this is one point4
 ,for the next1 personal beauty may be  
injured by want of exercise1 neglect of 
health1 or of due attention to becoming 
apparel1 which errors are often the     
results of an injudicious absorption in 
intellectual pursuits4 ,lastly1 a       
thoughtful nature and habit of mind must
 of course induce a quicker perception1 
and a more frequent contemplation of the
 sorrows and dangers of this mortal     
life1 than the volatile and thoughtless 
nature and habit of mind have any       
temptation to2 and thus persons of the  
former class are often induced1         
sometimes usefully1 sometimes           
unnecessarily1 but perhaps always       

disagreeably1 to intrude the melancholy 
subjects of their own meditations upon  
the persons with whom they associate1   
often making their society evidently    
unpleasant1 and1 if possible1 carefully 
avoided4 ,it is1 however1 unjust to     
attribute any of the inconveniences just
 enumerated to those intellectual       
pursuits which1 if properly pursued1    
would prove effectual in improving1 nay1
 even in bestowing1 intelligence1       
prudence1 tact1 and self-control1 and   
thus preserving from those very         
inconveniences to which ,i have referred
 above4 ,be it your care to win praise  
and approbation for the habits of life  
you have adopted1 by showing that such  
are the effects they produce in you4 ,by
 your conduct you may prove that1 if    
your perceptions have been quickened and
 your sensibilities rendered more acute1
 you have at the same time1 and by the  
same means1 acquired sufficient         
self-control to prevent others from     
suffering ill-effects from that which   

would in such a case be only a fancied  
improvement in yourself4 ,further1 let  
it be your care to bestow more attention
 than before on that external form which
 you are now learning to estimate as the
 living1 breathing type of that which is
 within4 ,finally1 while your increased 
thoughtfulness and the developed powers 
of your reason will give you an insight 
in dangers and evils which others never 
dream of1 be careful to employ your     
knowledge only for the improvement or   
preservation of the happiness of your   
friends4 ,guard within your own breast1 
however you may long for the relief of  
giving a free vent to your feelings1 any
 sorrows or any apprehensions that      
cannot be removed or obviated by their  
revelation4 ,thus will you unite in     
yourself the combined advantages of the 
frivolous and intellectual2 your society
 will be loved and sought after as much 
as that of the first can be1 7only1     
however1 by the wise and good--my       
assertion extends no further17 and you  

will at the same time be respected1     
consulted1 and imitated1 as the clever  
and educated can alone be4  ,i have     
hitherto spoken only of the unmarried   
among your acquaintance3 let us now turn
 to the wives and mothers1 and observe1 
with pity1 the position of her1 who1    
though she may be well and fondly loved1
 is felt at the same time to be         
incapable of bestowing sympathy or      
counsel4 ,it is indeed1 perhaps1 the    
wife and mother who is the best loved   
who will at the same time be made the   
most deeply to feel her powerlessness to
 appreciate1 to advise1 or to guide3 the
 very anxiety to hide from her that it  
is the society1 the opinion1 and the    
sympathy of others which is really      
valued1 because it alone can be         
appreciative1 will make her only the    
more sensibly aware that she is         
deficient in the leading qualities that 
inspire respect and produce usefulness4 
,she must constantly feel her unfitness 
to take any part in the society that    

suits the taste of her more intellectual
 husband and children4 ,she must observe
 that they are obliged to bring down    
their conversation to her level1 that   
they are obliged to avoid1 out of       
deference to1 and affection for her1 all
 those varied topics which make social  
intercourse a useful as well as an      
agreeable exercise of the mental powers1
 an often more improving arena of       
friendly discussion than perhaps any    
professed debating society could be4 ,no
 such employment of social intercourse  
can1 however1 be attempted when one of  
the heads of the household is uneducated
 and unintellectual4 ,the weather must  
form the leading1 and the only safe     
topic of conversation2 for the gossip of
 the neighbourhood1 commented on in the 
freedom and security of family life1    
imparts to all its members a petty      
censoriousness of spirit that can never 
afterwards be entirely thrown off4 ,then
 the education of the children of such a
 mother as ,i have described must be    

carried on under the most serious       
disadvantages4 ,money in abundance may  
be at her disposal1 but that is of      
little avail when she has no power of   
forming a judgment as to the abilities  
of the persons so lavishly paid for     
forming the minds of the children       
committed to their charge3 the precious 
hours of their youth will thus be very  
much wasted2 and when self-education1 in
 some few cases1 comes in time to repair
 these early neglects1 there must be    
reproachful memories of that ignorance  
which placed so many needless           
difficulties in the path to knowledge   
and advancement4  ,it is not1 however1  
those alone who are bound by the ties of
 wife and mother1 whose intellectual    
cultivation may exercise a powerful     
influence in their social relations3    
each woman in proportion to her mental  
and moral qualifications possesses a    
useful influence over all those within  
her reach4 ,moral excellence alone      
effects much3 the amiable1 the loving1  

and the unselfish almost insensibly     
dissuade from evil1 and persuade to     
good1 those who have the good fortune to
 be within the reach of such soothing   
influences4 ,their persuasions are1     
however1 far more powerful when         
vivacity1 sweetness1 and affection are  
given weight to by strong natural powers
 of mind1 united with high cultivation4 
,of all the talents committed to our    
stewardship1 none will require to be so 
strictly accounted for as those of      
intellect4 ,the influence that we might 
have acquired over our fellow-men1 thus 
winning them over to think of and       
practise all things lovely and of good  
report1 if it be neglected1 is surely a 
sin of deeper dye than the misemployment
 of mere money4 ,the disregard of those 
intellectual helps which we might have  
bestowed on others1 and thus have       
extensively benefited the cause of      
religion1 one of whose most useful      
handmaids is mental cultivation1 will   
surely be among the most serious of the 

sins of omission that will swell our    
account at the last day4 ,the           
intellectual ,dives will not be punished
 only for the misuse of his riches1 as  
in the case of a ,byron or a ,shelley2  
the neglect of their improvement1 by    
employing them for the good of others1  
will equally disqualify him for hearing 
the final commendation of ,well done1   
good and faithful servant4#gb ,this1    
however1 is not a point on which ,i need
 dwell at any length while writing to   
you3 you are aware1 fully1 ,i believe1  
of the responsibilities entailed upon   
you by the natural powers you possess4  
,it is from worldly motives of          
dissuasion1 and not from any ignorance  
with regard to that which you know to be
 your duty1 that you may be at times    
induced to slacken your exertions in the
 task of self-improvement4 ,you will not
 be easily persuaded that it is not your
 duty to educate yourself2 the doubt    
that will be more easily instilled into 
your mind will be respecting the        

possible injury to your happiness or    
worldly advancement by the increase of  
your knowledge and the improvement of   
your mind4 ,look1 then1 again around    
you1 and see whether the want of        
employment confers happiness1 carefully 
distinguishing1 however1 between that   
happiness which results from natural    
constitution and that which results from
 acquired habits4 ,it is true that many 
of the careless1 thoughtless girls you  
are acquainted with enjoy more          
happiness1 such as they are capable of1 
in mornings and evenings spent at their 
worsted-work1 than the most diligent    
cultivation of the intellect can ever   
insure to you4 ,but the question is1 not
 whether the butterfly can contentedly  
dispense with the higher instincts of   
the industrious1 laborious1 and useful  
bee1 but whether the superior creature  
could content itself with the insipid   
and objectless pursuits of the lower    
one4 ,the mind requires more to fill it 
in proportion to the largeness of its   

grasp3 hope not1 therefore1 that you    
could find either their peace or their  
satisfaction in the purse-netting1      
embroidering lives of your thoughtless  
companions4 ,even to them1 be sure1     
hours of deep weariness must come3 no   
human being1 whatever her degree on the 
scale of mind1 is capable of being      
entirely satisfied with a life without  
object and without improvement4         
,remember1 however1 that it is not at   
all by the comparative contentedness of 
their mere animal existence that you can
 test the qualifications of a habit of  
life to constitute your own happiness2  
that must stand on a far different      
basis4  ,in the case of a very early    
marriage1 there may be indeed no        
opportunity for the weariness of which  
,i have above spoken4 ,the uneducated   
and uncultivated girl who is removed    
from the school-room to undertake the   
management of a household may not fall  
an early victim to ennui2 that fate is  
reserved for her later days4 ,household 

details 7which are either degrading or  
elevating according as they are attended
 to as the favourite occupations of     
life1 or1 on the other hand1 skilfully  
managed as one of its inevitable and    
important duties7 often fill the mind   
even more effectually to the exclusion  
of better things than worsted-work or   
purse-netting would have done4 ,the     
young wife1 if ignorant and uneducated1 
soon sinks from the companion of her    
husband1 the guide and example of her   
children1 into the mere nurse and       
housekeeper4 ,a clever upper-servant    
would1 in nine cases out of ten1 fulfil 
all the offices which engross her time  
and interest a thousand times better    
than she can herself4 ,for her1 however1
 even for the nurse and housekeeper1 the
 time of ennui must come2 for her it is 
only deferred4 ,the children grow up1   
and are scattered to a distance2        
requiring no further mechanical cares1  
and neither employing time nor exciting 
the same kind of interest as formerly4  

,the mere household details1 however    
carefully husbanded and watchfully      
self-appropriated1 will not afford      
amusement throughout the whole day2 and1
 utterly unprovided with subjects for   
thought or objects of occupation1 life  
drags on a wearisome and burdensome     
chain4 ,we have all seen specimens of   
this1 the most hopeless and pitiable    
kind of ennui1 when the time of         
acquiring habits of employment1 and     
interest in intellectual pursuits is    
entirely gone1 and resources can neither
 be found in the present1 or hoped for  
in the future4 ,hard is the fate of     
those who are bound to such victims by  
the ties of blood and duty4 ,they must  
suffer1 secondhand1 all the annoyances  
which ennui inflicts on its wretched    
victims4 ,no natural sweetness of temper
 can long resist the depressing         
influence of dragging on from day to day
 an uninterested1 unemployed existence2 
and besides1 those who can find no      
occupation for themselves will often    

involuntarily try to lessen their own   
discomfort by disturbing the occupations
 of others4 ,this species of ennui1 of  
which the sufferings begin in           
middle-life and often last to extreme   
old age1 7as they have no tendency to   
shorten existence17 is far more pitiable
 than that from which the girl or the   
young woman suffers before her          
matron-life begins4 ,then hope is always
 present to cheer her on to endurance2  
and there is1 besides1 at that time1 a  
consciousness of power and energy to    
change the habits of life into such as  
would enable her to brave all future    
fears of ennui4 ,it is of great         
importance1 however1 that these habits  
should be acquired immediately2 for     
though they may be equally possible of  
acquisition in the later years of youth1
 there are in the mean time other       
dangerous resources which may tempt the 
unoccupied and uninterested girl into   
their excitements4 ,those whose minds   
are of too active and vivacious a nature

 to live on without an object1 may too  
easily find one in the dangerous and    
selfish amusements of coquetry--in the  
seeking for admiration1 and its         
enjoyment when obtained4 ,the very woman
 who might have been the most happy     
herself in the enjoyment of intellectual
 pursuits1 and the most extensively     
useful to others1 is often the one who1 
from misdirected energies and feeling1  
will pursue most eagerly1 be most       
entirely engrossed by1 the delights of  
being admired and loved by those to whom
 in return she is entirely indifferent4 
,having once acquired the habit of      
enjoying the selfish excitement1 the    
simple1 safe1 and ennobling employments 
of self-cultivation1 of improving       
others1 are laid aside for ever1 because
 the power of enjoying them is lost4 ,do
 not be offended if ,i say that this is 
the fate ,i fear for you4 ,at the       
present moment1 the two paths of life   
are open before you2 youth1 excitement1 
the example of your companions1 the     

easiness and the pleasure of the        
worldling's career1 make it full of     
attractions for you4 ,besides1 your     
conscience does not perhaps speak with  
sufficient plainness as to its being the
 career of the worldling2 you can find  
admirers enough1 and give up to them all
 the young1 fresh interests of your     
active mind1 all the precious time of   
your early youth1 without ever          
frequenting the ball-room1 or the       
theatre1 or the race-course1--nay1 even 
while professedly avoiding them on      
principle3 we know1 alas6 that the      
habits of the selfish and heartless     
coquette are by no means incompatible   
with an outward profession of religion4 
,it is to save you from any such dangers
 that ,i earnestly press upon you the   
deliberate choice and immediate adoption
 of a course of life in which the       
systematic1 conscientious improvement of
 your mind should serve as an           
efficacious preservation from all       
dangerously exciting occupations4 ,you  

should prepare yourself for this        
deliberate choice by taking a clear and 
distinct view of your object and your   
motives4 ,can you say with sincerity    
that they are such as the               
following1--that of acquiring influence 
over your fellow-creatures1 to be       
employed for the advancement of their   
eternal interests--that of glorifying   
,god1 and of obtaining the fulfilment of
 that promise1 ,they that turn many to  
righteousness shall shine as the stars  
for ever and ever4#gc ,if this be the   
case1 your choice must be a right and a 
noble one2 and you will never have      
reason to repent of it1 either in this  
world or the next4 ,among the collateral
 results of this conscientious choice   
will be a certain enjoyment of life1    
more independent of either health or    
external circumstances than any other   
can be1 and the lofty self-respect      
arising from a consciousness of never   
having descended to unworthy methods of 
amusement and excitement4  ,to attain1  

however1 to the pleasures of            
intellectual pursuits1 and to acquire   
from them the advantages of influence   
and respect1 is quite a distinct thing  
from the promiscuous and ill-regulated  
habits of reading pursued by most women4
 ,women who read at all1 generally read 
more than men2 but1 from the absence of 
any intellectual system1 they neither   
acquire well-digested information1 nor1 
what is of far more importance1 are the 
powers of their mind strengthened by    
exercise4 ,i have known women read for  
six hours a day1 and1 after all1 totally
 incapable of enlightening the inquirer 
upon any point of history or literature2
 far less would they be competent to    
exercise any process of reasoning1 with 
relation either to the business of life 
or the occurrences of its social        
intercourse4 ,how many difficulties and 
annoyances in the course of every-day   
life might be avoided altogether if     
women were early exercised in the       
practice of bringing their reasoning    

powers to bear upon the small duties and
 the petty trials that await every hour 
of our existence6 ,their studies are    
altogether useless1 unless they are     
pursued with the view of acquiring a    
sounder judgment1 and quicker and more  
accurate perceptions of the every-day   
details of business and duty4 ,that     
knowledge is worse than useless which   
does not lead to wisdom4 ,to women1 more
 especially1 as their lives can never be
 so entirely speculative as those of a  
few learned men may justifiably be1 the 
great object in study is the manner in  
which they can best bring to bear each  
acquisition of knowledge upon the       
improvement of their own character or   
that of others4 ,the manner in which    
they may most effectually promote the   
welfare of their fellow-creatures1 and  
how1 as the most effectual means to that
 end1 they can best contribute to their 
daily and hourly happiness and          
improvement1--these1 and such as these1 
ought to be the primary objects of all  

intellectual culture4 ,mere reading     
would never accomplish this2 mere       
reading is no more an intellectual      
employment than worsted-work or         
purse-netting4 ,it is true that none of 
these latter employments are without    
their uses2 they may all occupy the mind
 in some degree1 and soothe it1 if it   
were only by creating a partial         
distraction from the perpetual          
contemplation of petty irritating causes
 of disquiet4 ,but while we acknowledge 
that they are all good in their way for 
people who can attain nothing better1 we
 must be careful not to fall into the   
mistake of confounding the best of them1
 viz4 mere reading1 with intellectual   
pursuits3 if we do so1 the latter will  
be involved in the depreciation that    
often falls upon the former when it is  
found neither to improve the mind or the
 character1 nor to provide satisfactory 
sources of enjoyment4  ,there is a great
 deal of truth in the well-known        
assertion of ,hobbes1 however           

paradoxical it may at first appear3 ,if 
,i had read as much as others1 ,i should
 be as ignorant4 ,one cannot but feel   
its applicability in the case of some of
 our acquaintance1 who have been for    
years mere readers at the rate of five  
or six hours a day4 ,one of these same  
hours daily well applied would have made
 them more agreeable companions and more
 useful members of society than a whole 
life of their ordinary reading4  ,there 
must be a certain object of attainment1 
or there will be no advance3 unless we  
have decided what the point is that we  
desire to reach1 we never can know      
whether the wind blows favourably for us
 or not4  ,in my next letter1 ,i mean to
 enter fully into many details as to the
 best methods of study2 but during the  
remainder of this1 ,i shall confine     
myself to a general view of the nature  
of that foundation which must first be  
laid1 before any really valuable or     
durable superstructure can be erected4  
,the first point1 then1 to which ,i wish

 your attention to be directed is the   
improvement of the mind itself1--point  
of far more importance than the         
furniture you put into it4 ,this        
improvement can only be effected by     
exercising deep thought with respect to 
all your reading1 assimilating the ideas
 and the facts provided by others until 
they are blended into oneness with the  
forms of your own mind4  ,during your   
hours of study1 it is of the utmost     
importance that no page should ever be  
perused without carefully subjecting its
 contents to the thinking process of    
which ,i have spoken3 unless your       
intellect is actively employed while you
 are professedly studying1 your time is 
worse than wasted1 for you are acquiring
 habits of idleness1 that will be most  
difficult to lay aside4  ,you should    
always be engaged in some work that     
affords considerable exercise to the    
mind--some book over the sentences of   
which you are obliged to pause1 to      
ponder--some kind of study that will    

cause the feeling of almost physical    
fatigue2 when1 however1 this latter     
sensation comes on1 you must rest2 the  
brain is of too delicate a texture to   
bear the slightest over-exertion with   
impunity4#gd ,premature decay of its    
powers1 and accompanying bodily weakness
 and suffering1 will inflict upon you a 
severe penalty for any neglect of the   
symptoms of mental exhaustion4#ge ,your 
mind1 however1 like your body1 ought to 
be exercised to the very verge of       
fatigue2 you cannot otherwise be certain
 that there has been exercise sufficient
 to give increased strength and energy  
to the mental or physical powers4  ,the 
more vigorous such exercise is1 the     
shorter will be the time you can support
 it4 ,perhaps even an hour of close     
thinking would be too much for most     
women2 the object1 however1 ought not to
 be so much the quantity as the quality 
of the exercise4 ,if your peculiarly    
delicate and sensitive organization     
cannot support more than a quarter of an

 hour's continuous and concentrated     
thought1 you must content yourself with 
that4 ,experience will soon prove to you
 that even the few minutes thus employed
 will give you a great superiority over 
the six-hours-a-day readers of your     
acquaintance1 and will serve as a solid 
and sufficient foundation for all the   
lighter superstructure which you will   
afterwards lay upon it4 ,this latter1 in
 its due place1 ,i should consider as of
 nearly as much importance as the       
foundation itself2 for1 keeping steadily
 in view that usefulness is to be the   
primary object of all your studies1 you 
must devote much more time and attention
 to the embellishing1 because refining  
branches of literature1 than would be   
necessary for those whose office is not 
so peculiarly that of soothing and      
pleasing as woman's is4 ,even these     
lighter studies1 however1 must be       
subjected to the same reflective process
 as the severer ones1 or they will never
 become an incorporate part of the mind 

itself3 they will1 on the contrary1 if  
this process is neglected1 stand out1 as
 the knowledge of all uneducated people 
does1 in abrupt and unharmonizing       
prominence4  ,it is not to be so much   
your object to acquire the power of     
quoting poetry or prose1 or to be       
acquainted with the names of the authors
 of celebrated fictions and their       
details1 as to be imbued with the spirit
 of heroism1 generosity1                
self-sacrifice1--in short1 the practical
 love of the beautiful which every      
universally-admired fiction1 whether it 
have a professedly moral tendency or    
not1 is calculated to excite4 ,the      
refined taste1 the accurate perceptions1
 the knowledge of the human heart1 and  
the insight into character1 which       
intellectual culture can highly improve1
 even if it cannot create1 are to be the
 principal results as well as the       
greatest pleasures to which you are to  
look forward4 ,in study1 as in every    
other important pursuit1 the immediate  

results--those that are most tangible   
and encouraging to the faint and easily 
disheartened--are exactly those which   
are least deserving of anxiety4 ,a      
couple of hours' reading of poetry in   
the morning might qualify you to act the
 part of oracle that very evening to a  
whole circle of inquirers2 it might     
enable you to tell the names1 and dates1
 and authors of a score of remarkable   
poems3 and this1 besides1 is a species  
of knowledge which every one can        
appreciate4 ,it is not1 however1        
comparable in kind to the refinement of 
mind1 the elevation of thought1 the     
deepened sense of the beautiful1 which a
 really intellectual study of the same  
works would impart or increase4 ,i do   
not wish to depreciate the good offices 
of the memory2 it is very valuable as a 
handmaid to the higher powers of the    
intellect4 ,i have1 however1 generally  
observed that where much attention has  
been devoted to the recollection of     
names1 facts1 dates1 c41 the higher     

species of intellectual cultivation have
 been neglected3 attention to them1 on  
the other hand1 would never involve any 
neglect of the advantages of memory2 for
 a cultivated intellect can suggest to  
itself a thousand associative links by  
which it can be assisted and rendered   
much more extensively useful than a mere
 verbal memory could ever be4 ,the more 
of these links 7called by ,coleridge    
hooks-and-eyes7 you can invent for      
yourself1 the more will your memory     
become an intellectual faculty4 ,by such
 means1 also1 you can retain possession 
of all the information with which your  
reading may furnish you1 without paying 
such exclusive attention to those       
tangible and immediate results of study 
as would deprive you of the more solid  
and permanent ones4 ,these latter       
consist1 as ,i said before1 in the      
improvement of the mind itself1 and not 
in its furniture4 ,a modern author has  
remarked1 that the improvement of the   
mind is like the increase of money from 

compound interest in a bank1 as every   
fresh increase1 however trifling1 serves
 as a new link with which to connect    
still further acquisitions4 ,this remark
 is strikingly illustrative of the value
 of an intellectual kind of memory4     
,every new idea will serve as a         
hook-and-eye1 with which you can fasten 
together the past and the future2 every 
new fact intellectually remembered will 
serve as an illustration of some        
formerly-established principle1 and1    
instead of burdening you with the       
separate difficulty of remembering      
itself1 will assist you in remembering  
other things4  ,it is a universal law1  
that action is in inverse proportion to 
power2 and therefore the deeply-thinking
 mind will find a much greater          
difficulty in drawing out its           
capabilities on short notice1 and       
arranging them in the most effective    
position1 than a mind of mere           
cleverness1 of merely acquired1 and not 
assimilated knowledge4 ,this difficulty1

 however1 need not be permanent1 though 
at first it is inevitable4 ,a woman's   
mind1 too1 is less liable to it2 as1    
however thoughtful her nature may be1   
this thoughtfulness is seldom           
strengthened by habit4 ,she is seldom   
called upon to concentrate the powers of
 her mind on any intellectual pursuits  
that require intense and long-continuous
 thought4 ,the few moments of intense   
thought which ,i recommend to you will  
never add to your thoughtfulness of     
nature any habits that will require     
serious difficulty to overcome4 ,it is  
also1 unless a man be in public life1 of
 more importance to a woman than to him 
to possess action1 viz4 great readiness 
in the use and disposal of whatever     
intellectual powers she may possess4    
,besides this1 you must remember that a 
want of quickness and facility in       
recollection1 of ease and distinctness  
in expression1 is quite as likely to    
arise from desultory and wandering      
habits of thought as from the slowness  

referable to deep reflection4 ,most     
people find difficulty in forcing their 
thoughts to concentrate themselves on   
any given subject1 or in afterwards     
compelling them to take a comprehensive 
glance of every feature of that subject4
 ,both these processes require much the 
same habits of mind3 the latter1        
perhaps1 though apparently the more     
discursive in its nature1 demands a     
still greater degree of concentration   
than the former4  ,when the mind is set 
in motion1 it requires a stronger       
exertion to confine its movements within
 prescribed limits than when it is      
steadily fixed on one given point4 ,for 
instance1 it would be easier to meditate
 on the subject of patriotism1 bringing 
before the mind every quality of the    
heart and head that this virtue would   
have a tendency to develop1 than to take
 in1 at one comprehensive glance1#gf the
 different qualities of those several   
individuals who have been most remarked 
for the virtue4 ,unless the thoughts    

were under strong and habitual control1 
they would infallibly wander to other   
peculiarities of these same individuals1
 unconnected with the given subject1 to 
curious facts in their lives1 to        
contemporary characters1 c42 thus       
loitering by the way-side in amusing1   
but here unprofitable reflection3 for   
every exercise of thought like that     
which ,i have described is only valuable
 in proportion to the degree of accuracy
 with which we can contemplate with one 
instantaneous glance1 laid out upon a   
map as it were1 those features only     
belonging to the given subject1 and     
keeping out of view all foreign ones4   
,there is perhaps no faculty of the mind
 more susceptible of evident1 as it were
 tangible1 improvement than this3       
besides1 the exercise of mind which it  
procures us is one of the highest       
intellectual pleasures2 you should      
therefore immediately and perseveringly 
devote your efforts and attention to    
seek out the best mode of cultivating   

it4 ,even the reading of books which    
require deep and continuous thought is  
only a preparation for this higher      
exercise of the faculties--a useful1    
indeed a necessary preparation1 because 
it promotes the habit of fixing the     
attention and concentrating the powers  
of the mind on any given point4 ,in     
assimilating the thoughts of others1    
however1 with your own mind and memory1 
the mind itself remains nearly passive2 
it is as the wax that receives the      
impression1 and must for this purpose be
 in a suitable state of impressibility4 
,in exact proportion to the suitableness
 of this state are the clearness and the
 beauty of the impression2 but even when
 most true and most deep1 its value is  
extrinsic and foreign3 it is only when  
the mind begins to act for itself and   
weaves out of its own materials a new   
and native manufacture1 that the real   
intellectual existence can be said to   
commence4 ,while1 therefore1 ,i repeat  
my advice to you1 to devote some portion

 of every day to such reading as will   
require the strongest exertion of your  
powers of thought1 ,i wish1 at the same 
time1 to remind you that even this1 the 
highest species of reading1 is only to  
be considered as a means to an end3     
though productive of higher and nobler  
enjoyments than the unintellectual can  
conceive1 it is nothing more than the   
stepping-stone to the genuine pleasures 
of pure intellect1 to the ennobling     
sensation of directing1 controlling1 and
 making the most elevated use of the    
powers of an immortal mind4  ,to woman1 
the power of abstracted thought1 and the
 enjoyment derived from it1 is even more
 valuable than to man4 ,his path lies in
 active life2 and the earnest craving   
for excitement1 for action1 which is the
 characteristic of all powerful natures1
 is in man easily satisfied3 it is      
satisfied in the sphere of his appointed
 duty2 he must go forth1 and resolutely 
dare4 ,not so the woman1 whose scene of 
action is her quiet home3 her virtues   

must be passive ones2 and with every    
qualification for successful activity1  
she is often compelled to chain down her
 vivid imagination to the most          
monotonous routine of domestic life4    
,when she is entirely debarred from     
external activity1 a restlessness of    
nature1 that can find no other mode of  
indulgence1 will often invent for itself
 imaginary trials and imaginary         
difficulties3 hence the petty quarrels1 
the mean jealousies1 which disturb the  
peace of many homes that might have been
 tranquil and happy if the same activity
 of thought and feeling had been early  
directed into right channels4 ,a woman  
who finds real enjoyment in the         
improvement of her mind will neither    
have time nor inclination for tormenting
 her servants and her family2 an        
avocation in which many really          
affectionate and professedly religious  
women exhaust those superfluous energies
 which1 under wise direction1 might have
 dispensed peace and happiness instead  

of disturbance and annoyance4 ,a woman  
who has acquired proper control over her
 thoughts1 and can find enjoyment in    
their intellectual exercise1 will have  
little temptation to allow them to dwell
 on mean and petty grievances4 ,that    
admirable ,swedish proverb1 ,it is      
better to rule your house with your head
 than with your heels1 will be          
exemplified in all her practice4 ,her   
well-regulated and comprehensive mind   
7and comprehensiveness of mind is as    
necessary to the skilful management of a
 household as to the government of an   
empire7 will be able to contrive such   
systems of domestic arrangement as will 
allot exactly the suitable works at the 
suitable times to each member of the    
establishment3 no one will be           
over-worked1 no one idle2 there will not
 only be a place for every thing1 and   
every thing in its place1 but there will
 also be a time for every thing1 and    
every thing will have its allotted time4
 ,such a system once arranged by a      

master-mind1 and still superintended by 
a steady and intelligent1 but not       
incessant inspection1 raises the        
character of the governed as well as    
that of her who governs3 they are never 
brought into collision with each other2 
and the inferior1 whose manual          
expertness may far exceed that to which 
the superior has even the capability of 
attaining1 will nevertheless look up    
with admiring respect to those powers of
 arrangement1 and that steady and       
uncapriciously-exerted authority1 which 
so facilitate and lighten the task of   
obedience and dependence4 ,this mode of 
managing a household1 even if they found
 it possible1 would of course be        
disliked by those who1 having no higher 
resources1 would find the day hang heavy
 on their hands unless they watched all 
the details of household work1 and made 
every action of every servant result    
from their own immediate interference1  
instead of from an enlarged and         
uniformly operating system4  ,this      

subject has brought me back to the point
 from which ,i began1--the practical    
utility of a cultivated intellect1 and  
the additional power and usefulness it  
confers1--raising its possessor above   
all the mean and petty cares of daily   
life1 and enabling her to impart        
ennobling influences to its most        
trifling details4  ,the power of        
thought1 which ,i have so earnestly     
recommended you to cultivate1 is even   
still more practical1 and still more    
useful1 when considered relatively to   
the most important business of          
life--that of religion4 ,prayer and     
meditation1 and that communion with the 
unseen world which imparts a foretaste  
of its happiness and glory1 are enjoyed 
and profited by in proportion to the    
power of controlling the thoughts and of
 exercising the mind4 ,having a firm    
trust1 that to you every other object is
 considered subordinate to that of      
advancement in the spiritual life1 it   
must be a very important consideration  

whether1 and how far1 the self-education
 you may bestow on yourself will help   
you towards its attainment4 ,in this    
point of view there can be no doubt that
 the mental cultivation recommended in  
this letter has a much more advantageous
 influence upon your religious life than
 any other manner of spending your time4
 ,besides the many collateral tendencies
 of such pursuits to favour that growth 
in grace which ,i trust will ever remain
 the principal object of your desires1  
experience will soon show you that every
 improvement in the reflective powers1  
every additional degree of control over 
the movements of the mind1 may find an  
immediate exercise in the duties of     
religion4  ,the wandering thoughts which
 are habitually excluded from your hours
 of study will not be likely to intrude 
frequently or successfully during your  
hours of devotion2 the habit of         
concentrating all the powers of your    
mind on one particular subject1 and then
 developing all its features and        

details1 will require no additional     
effort for the pious heart to direct it 
into the lofty employments of meditation
 on eternal things and communion with   
our ,god and ,saviour3 at the same time1
 the employments of prayer and          
meditation will in their turn react upon
 your merely secular studies1 and       
facilitate your progress in them by     
giving you habits of singleness of mind 
and steadiness of mental purpose4       
,,footnotes3  #ga ,carlyle4  #gb ,matt4 
xxv4 #bc4  #gc ,dan4 xii4 #c4  #gd ,the 
vessel whose rupture occasioned the     
paralysis was so minute and so slightly 
affected by the circulation1 that it    
could have been ruptured only by the    
over-action of the mind--,bishop ,jebb's
 ,life4  #ge ,this is nature's law2 she 
will never see her children wronged4 ,if
 the mind which rules the body1 ever    
forgets itself so far as to trample upon
 its slave1 the slave is never generous 
enough to forgive the injury but will   
rise and smile its oppressor4 ,thus has 

many a monarch been                     
dethroned4--,longfellow4  #gf ,it is the
 theory of ,locke1 that the angels have 
all their knowledge spread out before   
them1 as in a map1--all to be seen      
together at one glance4     ,,letter    
,,ix4  ,,the ,,cultivation ,,of ,,the   
,,mind  7,continued7   ,in continuation 
of my last letter1 ,i shall proceed at  
once to the minor details of study1 and 
suggest for your adoption such practices
 as others by experience have found     
conducive to improvement4 ,not that one 
person can lay down any rules for       
another that might in every particular  
be safely followed3 we must1 each for   
ourselves1 experimentalize long and     
variously upon our own mind1 before we  
can understand the mode of treatment    
best suited to it2 and we may1 perhaps1 
in the progress of such experiments1    
derive as much benefit from our mistakes
 themselves as if the object of our     
experiments had been at once attained4  
,it is not1 however1 from wilful        

mistakes1 or from deliberate ignorance1 
that we ever derive profit4 ,instead1   
therefore1 of striking out entirely new 
plans for yourself1 in which time and   
patience and even hope may be exhausted1
 ,i should advise you to listen for     
direction to the suggestions of those   
who by more than mere profession have   
frequented the road upon which you are  
anxious to make a rapid progress4 ,in   
books you may find much that is useful2 
from the conversation of those who have 
been self-educated you may receive still
 greater assistance1--as the advice thus
 personally addressed must of course be 
more discriminating and special4 ,for   
this latter reason1 in all that ,i am   
now about to write1 ,i keep in view the 
peculiar character and formation of your
 mind4 ,i do not address the world in   
general1 who would profit little by the 
course of education here recommended3 ,i
 only write to my ,unknown ,friend4  ,in
 the first place1 ,i should advise1 as  
of primary importance1 the laying down  

of a regular system of employment4      
,impose upon yourself the duty of       
getting through so much work every day2 
even1 if possible1 lay down a plan as to
 the particular period of the day in    
which each occupation is to be attended 
to2 many otherwise wasted moments would 
be saved by having arranged beforehand  
that which is successively to engage the
 attention4 ,the great advantage of such
 regularity is experienced in the       
acknowledged truth of ,lord             
,chesterfield's maxim3 ,he who has most 
business has most leisure4 ,when the    
multiplicity of affairs to be got       
through absolutely necessitates the     
arrangement of an appointed time for    
each1 the same habits of regularity and 
of undilatoriness 7if ,i may be allowed 
the expression7 are insensibly carried  
into the lighter pursuits of life4      
,there is another important reason for  
the self-imposition of those systematic 
habits which to men of business are a   
necessity2 it is1 however1 one which you

 cannot at all appreciate until you have
 experienced its importance3 ,i refer to
 the advantage of being1 by a           
self-imposed rule1 provided with an     
immediate object1 in which the          
intellectual pursuits of a woman must   
otherwise be deficient4 ,i would not    
depreciate the mightiness of the        
future2#gg but it is evident that the   
human mind is so constituted as to feel 
that motives increase in strength as    
they approach in nearness2 otherwise1   
why should it require such strong faith1
 and that faith a supernatural gift1 to 
enable us to sacrifice the present      
gratification of a moment to the        
happiness of an eternity4 ,while1       
therefore1 you seek by earnest prayer   
and reverential desire to bring the     
future into perpetually operating force 
upon your principles and practice1 do   
not1 at the same time1 be deterred by   
any superstitious fears from profiting  
by yourself and urging on others every  
immediate and temporal motive1 not      

inconsistent with the great one1 to     
glorify ,god1 and to enjoy him for      
ever4#gh  ,while your principal personal
 object and personal gratification in   
your studies is to be derived from the  
gradual improvement of your mind and    
tastes1 this gradual improvement will be
 often so imperceptible that you will   
need support and cheering during many   
weeks and months of apparently          
profitless mental application4 ,such    
support you may provide for yourself in 
the daily satisfaction resulting from   
having fulfilled a certain task1 from   
having obeyed a law1 though only a      
self-imposed one4 ,men1 in their        
studies1 have almost always that near   
and immediate object which ,i recommend 
to you to create for yourself4 ,for     
them1 as well as for you1 the distant   
future of attained mental eminence and  
excellence is indeed the principal      
object4 ,they1 however1 have it in their
 power to cheat the toil and cheer the  
way by many intermediate steps1 which   

serve both as landmarks in their course 
and objects of interest within their    
immediate reach4 ,they can almost always
 have some special object in view1 as   
the result and reward of the studies of 
each month1 or quarter1 or year4 ,they  
read for prizes1 scholarships1          
fellowships1 c42 and these rewards1     
tangibly and actually within their      
reach1 excite their energies and quicken
 their exertions4  ,for women there is  
nothing of the kind2 it is therefore a  
useful exercise of her ingenuity to     
invent some substitute1 however inferior
 to the original4 ,for this purpose1 ,i 
have never found any thing so effectual 
as a self-imposed system of study1--the 
stricter the better4 ,it is not         
desirable1 however1 that this system    
should be one of very constant          
employment2 the strictness of which ,i  
spoke only refers to its regularity4 ,as
 the great object is that you should    
break through your rules as seldom as   
possible1 it would be better to fix the 

number of your hours of occupation      
rather below1 certainly not above1 your 
average habits4 ,the time that may be to
 spare on days in which you meet with no
 interruption from visitors may also be 
systematically disposed of3 you may     
always have some book in hand which will
 be ready to fill up any unoccupied     
moments1 without1 even on these         
occasions1 wasting your time in         
deliberating as to what your next       
employment shall be4  ,you understand   
me1 therefore1 to recommend that those  
hours of the system which you are to    
impose upon yourself to employ in a     
certain manner are not to exceed the    
number you can ordinarily secure without
 interruption on every day of the week1 
exclusive of visitors1 c4 c4 ,every     
advantage pertaining to the system ,i   
recommend is much enhanced by the       
uniformity of its observance3 indeed1 it
 is on rigid attention to this point    
that its efficacy principally depends4  
,i will now enter into the details of   

the system of study which1 however      
modified by your own mind and habits1   
will1 ,i hope1 in some form or other1 be
 adopted by you4 ,the first arrangement 
of your time ought to be the laying     
apart of a certain period every day for 
the deepest thinking you can compel     
yourself to1 either on or off book4     
,having said so much on this point in my
 last letter1 ,i should run the risk of 
repetition if ,i dwelt longer upon it   
here4 ,i only mention it at all to give 
it again the most prominent position in 
your studies1 and to recommend its      
invariably occupying a daily place in   
them4 ,for every other pursuit1 two or  
three times a week might answer as well1
 perhaps better1 as it would be too     
great an interruption to devote to each 
only so short a period of time as could 
be allotted to it in a daily            
distribution4 ,it may be desirable1     
before ,i take leave of the subject of  
your deeper studies1 to mention here    
some of the books which will give you   

the most effectual aid in the formation 
of your mind4  ,butler's ,analogy will  
be perhaps the very best to begin with3 
you must not1 however1 flatter yourself 
that you in any degree understand this  
or other books of the same nature until 
you penetrate into their extreme        
difficulty1--until1 in short1 you find  
out that you can not thoroughly         
understand them yet4 ,queen ,caroline1  
,george ,,ii4's wife1 in the hope of    
proving to ,bishop ,horsley how fully   
she appreciated the value of the work ,i
 have just mentioned1 told him that she 
had it constantly beside her at her     
breakfast-table1 to read a page or two  
in it whenever she had an idle moment4  
,the ,bishop's reply was scarcely       
intended for a compliment4 ,he said he  
could never open the book without a     
headache2 and really a headache is in   
general no bad test of our having       
thought over a book sufficiently to     
enter in some degree into its real      
meaning3 only remember1 that when the   

headache begins the reading or the      
thinking must stop4 ,as you value tho   
long and unimpaired preservation of your
 powers of mind1 guard carefully against
 any over-exertion of them4  ,to return 
to the ,analogy4 ,it is a book of which 
you cannot too soon begin the           
study1--providing you1 as it will do1 at
 once with materials for the deepest    
thought1 and laying a safe foundation   
for all future ethical studies2 it is at
 the same time so clearly expressed1    
that you will have no perplexity in     
puzzling out the mere external form of  
the idea1 instead of fixing all your    
attention on solving the difficulties of
 the thoughts and arguments themselves4 
,locke on the ,human ,understanding is a
 work that has probably been often      
recommended to you4 ,perhaps1 if you    
keep steadily in view the danger of his 
materialistic1 unpoetic1 and therefore  
untrue philosophy1 the book may do you  
more good than harm2 it will furnish you
 with useful exercise for your thinking 

powers2 and you will see it so often    
quoted as authority1 on one side as     
truth1 on the other as falsehood1 that  
it may be as well you should form your  
own judgment of it4 ,you should         
previously1 however1 become guarded     
against any dangers that might result   
from your study of ,locke1 by acquiring 
a thorough-knowledge of the philosophy  
of ,coleridge4 ,this will so approve    
itself to your conscience1 your         
intellect1 and your imagination1 that   
there can be no risk of its being ever  
supplanted in a mind like yours by      
plebeian#gi systems of philosophy4 ,few 
have now any difficulty in perceiving   
the infidel tendencies of that of       
,locke1 especially with the assistance  
of his ,french philosophic followers1   
7with whose writings1 for the charms of 
style and thought1 you will probably    
become acquainted in future years47     
,they have declared what the real       
meaning of his system is by the         
developments which they have proved to  

be its necessary consequences4 ,let     
,coleridge1 then1 be your previous      
study1 and the philosophic system       
detailed in his various writings may    
serve as a nucleus1 round which all     
other philosophy may safely enfold      
itself4 ,the writings of ,coleridge form
 an era in the history of the mind2 and 
their progress in altering the whole    
character of thought1 not only in this  
but in foreign nations1 if it has been  
slow1 7which is one of the necessary    
conditions of permanence17 has been     
already astonishingly extensive4 ,even  
those who have never heard of the name  
of ,coleridge find their habits of      
thought moulded1 and their perceptions  
of truth cleared and deepened1 by the   
powerful influence of his               
master-mind1--powerful still1 though it 
has probably only reached them through  
three or four interposing mediums4 ,the 
proud boast of one of his descendants is
 amply verified3 ,he has given the power
 of vision3 and in ages yet to come1    

many who may unfortunately be ignorant  
of the very name of their benefactor    
will still be profiting daily1 more and 
more1 by the mental telescopes he has   
provided4 ,thus it is that many have    
rejoiced in having the distant brought  
near to them1 and the confused made     
clear1 without knowing that ,jansen was 
the name of him who had conferred such  
benefits upon mankind4 ,the immediate   
artist1 the latest moulder of an        
original design1 is the one whose skill 
is extolled and depended upon2 and so it
 is even already in the case of         
,coleridge4 ,it is those only who are   
intimately acquainted with him who can  
plainly see1 that it is by the power of 
vision he has conferred that the really 
philosophic writers of the present day  
are enabled to give views so clear and  
deep on the many subjects that now      
interest the human mind4 ,all those     
among modern authors who combine deep   
learning with an enlarged wisdom1 a     
vivid and poetical imagination with an  

acute perception of the practical and   
the true1 have evidently educated       
themselves in the school of ,coleridge4 
,he well deserves the name of the       
,christian ,plato1 erecting as he does1 
upon the ancient and long-tried         
foundation of that philosopher's        
beautiful system of intuitive truths1   
the various details of minor but still  
valuable knowledge with which the       
accumulated studies of four thousand    
intervening years have furnished us1 at 
the same time harmonizing the whole by  
the all-pervading spirit of             
,christianity4  ,coleridge is truly a   
,christian philosopher3 at the same     
time1 however1 though it may seem a     
paradox1 ,i must warn you against taking
 him for your guide and instructor in   
theology4 ,a ,socinian during all the   
years in which vivid and                
never-to-be-obliterated impressions are 
received1 he could not entirely free    
himself from those rationalistic        
tendencies which had insensibly         

incorporated themselves with all his    
religious opinions4 ,he afterwards      
became the powerful and successful      
defender of the saving truths which he  
had long denied2 but it was only in     
cases where ,arianism was openly        
displayed1 and was to be directly       
opposed4 ,he seems to have been entirely
 unconscious that its subtle evil       
tendencies1 its exaltation of the       
understanding above the reason1 its     
questioning1 disobedient spirit1 might  
all in his own case have insinuated     
themselves into his judgments on        
theological and ecclesiastical          
questions4 ,the prejudices which are in 
early youth wrought into the very       
essence of our being are likely to be   
unsuspected in exact proportion to the  
degree of intimacy with which they are  
assimilated with the forms of our mind4 
,however this may be1 you will not fail 
to observe that1 in all branches of     
philosophy that do not directly refer to
 religion1 ,coleridge's system of       

teaching is opposed to the general      
character of his own theological views1 
and that he has himself furnished the   
opponents of these peculiar views with  
the most powerful arms that can be      
wielded against them4  ,every one of    
,coleridge's writings should be         
carefully perused more than once1 more  
than twice2 in fact1 they cannot be read
 too often2 and the only danger of such 
continued study would be1 that in the   
enjoyment of finding every important    
subject so beautifully thought out for  
you1 natural indolence might deter you  
from the comparatively laborious        
exercise of thinking them out for       
yourself4 ,the three volumes of his     
,friend1 his ,church and ,state1 his    
,lay ,sermons1 and ,statesman's ,manual1
 will each of them furnish you with most
 important present information and with 
inexhaustible materials for future      
thought4  ,reid's ,inquiry into the     
,human ,mind1 and ,dugald ,stewart's    
,philosophy of the ,mind1 are also books

 that you must carefully study4 ,brown's
 ,lectures on ,philosophy are feelingly 
and gracefully written2 but unless you  
find a peculiar charm and interest in   
the style1 there will not be sufficient 
compensation for the sacrifice of time  
so voluminous a work would involve4     
,those early chapters which give an     
account of the leading systems of       
,philosophy1 and some very ingenious    
chapters on ,memory1 are perhaps as much
 of the book as will be necessary for   
you to study carefully4  ,the works of  
the ,german philosopher ,kant will1 some
 time hence1 serve as a useful exercise 
of thought2 and you will find it        
interesting as well as useful to trace  
the resemblances and differences between
 the great ,english and the great       
,german philosophers1 ,kant and         
,coleridge4 ,locke's small work on      
,education contains many valuable       
suggestions1 and ,watts on the ,mind is 
also well worthy your attention4 ,it is 
quite necessary that ,watts' ,logic     

should form a part of your studies2 it  
is written professedly for women1 and   
with ingenious simplicity4 ,a knowledge 
of the forms of ,logic is useful even to
 women1 for the purpose of sharpening   
and disciplining the reasoning powers4  
,do not be startled when ,i further     
recommend to you ,blackstone's          
,commentaries and ,burlamaqui's         
,treatise on ,natural ,law4 ,these are  
books which1 besides affording admirable
 opportunities for the exercise of both 
concentrated and comprehensive thought1 
will fill your mind with valuable ideas1
 and furnish it with very important     
information4 ,finally1 ,i recommend to  
your unceasing and most respectful study
 the works of that ,prince of modern    
philosophers1 ,lord ,bacon4 ,in his     
great mind were united the              
characteristics of the two ancient1 but 
nevertheless universal1 schools of      
philosophy1 the ,aristotelic and the    
,platonic4 ,it is1 ,i believe1 the only 
instance known of such a difficult      

combination4 ,his ,essays1 his          
,advancement of ,learning1 his ,wisdom  
of the ,ancients1 you might understand  
and profit by1 even now4 ,through all   
the course of an education1 which ,i    
hope will only end with your life1 you  
cannot do better than to keep him as    
your constant companion and intellectual
 guide4  ,the foregoing list of works   
seems almost too voluminous for any     
woman to make herself mistress of2 but  
you may trust to one who has had        
extensive experience for herself and    
others1 that the principle of ,nulla    
dies sine linea is as useful in the case
 of reading as in that of painting3 the 
smallest quantity of work daily         
performed will accomplish in a year's   
time that which at the beginning of the 
year would have seemed to the           
inexperienced a hopeless task4  ,as yet1
 ,i have only spoken of philosophy2     
there is1 however1 another branch of    
knowledge1 viz4 science1 which also     
requires great concentration of thought1

 and which ought to receive some degree 
of attention1 or you will appear1 and1  
what would be still worse1 feel1 very   
stupid and ignorant with respect to many
 of the practical details of ordinary   
life4 ,you are continually hearing of   
the powers of the lever1 the screw1 the 
wedge1 of the laws of motion1 c4 c41 and
 they are often brought forward as      
illustrations even on simply literary   
subjects4 ,an acquaintance with these   
matters is also necessary to enter with 
any degree of interest into the         
wonderful exhibitions of mechanical     
powers which are among the prominent    
objects of attention in the present day4
 ,you cannot even make intelligent      
inquiries1 and betray a graceful1       
because unwilling ignorance1 without    
some degree of general knowledge of     
science4  ,among the numerous elementary
 works which make the task of           
self-instruction pleasant and easy1 none
 can excel1 if any have equalled1 the   
,scientific ,dialogues of ,joyce4 ,in   

these six little volumes1 you will find 
a compendium of all preliminary         
knowledge2 even these1 however1 easy as 
they are1 require to be carefully       
studied4 ,the comparison of the text    
with the plates1 the testing for        
yourself the truth of each experiment1  
7,i do not mean that you should         
practically test it1 except in a few    
easy cases1 for your mind has not a     
sufficient taste for science to         
compensate for the trouble17 will       
furnish you with very important lessons 
in the art of fixing your attention4    
,conversations on ,natural ,philosophy1 
in one volume1 by a lady1 is nearly as  
simple and clear as the ,scientific     
,dialogues2 it will serve usefully as a 
successor to them4 ,it is a great       
assistance to the memory to read a      
different work on the same subject while
 the first is still fresh in your mind4 
,the sameness of the facts gives the    
additional force of a double impression2
 and the variation in the mode of       

stating them1 always more striking when 
the books are the respective works of a 
man and of a woman1 adds the force of a 
trebled impression1 stronger than the   
two others1 because there is in it more 
of the exercise of the intellect1 that  
is1 on the supposition that1 in         
accordance with the foregoing rules1 you
 should think over each respective      
statement until you have reconciled them
 together by ascertaining the cause of  
the variation4  ,i shall now proceed to 
those lighter branches of literature    
which are equally necessary with the    
preceding1 and which will supply you    
with the current coin of the day1--very 
necessary for ordinary intercourse1     
though1 in point of real value1 far     
inferior to the bank-stock of           
philosophic and scientific knowledge    
which it is to be your chief object to  
acquire4 ,history is the branch of      
lighter literature to which your        
attention should be specially directed2 
it provides you with illustrations for  

all philosophy1 with excitements to     
heroism and elevation of character1     
stronger perhaps than any mere theory   
can ever afford4 ,the simplest story1   
the most objective style of narrative1  
will be that best fitted to answer these
 purposes4 ,your own philosophic        
deductions will be much more beneficial 
to your intellect than any one else's1  
supposing always that you are willing to
 make1 history a really intellectual    
study4  ,tytler's ,elements of ,history 
is a most valuable book1 and not an     
unnecessary word throughout the whole4  
,if you do not find getting by heart an 
insuperable difficulty1 you will do well
 to commit every line to memory4 ,half a
 page a day of the small edition would  
soon lay up for you such an extent of   
historic learning as would serve for a  
foundation to all future attainments in 
this branch of study4 ,such outlines of 
history are a great assistance in       
forming the comprehensive views which   
are necessary on the subject of         

contemporaneous history3 a glance at a  
chart of history1 or at ,la ,voisne's   
invaluable ,atlas1 may be allowed from  
time to time2 but the principal         
arrangement ought to take place within  
your own mind1 for the sake of both your
 memory and your intellect4 ,such       
outlines of history will1 however1 be   
very deficient in the interest and      
excitement this study ought to afford   
you1 unless you combine with them minute
 details of particular periods1 first1  
perhaps1 of particular countries4  ,thus
 ,i would have ,rollings ,ancient       
,history succeed the cold and dry       
outlines of ,tytler4 ,hume's ,history of
 ,england will serve the same purpose   
relatively to the modern portion2 and   
for the ,history of ,france1 that of    
,eyre ,evans ,crowe imparts a brilliancy
 to perhaps the most uninteresting of   
all historic records4 ,if that is not   
within your reach1 ,millet's ,history of
 ,france1 in four volumes1 though dull  
enough1 is a safe and useful school-room

 book1 and may be read with profit      
afterwards3 this1 too1 would possess the
 advantage of helping you on at the same
 time1 or at least keeping up your      
knowledge of the ,french language4  ,it 
is desirable that all books from which  
you only want to acquire objective      
information should be read in a foreign 
language3 you thus insensibly render    
yourself more permanently1 and as it    
were habitually1 acquainted with the    
language in question1 and carry on two  
studies at the same time4 ,if1 however1 
you are not sufficiently acquainted with
 the language to prevent any danger of a
 division of attention by your being    
obliged to puzzle over the mere words   
instead of applying yourself to the     
meaning of the author1 you must not     
venture upon the attempt of deriving a  
double species of knowledge from the    
same subject-matter3 the effect of the  
history as a story or picture impressed 
on the mind or memory would be lost by  
any confusion with another object4  ,sir

 ,walter ,scott's ,tales of a           
,grandfather are the best history of    
,scotland you could read3 ,robertson's  
may come afterwards1 when you have time4
  ,of ,ireland and ,wales you will learn
 enough from their constant connection  
with the affairs of ,england4           
,sismondi's ,history of the ,italian    
,republics1 in the ,cabinet ,cyclopedia1
 the ,history of the ,ottoman ,empire1  
in ,constable's ,miscellany1 the rapid  
sketches of the histories of ,germany1  
,austria1 and ,prussia1 in ,voltaire's  
,universal ,history1 will be perhaps    
quite sufficient for this second class  
of histories4  ,the third must enter    
into more particular details1 and thus  
confer a still livelier interest upon   
bygone days4 ,for instance1 with        
reference to ancient history1 you should
 read some of the more remarkable of    
,plutarch's ,lives1 those of ,alexander1
 ,caesar1 ,theseus1 ,themistocles1 c42  
the ,travels of ,anacharsis1 the worthy 
results of thirty years' hard labour of 

an eminent scholar3#hj the ,travels of  
,cyrus1 ,telemachus1 ,belisarius1 and   
,numa ,pompilius1 are also1 though in   
very different degrees1 useful and      
interesting4 ,the plays of ,corneille   
and ,racine1 ,alfieri1 and ,metastasio1 
on historical subjects1 will make a     
double impression on your memory by the 
excitement of your imagination4 ,all    
ought to be read about the same time    
that you are studying those periods of  
history to which they refer4 ,this is of
 much importance4  ,the same plan is to 
be pursued with reference to modern     
history4 ,the brilliant detached        
histories of ,voltaire1 ,louis ,,xiv4   
and ,,xv41 ,charles ,,xii41 and ,peter  
the ,great1 ought to be read while the  
outlines of the general history of the  
same period are freshly impressed on    
your memory4 ,the vivid historical      
pictures of ,de ,barante are to be made 
the same use of3 he stands perhaps      
unrivalled as an objective historian4   
,shakspeare's historical plays are the  

best accompaniment to ,hume's ,history  
of ,england4 ,our modern novels1 too1   
will supply you with rich and varied    
information1 as to the manners and      
characters of former times4 ,they are a 
very important part of our literature1  
and ought to be considered essential to 
the completion of your circle of study4 
,that they also may be rendered as      
useful as possible1 they should be read 
at the same time with the entirely true 
history of the period to which they     
refer4  ,from history1 ,i have          
insensibly glided into the subject of   
works of fiction1 one which perhaps     
previously requires a few words of      
apology2 for the strong recommendations 
with which ,i have pressed their study  
upon you may sound strangely to the ears
 of many worthy people4 ,in your own    
enlightened and liberal mind1 ,i do not 
indeed suspect the indwelling of any    
such exclusive prejudices as those which
 forbid altogether the perusal of works 
of fiction3 such prejudices belong1     

perhaps1 to more remote periods1 to     
those distant times when title-pages    
were seen announcing ,paradise ,lost1   
translated into prose for the benefit of
 those pious souls whose consciences    
would not permit them to read poetry4#ha
 ,this latter prejudice--that against   
poetry--seems1 as far as my observation 
extends1 to be entirely forgotten4      
,fiction in this form is now considered 
universally allowable2 and some         
conscientious persons1 who would not    
allow themselves or others the          
relaxation of a novel of any kind1 will 
indulge unhesitatingly in the same sort 
of love-stories1 rendered still more    
exciting through the medium of poetry4  
,most women1 unfortunately1 are         
incapable of carrying out the argument  
from one course of action into another1 
or even of clearly comprehending1 when  
it is suggested to them1 that whatever  
is wrong in prose cannot be right in    
poetry4 ,in a general way you will be   
able to form your own judgment on this  

subject1 by observing how much safer    
prose-fiction is for yourself at times1 
when your feelings are excited1 and your
 mind unsettled and exhausted4 ,a novel1
 even the most trifling novel of        
fashionable life1 if it has only        
cleverness sufficient to engage your    
thoughts1 would be1 perhaps1 a very     
desirable manner of spending your time  
at the very period that poetry would be 
decidedly injurious to you4 ,indeed1 at 
all times1 those who have vivid         
imaginations and strong feelings should 
carefully guard and sparingly indulge   
themselves in the perusal of poetic     
fictions4  ,if it were possible1 as some
 say1 to study poetry artistically      
alone1 contemplating it as a work of    
art1 and not allowing it to excite the  
affections or the passions1 there is no 
kind of poetry that might not be enjoyed
 with safety in any state of mind3 it is
 doubtful1 however1 whether any work of 
art ought to be so contemplated4 ,its   
excellence can only be estimated by the 

degree of emotion it produces2 how then 
can an unimpassioned examination ever   
form a true estimate of its merit8 ,when
 such an inspection of any work of art  
can be carried through1 there is        
generally some fault either in the thing
 criticized or in the critic2 for the   
distinctive characteristic of art is1   
that it is addressed to our human       
nature1 and excites its emotions4 ,in   
the words of the great ,german poet3--  
,science1 ,o man1 thou sharest with     
higher spirits2     ,but art thou hast  
alone4  ,pure science must be the same  
to all orders of created beings1 but1 as
 far as our knowledge extends1 the      
physical organization of humanity is    
required for a perception of the        
beauties of art3 therefore physical     
excitement must be united with mental1  
in proportion as the work of art is     
successful4 ,do not then hope ever to be
 able to study poetry without a         
quickened pulse and a flushing cheek2   
you may as well leave it alone          

altogether1 if it produces no emotion4  
,it must be either rhyme and no poetry1 
or to you poetry can be nothing but     
rhyme4  ,think not1 however1 that ,i do 
wish you to leave it alone altogether2  
nothing could be farther from my        
purpose4  ,there is some old saying     
about fire being a good servant1 but a  
bad master4 ,now this is what ,i would  
say of the faculty of imagination1 as   
cultivated and excited by works of      
fiction in general1 including1 of       
course1 poetic fictions4 ,as long as you
 can keep your imagination1 even though 
thus quickened and excited1 under the   
strict control of religious feeling--as 
long as you are able to prevent its     
rousing your temper to an uncontrollable
 degree of susceptibility--as long as   
you can return from an ideal world to   
the lowly duties of every-day life with 
a steady purpose and unflinching        
determination1 there can be no danger   
for you in reading poetry4 ,perhaps you 
will1 on the contrary1 tell me that all 

this is impossible1 and1 coward-like1   
you may prefer resigning the pleasure to
 encountering the difficulties of       
struggling against its consequences3 but
 this is not the way either to          
strengthen your character or to form    
your mind4 ,all cultivation requires    
watchfulness and additional precautions1
 either more or less3 you must not1 for 
the sake of a few superable             
difficulties1 resign the otherwise      
unattainable refinement effected by     
poetry4 ,besides1 its exalting and      
ennobling influence1 if properly        
understood and employed1 will help you  
incalculably over the rugged paths of   
your daily life2 it will shed softening 
and hallowing gleams over many things   
that you would otherwise find difficult 
to endure1 many duties otherwise too    
hard to fulfil2 for there is poetry in  
every thing that is really good and     
true4 ,happy those practical students of
 its beauties who have learned to track 
the ore beneath the most unpromising    

surfaces6 ,poetry1 ,i look upon1 in     
fact1 as the most essential1 the most   
vital part of the cultivation of your   
mind1 as from its spirit your character 
will receive the most beneficial        
influence3 you must learn the double    
lesson of extracting it from every      
thing1 and of throwing it around every  
thing2 and1 for the better attainment of
 this object1 you must study it in      
itself1 that you may become deeply      
imbued with its spirit4  ,along with the
 poetry of every age and of every       
nation1 ,i would have you diligently    
study the criticisms of the masters of  
the art4 ,it is true that the intimate  
knowledge of all that has been written  
on this hackneyed subject will never    
supply the want of natural poetic taste1
 of that union of mental and moral      
refinement which produces the only      
infallible touchstone of the beautiful2 
still such criticisms will tend to      
refine and sharpen a natural taste1     
where it does exist2 and without        

bringing its technical rules practically
 to bear upon the objects of your       
delighted admiration1#hb they will      
insensibly improve1 refine1 and         
subtilize the natural delicacy of your  
perceptions4  ,no criticisms can perhaps
 equal the masterly ones of ,frederick  
,schlegel1 or those of the less powerful
 but not less rich mind of ,augustus    
,william ,schlegel1--those two wonderful
 brothers1 as a modern litterateur has  
justly called them4 ,leigh ,hunt1 with  
perhaps more poetic originality1 but    
with less accuracy of aesthetical       
perception1 will be a useful guide to   
you in ,english poetry4 ,burke's        
,treatise on the ,sublime and ,beautiful
 will give you the most correct general 
ideas on the subject of taste4 ,these   
are always best and most influential    
after they have been for some time      
assimilated with the forms of the mind4 
,it is a far more useful exercise to    
apply them yourself to individual cases 
than merely to lend your attention1     

though carefully and fixedly1 to the    
applications made for you by the writer4
 ,alison's ,essay on ,taste1 though     
interesting and improving1 saves too    
much trouble to the reader in this way4 
,your enjoyment and appreciation of     
poetry will be much heightened by having
 it read aloud1--by yourself to         
yourself1 if you should have no other   
sympathizing reader or listener4  ,the  
sound of the metre is essential to the  
full sense of the meaning and of the    
beauty of all poetry4 ,even the         
rhymeless flow of blank verse is        
absolutely necessary to an accurate and 
entire perception of the effect the     
author intends to produce3 it is in both
 cases as the colouring to a picture4   
,it may be1 indeed1 that part of the    
composition which appeals most directly 
to the senses2 but all the works of art 
must be imperfect which do not make this
 appeal2 for1 as ,i said before1 all    
works of art are intended to affect our 
human nature4  ,a well-practised eye    

will1 it is true1 detect in a moment    
either the faults or the excellence of  
the rhyme or the flow2 but the effect on
 the mind cannot be the same as when the
 impression is received through the ear4
  ,nor is the fuller appreciation of the
 poetry you read aloud the only         
advantage to be derived from the        
practice ,i recommend4 ,few             
accomplishments are more rare1 though   
few more desirable1 than that of reading
 aloud with ease and grace4 ,great are  
the sufferings inflicted on a sensitive 
ear by listening to one's favourite     
passages1 touching in pathos1 or        
glorious in sublimity1 travestied into  
twaddle by the false taste or the want  
of practice of the reader4 ,for it is   
not always from false taste that the    
species of reading above complained of  
proceeds2 on the contrary1 there may be 
a very correct perception of the        
writer's meaning and object1 while from 
want of practice1 from mere mechanical  
inexpertness1 there may be an           

incapability of giving effect to that   
meaning3 hence arises false emphasis1   
and a thousand other disagreeables4  ,in
 this art1 this important art of reading
 aloud1 simplicity ought to be the grand
 object of attainment1 at the same time 
that it is the last that can be         
attained4 ,it is a point to reach after 
long efforts2 not to start from1 as     
those of uncultivated or artificial     
taste would imagine4 ,i must repeat1    
that it cannot be acquired without      
persevering practice4 ,the best time to 
set vigorously about such practice would
 be when you have but just listened with
 dismay to the injuries inflicted on    
some favourite poet by the laboured or  
tasteless reading of an unpractised     
performer4  ,from reading aloud1 ,i pass
 on to a still more important           
subject1--that of writing3 both are     
intimately connected branches of the    
main one--cultivation of the mind4 ,when
 this latter is attained in the first   
place1 a slight individual direction of 

previously acquired powers will enable  
you to succeed in both the former4 ,in  
your own case1 however1 as in that of   
all those who have not the active       
organisation which involves great       
facilities for mechanical efforts1 it   
will be quite necessary to give a       
special direction to your studies for   
the attainment of any degree of         
excellence in both those arts4 ,those1  
on the contrary1 whose organization is  
more lively and vigorous1 and whose     
nature and habits fit them more for     
action than thought1 will find little   
difficulty in making any degree of      
cultivation of mind an immediate        
stepping-stone to the other attainments3
 such persons can read at once with     
force and truth as soon as education has
 given them accurate perceptions2 they  
will also write with ease1 rapidity1 and
 energy1 as soon as the mind is         
furnished with suitable materials4 ,this
 is a kind of superiority which you may 
often be inclined to envy1 at least     

until experience has taught you1 in the 
first place1 that the law of            
compensation is universal1 and in the   
second1 that every thing is doubly      
valuable which is acquired through hard 
labour and many struggles4 ,for the     
first1 you may observe that such persons
 as possess naturally the mechanical    
facilities of which ,i have spoken will 
never attain to an equal degree of      
excellence with those whose naturally   
soft and inactive organization obliges  
them to labour over every step of their 
onward way4 ,they can1 ,i repeat1 never 
attain to the same degree of excellence1
 either in feeling or expression1       
because they do not possess the same    
refined delicacy of perceptions1 the    
same deep thoughtfulness and intuitive  
wisdom1 as those who owe these          
advantages to the very organization from
 which they otherwise suffer4 ,this is  
another illustration of the universal   
law--that action is always in inverse   
proportion to power4 ,for the second1   

you will find that there is a pleasure  
in overcoming difficulties1 compared    
with which all easily attained or       
naturally possessed advantages appear   
tame and vapid3#hc and besides the      
difference in the pleasurable excitement
 of the contest1 you are to consider the
 advantage to the character that is     
derived from a battle and a victory4    
,when ,i speak to you of writing1 and of
 your attaining to excellence in this   
art1 ,i have nothing in view but the    
improvement of your private letters4 ,it
 can seldom be desirable for a woman to 
challenge public criticism by appearing 
before the world as an author4 ,my wife 
does not write poetry1 she lives it1 was
 the reply of ,richter1 when his        
highly-gifted ,caroline was applied to  
for literary contributions to her       
sister's publications4 ,he described in 
these words the real nature of a woman's
 duties4 ,any degree of avoidable       
publicity must lessen her peace and     
happiness2 and few circumstances can    

make it prudent for a woman to give up  
retirement and retired duties1 and      
subject herself to public criticism1 and
 probably public blame4  ,the writing1  
then1 in which ,i have advised you to   
accomplish yourself1 is the epistolary  
style alone1 at once a means of         
communicating pleasure to your friends1 
and of conferring extensive and         
permanent benefits upon them4 ,how      
useful has the kind1 judicious1         
well-timed letter of a ,christian friend
 often proved1 even when the spoken word
 of the same friend might1 during       
circumstances of excitement1 have only  
increased imprudence or irritation6     
,few printed books have effected more   
good than the private correspondence of 
pious1 well-educated1 and strong-minded 
persons4 ,indeed1 the influence         
exercised by letters and conversation is
 so much the peculiar and appropriate   
sphere of a woman's usefulness1 that all
 her studies should be pursued with an  
especial view to the attainment of these

 accomplishments4 ,the same qualities   
are to be desired in both4 ,the utmost  
simplicity--for nothing can be worse    
than speaking as if you were repeating a
 sentence out of a book1 except writing 
a friendly letter as if you were writing
 out of a book1--a great abundance and  
readiness of information for the purpose
 of supplying a variety of              
illustrations1 an intelligent perception
 of1 and a cautious attention to1 that  
which you are called upon to answer1 a  
conciseness of expression1 that is      
perfectly consistent with those minute  
details1 which1 gracefully managed1 as  
women only can1 form the chief charm of 
their conversation and writing1--with   
all these you should be careful to give 
free play to the peculiarities of your  
own individual mind3 this will always1  
even where there is little or no talent1
 produce a pleasing degree of           
originality4  ,before every thing else1 
however1 let unstudied ease1 ,i could   
almost add carelessness1 be the marked  

characteristics of both your            
conversation and your writing4 ,refined 
taste will indeed insensibly produce the
 former1 without any effort of your own1
 far better than the strictest rules    
could do4  ,the praises of nonsense have
 been often written and often spoken2   
nor can it ever be praised more than it 
deserves4 ,however within its magic     
circle none dare walk#hd but those who  
have naturally quick and refined        
perceptions1 assisted by careful        
cultivation4 ,narrow indeed is the      
boundary which divides unfeminine       
flippancy from the graceful nonsense    
which good authority and our own        
feelings pronounce to be exquisite4#he  
,the unsuccessful attempt at its        
imitation always reminds me of ,pilpay's
 fable of the ,donkey and the           
,lapdog3--,the poor donkey1 who had been
 going on very usefully in its own      
drudging way1 began to envy the lap-dog 
the caresses it received1 and fancied   
that it would receive the same if it    

jumped upon its master as the lap-dog   
did3 how awkwardly and unnaturally its  
attempts at playfulness were executed1  
how unwelcome they proved1 ,i need not  
tell you4 ,nothing is more difficult    
than playfulness or even vivacity of    
manner--nothing is so sure a test of    
good breeding and high cultivation of   
mind2 either may carry you safely       
through1 but their union alone can      
render playfulness and vivacity entirely
 fascinating4  ,after all that ,i have  
written1 ,i must again repeat what ,i   
began with1--that you are to try each   
different mode of study for yourself1   
and that the advice of others will be of
 use to you only when you have          
assimilated it with your own mind1      
testing it by your own practice1 and    
giving it the fair trial of patient     
perseverance4  ,i ought perhaps1 before 
,i close this letter1 to make some      
apology for recommending1 as a part of  
your course of study1 either ,rollin or 
,hume1 one because he is trop bon       

homme1#hf the other because he is not   
bon in any sense of the word4 ,my       
apology1 or rather my reason1 will1     
however1 be only a repetition of that   
which ,i have said before1 viz4 that ,i 
should wish you to read history         
strictly1 and merely1 as a story1 and to
 form your own philosophic and religious
 opinions previously1 and from other    
sources4  ,so many valuable and         
important histories1 so many necessary  
books on every subject1 have been       
written by the professed infidel1 as    
well as by the practical forgetter of   
,god1 that you must prepare yourself for
 a constant state of intellectual       
watchfulness1 as to all the various     
opinions suggested by the different     
authors you study4 ,it is not their     
opinions you want1 but their facts4     
,most standard histories1 even ,hume and
 ,voltaire1 tell truth as to all leading
 facts3 after half-a-century or so of   
filtration1 truth becomes purified from 
contemporary passions and prejudices1   

and can be easily got at without any    
importantly injurious mixture4  ,it was 
to mark my often-repeated wish that you 
should philosophize for yourself1 that  
,i have omitted the names of ,guizot and
 ,hallam in the list of authors         
recommended for your perusal4 ,with the 
tastes which ,i suppose you to possess  
and to acquire1 you will not be likely  
to leave them out of your own list4 ,the
 histories of ,arnold and ,niebuhr also 
belong to a distinct class of writings4 
,i should prefer your being intimately  
acquainted with the so-called poetical  
histories which have been so long       
received and loved1 before you interest 
yourself in these modern discoveries4   
,the lectures of ,dr4 ,arnold upon      
,modern ,history contain1 however1 such 
a treasure of brilliant philosophy1 of  
deep thought and forcible writing1 that 
the sooner you begin them1 and the more 
intimately you study them1 the better   
pleased ,i should be4 ,with respect to  
his singular views on religion and      

politics1 you must always keep carefully
 in mind that his peculiar mental       
organization incapacitated him from     
forming correct opinions on any subject 
connected with imagination or           
metaphysics4 ,you will soon be able to  
trace the manner in which the absence of
 these two powers affected all his      
reasonings1 and closed up his mind      
against the most important species of   
evidence4 ,i carry on the supposition   
that you have formed1 or will form1 all 
your views on religion and politics from
 your own judgment1 assisted by the     
experience of those whose mind you know 
to be qualified by their many-sidedness 
to judge clearly and impartially--upon  
universal1 not partial data4 ,remember1 
at the same time1 however1 that you     
belong to a church which professedly    
protests against popes of every         
description1 against the unscriptural   
practice of calling any man ,father upon
 earth4 ,may you attend diligently1 and 
in a child-like spirit of submission1 to

 the teaching of that ,holy and         
,apostolic ,church1 and there will then 
be no danger of your being led astray   
either by the infidel ,hume or the      
sainted ,arnold4  ,finally1 ,i would    
again refer to that subject which ought 
to be the beginning and end1 the        
foundation and crowning-point of all our
 studies4 ,let whatever you do be done  
to the glory of ,god4#hg ,earthly       
motives1 if pure and amiable ones1 may  
hold a subordinate place2 but unless the
 mainspring of your actions be the      
desire to glorify your ,father which is 
in heaven1 you will find no real peace  
in life1 no blessedness in death4 ,as   
one likely means of keeping this primary
 object of your life constantly before  
you1 ,i should strongly recommend your  
making the cultivation and improvement  
of your mental powers the subject of    
special prayer at all the appointed     
seasons of prayer2 at the same time1    
your studies themselves should never be 
entered upon without prayer1--prayer1   

that the evil mingled with all earthly  
things may fall powerless on your       
sanctified heart1--prayer1 that any     
improvement you obtain may make you a   
more useful servant of the ,lord your   
,god--more persuasive and influential in
 that great work which in different ways
 is appropriated to all in their several
 spheres of action1 viz4 the high and   
holy office of winning souls to         
,christ4#hh   ,,footnotes3  #gg         
,coleridge4  #gh ,assembly's ,catechism4
  #gi ,plebeii videntur appellandi omnes
 philosophi qui a ,platone et ,socrate  
et ab ea familia dissiderent4--,,cicero1
 ,tuscul4 #a1 #b1 #c4  #hj ,l',abbe     
,barthelemi4  #ha ,quarterly ,review4   
#hb ,the critic who suffers his         
philosophy to reason away his pleasure  
is not much wiser than a child who cuts 
open his drum to see what is within it  
that causes the music4--,edinburgh      
,review4  #hc ,ce n'est pas la victoire1
 c'est le combat qui fait le bonheur des
 nobles coeurs4--,montalembert4  ,si le 

,tout-puissant tenait dans une main la  
verite1 et dans l'autre la recherche de 
la verite1 c'est la recherche que je lui
 demanderais4 --,lessing4  #hd ,dryden1 
of ,shakspeare4  #he ,miss ,ferrier4    
,mrs4 ,h4,e4  #hf ,napoleon's remark on 
,rollin's ,history4  #hg #a ,cor4 x4    
#ca4  #hh #a ,pet4 iii4 #a4     ,,letter
 ,x4  ,,amusements4   ,in addressing the
 following observations to you1 ,i keep 
in mind the peculiarity of your         
position1--a position which has made    
you1 while scarcely more than a child1  
independent of external control1 and    
forced you into the responsibilities of 
deciding thus early on a course of      
conduct that may seriously affect your  
temporal and eternal interests4 ,more   
happy are those placed under the        
authority of strict parents1 who have   
already chosen and marked out for       
themselves a path to which they expect  
their children strictly to adhere4 ,the 
difficulties that may still perplex the 
children of such parents are            

comparatively few3 even if the          
strictness of the authority over them be
 inexpedient and over strained1 it      
affords them a safeguard and a support  
for which they cannot be too grateful2  
it preserves them from the              
responsibility of acting for themselves 
at a time when their age and            
inexperience alike unfit them for a     
decision on any important practical     
point2 it keeps them disengaged1 as it  
were1 from being pledged to any peculiar
 course of conduct until they have      
formed and matured their opinion as to  
the habits of social intercourse most   
expedient for them to adopt4 ,thus1 when
 the time for independent action comes1 
they are quite free to pursue any new   
course of life without being shackled by
 former professions1 or exposing        
themselves to the reproach 7and         
consequent probable loss of influence7  
of having altered their former opinions 
and views4  ,those1 then1 who are early 
guarded from any intercourse with the   

world ought1 instead of murmuring at the
 unnecessary strictness of their        
seclusion1 to reflect with gratitude on 
the advantages it affords them4 ,faith  
ought1 even now1 to teach them the      
lesson that experience is sure to       
impress on every thoughtful mind1 that  
it is a special mercy to be preserved   
from the duties of responsibility until 
we are1 comparatively speaking1 fitted  
to enter upon them4  ,this is not1      
however1 the case with you4 ,ignorant   
and inexperienced as you are1 you must  
now select1 from among all the modes of 
life placed within your reach1 those    
which you consider the best suited to   
secure your welfare for time and for    
eternity4 ,your decision now1 even in   
very trifling particulars1 must have    
some effect upon your state in both     
existences4 ,the most unimportant event 
of this life carries forward a pulsation
 into eternity1 and acquires a solemn   
importance from the reaction4 ,every    
feeling which we indulge or act upon    

becomes a part of ourselves1 and is a   
preparation1 by our own hand1 of a      
scourge or a blessing for us throughout 
countless ages4  ,it may seem a matter  
of comparative unimportance1 of trifling
 influence over your future fate1       
whether you attend ,lady ,a4's ball     
to-night1 or ,lady ,h4's to-morrow4 ,you
 may argue to yourself that even those  
who now think balls entirely sinful have
 attended hundreds of them in their     
time1 and have nevertheless become      
afterwards more religious and more      
useful than others who have never       
entered a ball-room4 ,you might add1    
that there could be more positive sin in
 passing two or three hours with two or 
three people in ,lady ,a's house in the 
morning than in passing the same number 
of hours with two or three hundred      
people in the same house in the evening4
 ,this is indeed true2 but are you not  
deceiving yourself by referring to the  
mere overt act8 ,that is1 as you imply1 
past and over when the evening is past2 

but it is not so with the feelings which
 may make the ball either delightful or 
disagreeable to you2 feelings1 which may
 be then for the first time excited1    
never to be stilled again1--feelings    
which1 when they once exist1 will remain
 with you throughout eternity2 for even 
if by the grace of ,god they are finally
 subdued1 they will still remain with   
you in the memory of the painful        
conflicts1 the severe discipline of     
inward and outward trials1 required for 
their subjugation4 ,do not1 however1    
suppose that ,i mean to attribute       
exclusive or universally injurious      
effects to the atmosphere of a          
ball-room4 ,in the innocent smiles and  
unclouded brow of many a fair girl1 the 
experienced eye truly reads their       
freedom from any taint of envy1 malice1 
or coquetry2 while1 on the other hand1  
unmistakeable and unconcealed           
exhibitions of all these evil feelings  
may often be witnessed at a so-called   
religious party4  ,this remark1 however1

 is not to my purpose2 it is only made  
par parenthese1 to obviate any pretence 
for mistaking my meaning1 and for       
supposing that ,i attribute positive sin
 to that which ,i only object to as the 
possible1 or rather the probable        
occasion of sin4 ,i always think this   
latter distinction a very important one 
to attend to in discussing1 in a more   
general point of view1 the subject of   
amusements of every kind3 it is1        
however1 enough merely to notice it     
here1 while we pass on to the question  
which ,i urge upon you to apply         
personally to yourself1 namely1 whether 
the ball-room be not a more favourable  
atmosphere for the first excitement and 
after-cultivation of many feminine      
failings than the quieter and more      
confined scenes of other social         
intercourse4  ,it is by tracing the     
effect produced on our own mind that we 
can alone form a safe estimate of the   
expediency of doubtful occupations4     
,this is the primary point of view in   

which to consider the subject1 though by
 no means the only one2 for every       
,christian ought to exhibit a readiness 
in his own small sphere to emulate the  
unselfishness of the great apostle3 ,if 
meat make my brother to offend1 ,i will 
eat no flesh while the world standeth1  
lest ,i make my brother to offend4#hi   
,the fear of the awful threatenings     
against those who offend1 i4e4 lead into
 sin1 any of ,god's little ones1#ij     
should combine with love for those for  
whom the ,saviour died1 to induce us    
freely to sacrifice things which would  
be personally harmless1 on the ground of
 their being injurious to others4  ,this
 part of the subject is1 however1 of    
less importance for our present         
consideration1 as from your youth and   
inexperience your example cannot yet    
exercise much influence on those around 
you4  ,let us therefore return to the   
more personal part of the subject1      
namely1 the effect produced on your own 
mind4 ,i have spoken of feminine        

failings3 ,i should1 however1 be        
inclined to apply a stronger term to the
 first that ,i am about to notice--the  
love of admiration1 considering how     
closely it must ever be connected with  
the fatal vice of envy4 ,she who has an 
earnest craving for general admiration  
for herself1 is exposed to a strong     
temptation to regret the bestowal of any
 admiration on another4 ,she has an     
instinctive exactness in her account of 
receipt and expenditure2 she calculates 
almost unconsciously that the time and  
attention and interest excited by the   
attractive powers of others is so much  
homage subtracted from her own4 ,that   
beautiful aphorism1 ,the human heart is 
like heaven--the more angels the more   
room for them1 is to such persons as    
unintelligible in its loving spirit as  
in its wonderful philosophic truth4     
,their craving is insatiable1 once it   
has become habitual1 and their appetite 
is increased and stimulated1 instead of 
being appeased1 by the                  

anxiously-sought-for nourishment4       
,these observations can only strictly   
apply to the fatal desire for general   
admiration4 ,as long as the approbation 
only of the wise and good is our object1
 it is not so much that there are fewer 
opportunities of exciting the feeling of
 envy at this approbation being granted 
to others2 there is1 further1 an        
instinctive feeling of its              
incompatibility with the very object we 
are aiming at4 ,the case is altogether  
different when we seek to attract those 
whose admiration may be won by qualities
 quite different from any connected with
 moral excellence4 ,there is here no    
restraint on our evil feelings3 and when
 we cannot equal the accomplishments1   
the beauty1 and the graces of another1  
we may possibly be tempted to envy1 and1
 still further1 to depreciate1 those of 
the hated rival--perhaps1 worse than    
all1 may be tempted to seek to attract  
attention by means less simple and less 
obvious4 ,if the receiving of admiration

 be injurious to the mind1 what must the
 seeking for it be6 ,the flirt of many  
seasons loses all mental perceptions of 
refinement by long practice in          
hardihood1 as the hackneyed practitioner
 unconsciously deepens the rouge upon   
her cheek1 until1 unperceived by her    
blunted visual organs1 it loses all     
appearance of truth and beauty4 ,some   
instances of the kind ,i allude to nave 
come before even your inexperienced     
eyes2 and from the shrinking surprise   
with which you now contemplate them1 ,i 
have no doubt that you would wish to    
shun even the first step in the same    
career4 ,indeed1 it is probable that    
you1 under any circumstances1 would     
never go so far in coquetry as those to 
whom your memory readily recurs4 ,your  
innate delicacy1 your feminine          
high-mindedness may1 at any future time1
 as well as at present1 preserve you    
from the bad taste of challenging those 
attentions which your very vanity would 
reject as worthless if they were not    

voluntarily offered4  ,nevertheless1    
even in you1 habits of dissipation may  
produce an effect which to your inmost  
being may be almost equally injurious4  
,you may possess an antidote to prevent 
any external manifestations of the      
poisonous effects of an indulged craving
 for excitement2 but general admiration1
 however spontaneously offered and      
modestly received1 has nevertheless a   
tendency to create a necessity for      
mental stimulants4 ,this1 among other   
ill-effects1 will1 worst of all1        
incapacitate you from the appreciative  
enjoyment of healthy food4      ,the    
heart that with its luscious cates      
,the world has fed so long1     ,could  
never taste the simple food     ,that   
gives fresh virtue to the good1         
,fresh vigour to the strong4#ia  ,the   
pure and innocent pleasures which the   
hand of ,providence diffuses plentifully
 around us will1 too probably1 become   
tasteless and insipid to one whose      
habits of excitement have destroyed the 

fresh and simple tastes of her mind4    
,stronger doses1 as in the case of the  
opium-eater1 will each day be required  
to produce an exhilarating effect1      
without which there is now no enjoyment1
 without which1 in course of time1 there
 will not be even freedom from          
suffering4  ,there is an analogy        
throughout between the mental and the   
physical intoxication2 and it continues 
most strikingly1 even when we consider  
both in their most favourable points of 
view1 by supposing the victim to        
self-indulgence at last willing to      
retrace her steps4 ,this fearful        
advantage is granted to our spiritual   
enemy by wilful indulgence in sin2 that 
it is only when trying to adopt or      
resume a life of sobriety and           
self-denial that we become exposed to   
the severest temporal punishments of    
self-indulgence4 ,as long as a course of
 this self-indulgence is continued1 if  
external things should prosper with us1 
comparative peace and happiness may be  

enjoyed--7if indeed the loftier         
pleasures of devotion to ,god1          
self-control1 and active usefulness can 
be forgotten1--supposing them to have   
been once experienced47 ,it is only when
 the grace of repentance is granted that
 the returning child of ,god becomes at 
the same time alive to the sinfulness of
 those pleasures which she has          
cultivated the habit of enjoying1 and to
 the mournful fact of having lost all   
taste for those simple pleasures which  
are the only safe ones1 because they    
alone leave the mind free for the       
exercise of devotion1 and the affections
 warm and fresh for the contemplation of
 the things that belong to our peace4   
,sad and dreary is the path the penitent
 worldling has to traverse2 often1      
despairing at the difficulties her      
former habits have brought upon her1 she
 looks back1 longingly and lingeringly1 
upon the broad and easy path she has    
lately left4 ,alas6 how many of those   
thus tempted to look back have turned   

away entirely1 and never more set their 
faces ,zion-ward4  ,from the dangers and
 sorrows just described you have still  
the power of preserving yourself4 ,you  
have as yet acquired no factitious      
tastes2 you still retain the power of   
enjoying the simple pleasures of        
innocent childhood4 ,it now depends upon
 your manner of spending the intervening
 years1 whether1 in the trying period of
 middle-age1 simple and natural         
pleasures will still awaken emotions of 
joyousness and thankfulness in your     
heart4  ,i have spoken of               
thankfulness1--for one of the best tests
 of the innocence and safety of our     
pleasures is1 the being able to thank   
,god for them4 ,while we thus look upon 
them as coming to us from his hand1 we  
may safely bask in the sunshine of even 
earthly pleasures3--      ,the colouring
 may be of this earth1     ,the lustre  
comes of heavenly birth4#ib  ,can you   
feel this with respect to the emotions  
of pleasurable excitement with which you

 left ,lady ,m4's ball8 ,i am no        
fanatic1 nor ascetic2 and ,i can imagine
 it possible 7though not probable7 that 
among the visitors there some           
simple-minded and simple-hearted people1
 amused with the crowds1 the dresses1   
the music1 and the flowers1 may have    
felt1 even in this scene of feverish and
 dangerous excitement1 something of a   
child's pure delight in little          
things4#ic ,without profaneness1 and in 
all sincerity1 they might have thanked  
,god for the1 to them1 harmless         
recreation4  ,this ,i suppose possible  
in the case of some1 but for you it is  
not so4 ,the keen susceptibilities of   
your excitable nature will prevent your 
resting contented without sharing in the
 more exciting pleasures of the         
ball-room2 and your powers of adaptation
 will easily tempt you forward to make  
use of at least some of those means of  
attracting general admiration which seem
 to succeed so well with others4        
,wherever there is life there is danger2

 and the danger is probably in          
proportion to the degree of life4 ,the  
more energy1 the more feeling1 the more 
genius possessed by an individual1 the  
greater also are the temptations to     
which that individual is exposed4 ,the  
path which is safe and harmless for the 
dull and inexcitable--the mere animals  
of the human race--is beset with dangers
 for the ardent1 the enthusiastic1 the  
intellectual4 ,these must pay a heavy   
penalty for their superiority2 but is it
 therefore a superiority they would     
resign8 ,besides1 the very trials and   
temptations to which their superior     
vitality subjects them are not alone its
 necessary accompaniment1 but also the  
necessary means for forming a superior  
character into eminent excellence4      
,self-will1 love of pleasure1 quick     
excitability1 and consequent            
irritability1 are the marked ingredients
 in every strong character2 its strength
 must be employed against itself to     
produce any high moral superiority4     

,there is an analogy between the        
metaphysical truths above spoken of and 
that fact in the physical history of the
 world1 that coal-mines are generally   
placed in the neighbourhood of          
iron-mines4 ,this is a provision        
involved in the nature of the thing     
itself2 and we know that1 without the   
furnaces thus placed within reach1 the  
natural capabilities of the useful ore  
would never be developed4  ,in the same 
way1 we know that an accompanying       
furnace of affliction and temptation is 
necessarily involved in that very       
strength of character which we admire2  
and also1 that1 without this fiery      
furnace1 the vast capabilities of their 
nature1 both moral and mental1 could    
never be fully developed4  ,suffering1  
sorrow1 and temptations are the         
invariable conditions of a life of      
progress2 and suffering1 sorrow1 and    
temptations are all of them always in   
proportion to the energies and          
capabilities of the character4  ,there  

is another analogy in animated nature1  
illustrative of the case of those who1  
without injury to themselves1 7the      
injury to our neighbour is1 as ,i said  
before1 a different part of the         
subject17 may attend the ball-room1 the 
theatre1 and the race-course4 ,those    
animals lowest in the scale of creation1
 those who scarcely manifest one of the 
energies of vitality1 are also those    
which are the least susceptible of      
suffering from external causes4 ,the    
medusae are supposed to feel no pain    
even in being devoured1 and the human   
zoophyte is1 in like manner1            
comparatively out of the reach of every 
suffering but death4 ,have you not seen 
some beings endowed with humanity nearly
 as destitute of a nervous system as the
 medusae1 nearly as insusceptible of any
 sensation from the accidents of life4  
,some of these1 too1 may possess virtue 
and piety as well as the animal         
qualities of patience and sweetness of  
temper1 which are the mere results of   

their physical organization4 ,no degree 
of effort or discipline1 however1       
7indeed they bear within themselves no  
capabilities for either17 could enable  
such persons to become eminently useful1
 eminently respected1 or eminently      
loved4 ,they have doubtless some work   
appointed them to do1 and that a        
necessary work in ,god's earthly        
kingdom2 but theirs are inferior duties1
 very different from those which you1   
and such as you1 are called on to       
fulfil4  ,have ,i in any degree         
succeeded in reconciling you to the     
unvaryingly-accompanying penalties      
necessary to qualify the glad           
consciousness of possessing intellectual
 powers1 a warm heart1 and a strong     
mind8 ,your high position will indeed   
afford you far less happiness than that 
which may belong to the lower ranks in  
the scale of humanity2 but the noble    
mind will soon be disciplined into      
dispensing with happiness2--it will find
 instead--blessedness4  ,if yours be a  

more difficult path than that of others1
 it is also a more honourable one3 in   
proportion to the temptations endured   
will be the brightness of that crown of 
life which the ,lord hath promised to   
them that love him4#id  ,but there is1  
perhaps1 less necessity for trying to   
impress upon your mind a sense of your  
superiority than for urging upon you its
 accompanying responsibility1 and the   
severe circumspection it calls upon you 
to exercise4 ,thus1 from what ,i have   
above written1 it necessarily follows   
that you cannot evade the question ,i am
 now pressing upon you by observing the 
effect of dissipation upon others1 by   
bringing forward the example of many    
excellent women who have passed through 
the ordeal of dissipation untainted1    
and1 still themselves possessing loving 
hearts and simple minds1 are fearlessly 
preparing their daughters for the same  
dangerous course4 ,remember that those  
from whom you would shrink from a       
supposed equality on other points cannot

 be safely taken as examples for your   
own course of life4 ,your own concern is
 to ascertain the effect produced upon  
your own mind by different kinds of     
society1 and to examine whether you     
yourself have the same healthy taste for
 simple pleasures and unexciting        
pursuits as before you engaged1 even as 
slightly as you have already done1 in   
the dissipation of a ,london season4  ,i
 once heard a young lady exclaim1 when  
asked to accompany her family on a      
boating excursion1 ,can any thing be    
more tiresome than a family party8      
,young as she was1 she had already lost 
all taste for the simple pleasures of   
domestic life4 ,as she was intellectual 
and accomplished1 she could still enjoy 
solitude2 but her only ideas of pleasure
 as connected with a party were those of
 admiration and excitement4 ,we may     
trace the same feelings in the          
complaints perpetually heard of the     
stupidity of parties1--complaints       
generally proceeding from those who are 

too much accustomed to attention and    
admiration to be contented with the     
unexciting pleasures of rational        
conversation1 the exercise of kindly    
feelings1 and the indulgence of social  
habits--all in their way productive of  
contentment to those who have preserved 
their mind in a state of freshness and  
simplicity4 ,any greater excitement than
 that produced by the above means cannot
 surely be profitable to those who only 
seek in society for so much pleasure as 
will afford them relaxation2 those who  
engage in an arduous conflict with      
ever-watchful enemies both within and   
without ought carefully to avoid having 
their weapons of defence unstrung4 ,i   
know that at present you would shrink   
from the idea of making pleasure your   
professed pursuit1 from the idea of     
engaging in it for any other purpose but
 the one above stated--that of necessary
 relaxation2 ,i should not otherwise    
have addressed you as ,i do now4 ,your  
only danger at present is1 that you may1

 ,i should hope indeed unconsciously1   
acquire the habit of requiring          
excitement during your hours of         
relaxation4  ,in opposition to all that 
,i have said1 you will probably be often
 told that excitement1 instead of being 
prejudicial1 is favourable to the health
 of both mind and body2 and this in some
 respects is true3 the whole mental and 
physical constitution benefit by1 and   
acquire new energy from1 nay1 they seem 
to develop hidden forces on occasions of
 natural excitement2 but natural it     
ought to be1 coming in the providential 
course of the events of life1 and       
neither considered as an essential part 
of daily food1 nor inspiring distaste   
for simple1 ordinary nourishment4 ,i    
fear much1 on the other hand1 any       
excitement that we choose for ourselves2
 that only is quite safe which is       
dispensed to us by the hand of the      
,great ,physician of souls3 he alone    
knows the exact state of our moral      
constitution1 and the exact species of  

discipline it requires from hour to     
hour4  ,you will wonder1 perhaps1 that  
throughout the foregoing remonstrance ,i
 have never recommended to you the test 
so common among many good people of our 
acquaintance1 viz4 whether you are able 
to pray as devoutly on returning from a 
ball as after an evening spent at home8 
,my reason for this silence was1 that ,i
 have found the test an ineffectual one4
 ,the advanced ,christian1 if obedience 
to those who are set in authority over  
her should lead her into scenes of      
dissipation1 will not find her mind     
disturbed by being an unwilling actor in
 the uninteresting amusements4 ,she1 on 
the other hand1 who is just beginning a 
spiritual life1 must be an incompetent  
judge of the variations in the          
devotional spirit of her mind1--anxious1
 besides1 as one should be to discourage
 any of that minute attention to        
variations of religious feeling which   
only disturbs and harasses the mind1 and
 hinders it from concentrating its      

efforts upon obedience4 ,lastly1 she who
 has never been mindful of her baptismal
 vows of renunciation of the world1 the 
flesh1 and the devil1 will say her      
prayers quite as satisfactorily to      
herself after a day spent in one manner 
as in another4 ,the test of a distaste  
for former simple pursuits1 and want of 
interest in them1 is a much safer one1  
more universally applicable1 and not so 
easily evaded4 ,it is equally effectual1
 too1 as a religious safeguard2 for the 
natural and impressible state in which  
the mind is kept by the absence of      
habitual stimulants is surely the state 
in which it is best qualified for the   
exercise of devotion1--for self-denial1 
for penitence and prayer4  ,let us      
return now to a further examination of  
the nature of the dangers to which you  
may be exposed by a life of gayety--an  
examination that must be carried on in  
your own mind with careful and anxious  
inquiry4 ,i have before spoken of the   
duty of ascertaining what effects       

different kinds of society produce upon 
you3 it is only by thus qualifying      
yourself to pass your own judgment on   
this important subject that you can     
avoid being dangerously influenced by   
those assertions that you hear made by  
others4 ,you will probably1 for         
instance1 be told that a love of        
admiration often manifests itself as    
glaringly in the quiet drawing-room as  
in the crowded ball-room2 and ,i readily
 admit that the feelings cherished into 
existence1 or at least into vigour1 by  
the exciting atmosphere of the latter   
cannot be readily laid aside with the   
ball-dress4 ,there will1 indeed1 be less
 opportunity for their display1 less    
temptation to the often accompanying    
feelings of envy and discontent1 but the
 mental process will probably still be  
carried on--of distilling from even the 
most innocent pleasures but one species 
of dangerous excitement3 ,i cannot1     
however1 admit1 that to the             
unsophisticated mind there will be any  

danger of the same nature in the one    
case as in the other4 ,society1 when    
entered into with a simple1 prayerful   
spirit1 may be considered one of the    
most improving as well as one of the    
most innocent pleasures allotted to us4 
,still further1 ,i believe that the     
exercise of patience1 benevolence1 and  
self-denial which it involves1 is a most
 important part of the disciplining     
process by which we are being brought   
into a state of preparation for the     
society of glorified spirits1 of just   
men made perfect4  ,i advise you        
earnestly1 therefore1 against any system
 of conduct1 or indulgence of feeling1  
that would involve your seclusion from  
society--not only on the grounds of such
 seclusion obliging you to unnecessary  
self-denial1 but on the still stronger  
grounds of the loss to our moral being  
which would result from the absence of  
the peculiar species of discipline that 
social intercourse affords4 ,my object  
in addressing you is to point out the   

dangers to you of peculiar kinds of     
society1 not by any means to seek to    
persuade you to avoid it altogether4    
,let us1 then1 consider carefully the   
respective tendencies of different kinds
 of society to cherish or create the    
feelings of envy1 hatred1 and malice1   
and all uncharitableness1 by exciting a 
craving for general admiration1 and a   
desire to secure the largest portion for
 yourself4  ,you have already been a few
 weeks out in the world2 you have been  
at small social parties and crowded     
balls3 they must have given you         
sufficient experience to understand the 
remarks ,i make4  ,have you not1 then1  
felt at the quiet parties of which ,i   
have spoken 7as contrasted with         
dissipated ones7 that it was pleasure   
enough for you to spend your whole      
evening talking with persons of your own
 sex and age over the simple occupations
 o,l your daily-life1 or the studies    
which engage the interest of your       
already cultivated mind8 ,lady ,l4 may  

have collected a circle of admirers     
around her1 and ,miss ,m4's music may   
have been extolled as worthy of an      
artist1 but upon all this you looked    
merely as a spectator2 without either   
wish or idea of sharing in their        
publicity or their renown1 you probably 
did not form a thought1 certainly not a 
wish1 of the kind4 ,in the ball-room1   
however1 the case is altogether         
different2 the most simple and          
fresh-minded woman cannot escape from   
feelings of pain or regret at being     
neglected or unobserved here4 ,she goes 
for the professed purpose of dancing2   
and when few or no opportunities are    
afforded her of sharing in that which is
 the amusement of the rest of the room1 
should she feel neither mortification at
 her own position1 nor envy1 however    
disguised and modified1 at the different
 position of others1 she can possess    
none of that sensitiveness which is your
 distinctive quality4 ,it is true1      
indeed1 that the experienced chaperon is

 well aware that the girl who commands  
the greatest number of partners is not  
the one most likely to have the greatest
 number of proposals-at the end of the  
season1 nor the one who will finally    
make the most successful parti4 ,this   
reconciles the prudential looker-on to  
the occasional and partial appearance of
 neglect4 ,not so the young and         
inexperienced aspirant to admiration3   
her worldliness is now in an earlier    
phase2 and she thinks that her fame     
rises or falls among her companions     
according as she can compete with them  
in the number of her partners1 or their 
exclusive devotion to her1 which after a
 season or two is discovered to be a    
still safer test of successful coquetry4
 ,thus may the young innocent heart be  
gradually led on to depend for its      
enjoyment on the factitious passing     
admiration of a light and thoughtless   
hour2 and still worse1 if possessed of  
keen susceptibilities and powers of     
quick adaptation1 the lesson is often   

too easily learned of practising the    
arts likely to attract notice1 thus     
losing for ever the simplicity and      
modest freshness of a woman's nature4   
,that may be a fatal evening to you on  
which you will first attract sufficient 
notice to have it said of you that you  
were more admired than ,lucy ,d4 or     
,ellen ,m42 this may be a moment for a  
poisonous plant to spring up in your    
heart1 which will spread around its     
baleful influence until your dying day4 
,it is a disputed point among ethical   
metaphysicians1 whether the seeds of    
every vice are equally planted in each  
human bosom1 and only prevented from    
germinating by opposing circumstances1  
and by the grace of ,god assisting      
self-control4 ,if this be true1 how     
carefully ought we to avoid every       
circumstance that may favour the        
commencing existence of before unknown  
sins and temptations4 ,the grain that   
has been destitute of vitality for a    
score of centuries is wakened into      

unceasing1 because continually renewed  
existence1 by the fostering influences  
of light and air and a suitable soil4   
,evil tendencies may be slumbering in   
your bosom1 as destitute of life1 as    
incapable of growth1 as the oats in the 
foldings of the mummy's envelope4 ,be   
careful lest1 by going into the way of  
temptation1 you may involuntarily foster
 them into the very existence which they
 would otherwise never possess4  ,when  
once the craving for excitement has     
become a part of our nature1 there is of
 course no safety in the quietest1 or1  
under other circumstances1 most innocent
 kind of society4 ,the same amusements  
will be sought for in it as those which 
have been enjoyed in the ball-room1 and 
every company will be considered        
insufferably wearisome which does not   
furnish the now necessary stimulant of  
exclusive attention and general         
admiration4  ,i write the more strongly 
to you on the subject of worldly        
amusements1 because ,i see with regret a

 tendency in the writings and           
conversation of the religious world1 as 
it is called1 to extol every other      
species of self-denial1 but to ,observe 
a studied silence respecting this one4  
,a reaction seems to have taken place in
 the public mind4 ,instead of the       
puritanic strictness that condemned the 
meeting of a few friends for any        
purposes besides those of reading the   
,scriptures and praying extempore1      
practices are now introduced1 and       
favoured1 and considered harmless1      
almost as strongly contrasted with the  
former ones as was the promulgation of  
the ,book of ,sports with the strict    
observances that preceded it4 ,we see   
some1 of whose piety and excellence no  
doubt can be entertained1 mingling      
unhesitatingly in the most worldly      
amusements of those who are by          
profession as well as practice lovers of
 pleasure more than lovers of ,god4     
,how cruelly are the minds of the simple
 and the timid perplexed by the persons 

who thus act1 as well as by those       
popular writings which countenance in   
professedly religious persons these     
worldly and self-indulgent habits of    
life4 ,the hearts and the consciences of
 the weak brethren re-echo the warnings 
given them by the average opinions of   
the wise and good in all ages of the    
world1 namely1 that1 with respect to    
worldly amusements1 they must come out  
and be separate4 ,how else can they be  
sons and daughters of ,him1 to whom they
 vowed1 as the necessary condition of   
entering into that high relationship1   
that they would renounce the pomps and  
vanities of this wicked world8 ,if the  
question of pomps should be perplexing  
to some by the different requirements of
 different stations in life1 there is   
surely less difficulty of the same kind 
in relation to its vanities4 ,but while 
the weak in faith are hesitating and    
trembling at the thought of all the     
opposition and sacrifices a self-denying
 course of conduct must1 under any      

circumstances1 involve1 they are still  
further discouraged by finding that some
 whom they are accustomed to respect and
 admire have in appearance gone over to 
the enemy's camp4  ,it is only1 indeed1 
in their hours of relaxation that they  
select as their favourite companions    
those who are professedly engaged in a  
different service from their own--those 
whom they know to be devoted heart and  
soul to the love and service of that    
world which lieth in wickedness4#ie ,are
 not1 however1 their hours of relaxation
 also their hours of danger--those in   
which they are more likely to be        
surprised and overcome by temptation    
than in hours of study or of business8  
,all this is surely very perplexing to  
the young and inexperienced1 however    
personally safe and prudent it may be   
for those from whom a better example    
might have been justly expected4 ,it is 
deeply to be regretted that there is not
 more unity of action and opinion among 
those who love the ,lord ,jesus ,christ 

in sincerity1 more especially in cases  
where such unity of action is only      
interfered with by dislike to the       
important and eminent ,christian duty of
 self-denial4  ,i am inclined to apply  
terms of stronger and more general      
condemnation than any ,i have hitherto  
used to those amusements which are more 
especially termed public4  ,you should  
carefully examine1 with prayer to be    
guided aright1 whether a voluntary      
attendance at the theatre or the        
race-course is not in a degree exposed  
to the solemn denunciation uttered by   
the ,saviour against those who cause    
others to offend4#if ,can that          
relaxation be a part of the education to
 fit us for our eternal home which is   
regardless of danger to the spiritual   
interests of others1 and acts upon the  
spirit of the haughty remonstrance of   
,cain--,am ,i my brother's keeper8#ig   
,for all the details of this argument1  
,i refer you to ,wilberforce's          
,practical ,view of ,christianity4 ,many

 other writers besides have treated this
 subject ably and convincingly2 but none
 other has ever been so satisfactory to 
my own mind3 ,i think it will be so to  
yours4 ,i am aware that much may be said
 in defence of the expediency of the    
amusements to which ,i refer2 and as    
there is a certainty that both of them1 
or others of a similar nature1 will meet
 with general support until the kingdoms
 of this world become the kingdoms of   
the ,lord and of his ,christ1#ih it is a
 compensatory satisfaction that they are
 neither of them without their          
advantages to the general welfare of the
 country2 that good is mixed with their 
evil1 as well as brought out of their   
evil4 ,this does not1 however1 serve as 
an excuse for those who1 having their   
mind and judgment enlightened to see the
 dangers to others and the temptations  
to themselves of attending such         
amusements1 should still disfigure      
lives1 it may be1 in other respects1 of 
excellence and usefulness1 by giving    

their time1 their money1 and their      
example to countenance and support them4
 ,wo to those who venture to lay their  
sinful human hands upon the complicated 
machinery of ,god's providence1 by      
countenancing the slightest shade of    
moral evil1 because there may be some   
accompanying good6 ,we cannot look      
forward to a certain result from any    
action3 the most virtuous one may       
produce effects entirely different from 
those which we had anticipated2 and we  
can then only fearlessly leave the      
consequences in the hands of ,god1 when 
we are sure that we have acted in strict
 accordance with ,his will4 ,does it    
become the servant of ,god voluntarily  
to expose herself to hear contempt and  
blasphemy attached to the ,holy ,name   
and the holy things which she loves2 to 
see on the stage an awful mockery of    
prayer itself1 on the race-course the   
despair of the ruined gambler and the   
debasement of the drunkard8 ,the choice 
of the scenes you frequent now1 of the  

company you keep now1 is of an          
importance involved in the very nature  
of things1 and not dependent alone on   
the expressed will of ,god4 ,it is only 
the pure in heart who can see ,god4#ii  
,it is only those who have here acquired
 a meetness for the inheritance of the  
saints in light#ajj who can enjoy its   
possession4  ,it is almost entirely in  
this point of view that ,i have urged   
upon you the close consideration of the 
permanent influences of every present   
action4 ,at your age1 and with your     
inexperience1 ,i know that there is an  
especial aptness to deceive one's-self  
by considering the case of those who1   
after leading a gay life for many years1
 have afterwards become the most zealous
 and devoted servants of ,god4 ,that    
such cases are to be met with1 is to the
 glory of the free grace of ,god3 but   
what reason have you to hope that you   
should be among this small number8      
,having once wilfully chosen the        
pleasures of this life as your portion1 

on what promise do you depend ever again
 to be awakened to a sense of the awful 
alternative of fulfilling your baptismal
 vows1 by renouncing the pomps and      
vanities of the world1 or becoming a    
withered branch of the vine into which  
you were once grafted--a branch whose   
end is to be burned8  ,without urging   
further upon you this hackneyed1 though 
still awful warning1 let me return once 
more to the peculiar point of view in   
which ,i have1 all along1 considered the
 subject2 namely1 that each present act 
and feeling1 however momentary may be   
its indulgence1 is an inevitable        
preparation for eternity1 by becoming a 
part of our never-dying moral nature4   
,you must deeply feel how much this     
consideration adds to the improbability 
of your having any desires whatever to  
become the servant of ,god some years   
hence1 and how much it must increase in 
future every difficulty and every       
unwillingness which you at present      
experience4  ,let us1 however1 suppose  

that ,god will still be merciful to you 
at the last2 that1 after having devoted 
to the world during the years of your   
youth that love1 those energies1 and    
those powers of mind which had been     
previously vowed to his holier and      
happier service1 he will still in future
 years send you the grace of repentance2
 that he will effect such a change in   
your heart and mind1 that the world does
 not only become unsatisfactory to      
you1--which is a very small way towards 
real religion1--but that to love and    
serve ,god becomes to you the one thing 
desirable above all others4 ,alas6 it is
 even then1 in the very hour of         
redeeming mercy1 of renewing grace1 that
 your severest trials will begin4 ,then 
first will you thoroughly experience how
 truly it is an evil thing and bitter1  
to forsake the ,lord your ,god4#aja     
,then you will find that every late     
effort at self-denial1 simplicity of    
mind and purpose1 abstinence from       
worldly excitements1 c41 is met1 not    

only by the evil instincts which belong 
to our nature1 but by the superinduced  
difficulty of opposing confirmed habits4
  ,smoothly and tranquilly flows on the 
stream of habit1 and we are unaware of  
its growing strength until we try to    
erect an obstacle in its course1 and see
 this obstacle swept away by the        
long-accumulating power of the current4 
,in truth1 all those who have wilfully  
added the power of evil habits to the   
evil tendencies of their fallen nature  
must expect to go mourning all the days 
of their life4 ,it is only to those who 
have served the ,lord from their youth  
that wisdom's ways are ways of          
pleasantness1 and all her paths peace4  
,to others1 though by the grace of ,god 
they may be finally saved1 there is but 
a dreary prospect until the end come4   
,they must ever henceforth consult their
 safety by denying themselves many      
pleasant things which the well-regulated
 mind of the habitually pious may find  
not only safe but profitable4 ,at the   

same time they sorrowfully discover that
 they have lost all taste for those     
entirely simple pleasures with which the
 path of ,god's obedient children is    
abundantly strewn4 ,their path1 on the  
contrary1 is rugged1 and their flowers  
are few3 their sun seldom shines2 for   
they themselves have formed clouds out  
of the vapours of earth1 to intercept   
its warming and invigorating radiance3  
what wonder1 then1 if some among them   
should turn it back into the bright and 
sunny land of self-indulgence1 now      
looking brighter and more alluring than 
ever from its contrast with the         
surrounding gloom8  ,let not this       
dangerous risk be yours4 ,while yet     
young--young in habits1 in energies1 in 
affections1 devote all to the service of
 the best of masters4 ,the work of      
righteousness1 even now1 through        
difficulties1 self-denial1 and          
anxieties1 will be peace1 and the effect
 thereof quietness and assurance for    
ever4#ajb   ,,footnotes3  #hi #a ,cor4  

viii4 #ac4  #ij ,matt4 xviii4 #f1 #g4   
#ia ,milnes4  #ib ,keble4  #ic ,french4 
#id ,james i4 #ab4  #ie #a ,john v4 #ai4
  #if ,matt4 xviii4 #f1 #g4  #ig ,gen4  
iv4 #i4  #ih ,rev4 xi4 #ae4  #ii ,matt4 
v4 #h4  #ajj ,col4 i4 #ab4  #aja ,jer4  
ii4 #ai4  #ajb ,isa4 xxxii4 #ai4        
,,the ,,influence ,,of ,,women ,,on     
,,society4#ajc   ,whatever may be the   
customs and laws of a country1 women    
always give the tone to morals4 ,whether
 slaves or free1 they reign1 because    
their empire is that of the affections4 
,this influence1 however1 is more or    
less salutary1 according to the degree  
of esteem in which they are held3--they 
make men what they are4 ,it seems as    
though ,nature had made man's intellect 
depend upon their dignity1 as she has   
made his happiness depend upon their    
virtue4 ,this1 then1 is the law of      
eternal justice1--man cannot degrade    
woman without himself falling into      
degradation3 he cannot elevate her      
without at the same time elevating      

himself4 ,let us cast our eyes over the 
globe6 ,let us observe those two great  
divisions of the human race1 the ,east  
and the ,west4 ,half the old world      
remains in a state of inanity1 under the
 oppression of a rude civilization3 the 
women there are slaves2 the other       
advances in equalization and            
intelligence3 the women there are free  
and honoured4  ,if we wish1 then1 to    
know the political and moral condition  
of a state1 we must ask what rank women 
hold in it4 ,their influence embraces   
the whole life4 ,a wife1--a mother1--two
 magical words1 comprising the sweetest 
sources of man's felicity4 ,theirs is   
the reign of beauty1 of love1 of reason4
 ,always a reign6 ,a man takes counsel  
with his wife2 he obeys his mother2 he  
obeys her long after she has ceased to  
live1 and the ideas which he has        
received from her become principles     
stronger even than his passions4  ,the  
reality of the power is not disputed2   
but it may be objected that it is       

confined in its operation to the family 
circle3 as if the aggregate of families 
did not constitute the nation6 ,the man 
carries with him to the forum the       
notions which the woman has discussed   
with him by the domestic hearth4 ,his   
strength there realizes what her gentle 
insinuations inspired4 ,it is sometimes 
urged as matter of complaint that the   
business of women is confined to the    
domestic arrangements of the household3 
and it is not recollected that from the 
household of every citizen issue forth  
the errors and prejudices which govern  
the world6  ,if1 then1 there be an      
incontestable fact1 it is the influence 
of women3 an influence extended1 with   
various modifications1 through the whole
 of life4 ,such being the case1 the     
question arises1 by what inconceivable  
negligence a power of universal         
operation has been overlooked by        
moralists1 who1 in their various plans  
for the amelioration of mankind1 have   
scarcely deigned to mention this potent 

agent4 ,yet evidence1 historical and    
parallel1 proves that such negligence   
has lost to mankind the most influential
 of all agencies4 ,the fact of its      
existence cannot be disputed2 it is1    
therefore1 of the greatest importance   
that its nature should be rightly       
understood1 and that it be directed to  
right objects4#ajd  ,it would not be    
uninteresting to trace the action and   
reaction by which women have degraded   
and been degraded--alternately the      
source and the victims of mistaken      
social principles2 but it would be      
foreign to the design and compass of    
this work to do so4 ,the subject1       
indeed1 would afford matter for a       
philosophical treatise of deep interest1
 rather than for a chapter of a small   
work4 ,a rapid historical sketch1 and a 
few deductions which seem to bear upon  
the main point1 are all that can be here
 attempted4  ,the gospel announced on   
this1 as on every other subject1 a grand
 comprehensive principle1 which it was  

to be the work of ages 7perhaps of      
eternity7 to develop4 ,the rescue of    
this degraded half of the human race was
 henceforth the ascertained will of the 
,almighty4 ,but a long series of years  
were to elapse before this will worked  
out its issues4 ,its decrees1 with the  
noble doctrines of which it formed a    
part1 lay buried beneath the ruins of   
human intellect4 ,but they were only    
buried1 not destroyed2 and rose1 like   
wildflowers on a ruined edifice1 to     
adorn the irregularity which they could 
not conceal4 ,the fantastic institutions
 of chivalry which it is now the fashion
 to deride 7how unjustly67 were among   
the first scions of this plant of       
heavenly origin4 ,they bore the impress 
of heaven1 faint and distorted indeed1  
but not to be mistaken6 ,devotion to an 
ideal                                   
good1--self-sacrifice1--subjugation of  
selfish and sensual feelings2 wherever  
these principles are found1 disguised1  
disfigured though they be1 they are not 

of the earth1--earthly4 ,they1 like the 
fabled amaranth1 are plants which are   
not indigenous here below6 ,the seeds   
must come from above1 from the source of
 all that is pure1 of all that is good6 
,of these principles the gospel was the 
remote source3 women were the           
disseminators4 ,shut up in their        
castellated towers1 they civilized the  
warriors who despised their weakness1   
and rendered less barbarous the passions
 and prejudices which themselves        
shared4#aje ,it was they who directed   
the savage passions and brute force of  
men to an unselfish aim1 the defence of 
the weak1 and added to courage the only 
virtue then recognised--humanity4 ,thus 
chivalry prepared the way for law1 and  
civilization had its source in          
gallantry4#ajf  ,at this epoch1 the     
influence of women was decidedly        
beneficial2 happy for them and for      
society if it had continued to be so6   
,if we attempt to trace the source of   
this influence1 we shall find it in the 

intellectual equality of the two sexes2 
equally ignorant of what we call        
knowledge1 the respect due by men to    
virtue and beauty was not checked by any
 disdain of real or fancied superiority 
on their part4  ,the intellectual       
exercises 7chiefly imaginative7 of the  
time1 so far from forming a barrier     
between the two sexes1 were a bond of   
union4 ,the song of the minstrel was    
devoted to the praise of beauty1 and    
paid by her smile4 ,the spirit of the   
age1 as imbodied in these effusions1 is 
the best proof of the beneficial        
influence exercised over that age by our
 sex4 ,in them1 the name of woman is not
 associated in the degrading catalogue  
of man's pleasures1 with his bottle and 
his horse1 but is coupled with all that 
is fair and pure in nature1--the fields1
 the birds1 the flowers2 or high in     
virtue or sentiment1--with honour1      
glory1 self-sacrifice4  ,to the age of  
chivalry succeeded the revival of       
letters2 and 7strange to say67 this     

revival was any thing but advantageous  
to the cause of women4 ,men found other 
paths to glory than the exercise of     
valour afforded1 and paths into which   
women were forbidden to follow them4    
,into these newly-discovered regions1   
women were not allowed to penetrate1 and
 men returned thence with real or       
affected contempt for their             
unintellectual companions1 without      
having attained true wisdom enough to   
know how much they would gain by their  
enlightenment4  ,the advance of         
intelligence in men not being met by a  
corresponding advance in women1 the     
latter lost their equilibrium in the    
social balance4 ,honour1 glory1 were no 
longer attached to the smile of beauty4 
,the dethroned sovereigns1 from being   
imperious1 became abject1 and sought1 by
 paltry arts1 to perpetuate the empire  
which was no longer conceded as a right4
 ,influence they still possessed1 but an
 influence debased in its character1 and
 changed in its mode of operation4      

,instead of being the objects of        
devotion of heart1--fantastic1 indeed1  
but high-minded1--they became the mere  
playthings of the imagination1 or worse1
 the mere objects of sensual passion4   
,respect is the only sure foundation of 
influence4 ,women had ceased to be      
respected3 they therefore ceased to be  
beneficially influential4 ,that they    
retained another and a worse kind of    
influence1 may be inferred from the     
spirit1 as imbodied in the literature1  
of the period4 ,fiction no longer sought
 its heroes among the lofty in mind and 
pure in morals--its heroines in spotless
 virgins and faithful wives4 ,the       
reckless voluptuary1 the faithless and  
successful adulteress1--these were the  
noble beings whose deeds filled the     
pages which formed the delight of the   
wise and the fair4 ,the ultimate issues 
of these grievous errors were most      
strikingly developed in the respective  
courts of ,louis ,,xiv4 and ,charles    
,,ii41 where they reached their climax4 

,the vicious influence of which we have 
spoken was then at its height1 and the  
degradation of women had brought on its 
inevitable consequence1 the degradation 
of men4 ,with some few exceptions1 7such
 exceptions1 indeed1 prove rules67 we   
trace this evil influence in the        
contempt of virtue1 public and private2 
in the base passions1 the narrow and    
selfish views peculiar to degraded      
women1 and reflected on the equally     
degraded men whom such women could have 
power to charm4#ajg  ,a change of       
opinions and of social arrangements has 
long been operating1 which ought        
entirely to have abrogated these evils4 
,that they have not done so is owing to 
a grand mistake4 ,women having recovered
 their rights1 moral and intellectual1  
have resumed their importance in the eye
 of reason3 they have long been the     
ornaments of society1 which from them   
derives its tone1 and it has become too 
much the main object of their education 
to cultivate the accomplishments which  

may make them such4 ,a twofold injury   
has arisen from this mistaken aim2 it   
has blinded women as to the true nature 
and end of their existence1 and has     
excited a spirit of worldly ambition    
opposed to the devoted unselfishness    
necessary for its accomplishment4 ,this 
is the error of the unthinking--the     
reflecting have fallen into another1 but
 not less serious one4 ,the coarse1 but 
expressive satire of ,luther1 ,that the 
human mind is like an intoxicated man on
 horseback1--if he is set up on one     
side1 he falls off on the other1 was    
never more fully justified than on this 
subject4 ,because it is perceived that  
women have a dignity and value greater  
than society or themselves have         
discovered1--because their talents and  
virtues place them on a footing of      
equality with men1 it is maintained that
 their present sphere of action is too  
contracted a one1 and that they ought to
 share in the public functions of the   
other sex4 ,equality1 mental and        

physical1 is proclaimed6 ,this is matter
 too ludicrous to be treated anywhere   
but in a professed satire2 in sober     
earnest1 it may be asked1 upon what     
grounds so extraordinary a doctrine is  
built up6 ,were women allowed to act out
 these principles1 it would soon appear 
that one great range of duty had been   
left unprovided for in the schemes of   
,providence2 such an omission would be  
without parallel4 ,two principal points 
only can here be brought forward1 which 
oppose this plan at the very outset2    
they are--  #ast4 ,placing the two sexes
 in the position of rivals1 instead of  
coadjutors1 entailing the diminution of 
female influence4  #b;d4 ,leaving the   
important duties of woman only in the   
hands of that part of the sex least able
 to perform them efficiently4  ,the     
principle of divided labour seems to be 
a maxim of the ,divine government1 as   
regards the creature4 ,it is only by a  
concentration of powers to one point1   
that so feeble a being as man can       

achieve great results4 ,why should we   
wish to set aside this salutary law1 and
 disturb the beautiful simplicity of    
arrangement which has given to man the  
power1 and to woman the influence1 to   
second the plans of ,almighty goodness8 
,they are formed to be co-operators1 not
 rivals1 in this great work2 and rivals 
they would undoubtedly become1 if the   
same career of public ambition and the  
same rewards of success were open to    
both4 ,woman1 at present1 is the        
regulating power of the great social    
machine1 retaining1 through the very    
exclusion complained of1 the power to   
judge of questions by the abstract rules
 of right and wrong--a power seldom     
possessed by those whose spirits are    
chafed by opposition and heated by      
personal contest4  ,the second resulting
 evil is a grave one1 though1 in        
treating of it1 also1 it is difficult to
 steer clear of ludicrous associations4 
,the political career being open to     
women1 it is natural to suppose that all

 the most gifted of the sex would press 
forward to confer upon their country the
 benefit of their services1 and to reap 
for themselves the distinction which    
such services would obtain2 the duties  
hitherto considered peculiar to the sex 
would sink to a still lower position in 
public estimation than they now hold1   
and would be abandoned to those least   
able conscientiously to fulfil them4    
,the combination of legislative and     
maternal duties would indeed be a       
difficult task1 and1 of course1 the     
least ostentatious would be sacrificed4 
,yet women have a mission6 ay1 even a   
political mission of immense importance6
 which they will best fulfil by moving  
in the sphere assigned them by          
,providence3 not comet-like1 wandering  
in irregular orbits1 dazzling indeed by 
their brilliancy1 but terrifying by     
their eccentric movements and doubtful  
utility4 ,that the sphere in which they 
are required to move is no mean one1 and
 that its apparent contraction arises   

only from a defect of intellectual      
vision1 it is the object of the         
succeeding chapters to prove4           
,,footnotes3  #ajc ,we hare come to the 
close of the ,letters4 ,the following   
pages are quoted from writers of        
eminence1 and bear directly upon the    
main subject of ,female ,education4 ,the
 first quotations are from the anonymous
 author of ,woman's ,mission4 ,they are 
of inestimable value4 ,,editor4  #ajd   
,aime ,martin4  #aje ,aime ,martin4     
#ajf ,ibid4  #ajg ,see the ,memoirs of  
,pepys1 ,evelyn1 ,de ,grammont1 c4      
,,the ,,sphere ,,of ,,woman',s          
,,influence4   ,the fact of this        
influence being proved1 it is of the    
utmost importance that it be impressed  
upon the mind of women1 and that they be
 enlightened as to its true nature and  
extent4  ,the task is as difficult as it
 is important1 for it demands some      
exercise of sober judgment to view it   
with requisite impartiality2 it         
requires1 too1 some courage to encounter

 the charge of inconsistency which a    
faithful discharge of it entails4 ,for  
it is an apparent inconsistency to      
recommend at the same time expansion of 
views and contraction of operation2 to  
awaken the sense of power1 and to       
require that the exercise of it be      
limited2 to apply at once the spur and  
the rein4 ,that intellect is to be      
invigorated only to enlighten           
conscience--that conscience is to be    
enlightened only to act on details--that
 accomplishments and graces are to be   
cultivated only1 or chiefly1 to adorn   
obscurity2--a list of somewhat          
paradoxical propositions indeed1 and    
hard to be received2 yet1 upon their    
favourable reception depends1 in my     
opinion1 the usefulness of our          
influence1 the destinies of our race2   
and it is my intention to direct all my 
observations to this point4  ,it is     
astonishing and humiliating to perceive 
how frequently human wisdom1 especially 
argumentative wisdom1 is at fault as to 

results1 while accident1 prejudices1 or 
common sense seem to light upon truths  
which reason feels after without        
finding4 ,it appears as though a priori 
reasoning1 human nature being the       
subject1 is like a skilful piece of     
mechanism1 carefully and scientifically 
put together1 but which some perverse   
and occult trifle will not permit to    
act4 ,this is eminently true of many    
questions regarding education1 and      
precisely the state of the argument     
concerning the position and duties of   
women4 ,the facts of moral and          
intellectual equality being established1
 it seems somewhat irrational to condemn
 women to obscurity and detail for their
 field of exertion1 while men usurp the 
extended one of public usefulness4 ,and 
a good case may be made out on this very
 point4 ,yet the conclusions are false  
and pernicious1 and the prejudices which
 we now smile at as obsolete are truths 
of nature's own imparting1 only wanting 
the agency of comprehensive intelligence

 to make them valuable1 by adapting them
 to the present state of society4 ,for1 
as one atom of falsehood in first       
principles nullifies a whole theory1 so 
one principle1 fundamentally true1      
suffices to obviate many minor errors4  
,this fundamentally true principle1 ,i  
am prepared to show1 exists in the      
established opinions concerning the true
 sphere of women1 and that1 whether     
originally dictated by reason1 or       
derived from a sort of intuition1 they  
are right1 and for this cause3 the one  
quality on which woman's value and      
influence depend is the renunciation of 
self2 and the old prejudices respecting 
her inculcated self-renunciation4       
,educated in obscurity1 trained to      
consider the fulfilment of domestic     
duties as the aim and end of her        
existence1 there was little to feed the 
appetite for fame1 or the indulgence of 
self-idolatry4 ,now1 here the principle 
fundamentally bears upon the very       
qualities most desirable to be          

cultivated1 and those most desirable to 
be avoided4 ,a return to the practical  
part of the system is by no means to be 
recommended1 for1 with increasing       
intellectual advantages1 it is not to be
 supposed that the perfection of the    
conjugal character is to consult a      
husband's palate and submit to his      
ill-humour--or of the maternal1 to      
administer in due alternation the sponge
 and the rod4 ,all that is contended for
 is1 that the fundamental principle is  
right--that women were to live for      
others2 and1 therefore1 all that we have
 to do is to carry out this             
fundamentally right principle into wider
 application4 ,it may easily be done1 if
 the cultivation of intellectual powers 
be carried on with the same views and   
motives as were formerly the knowledge  
of domestic duties1 for the benefit of  
immediate relations1 and for the        
fulfilment of appointed duties4 ,if     
society at large be benefited by such   
cultivation1 so much the better2 but it 

ought to be no part of the training of  
women to consider1 with any personal    
views1 what effect they shall produce in
 or on society at large4 ,the greatest  
benefit which they can confer upon      
society is to be what they ought to be  
in all their domestic relations2 that   
is1 to be what they ought to be1 in all 
the comprehensiveness of the term1 as   
adapted to the present state of society4
 ,let no woman fancy that she can1 by   
any exertion or services1 compensate for
 the neglect of her own peculiar duties 
as such4 ,it is by no means my intention
 to assert that women should be passive 
and indifferent spectators of the great 
political questions which affect the    
well-being of community2 neither can ,i 
repeat the old adage1 that women have   
nothing to do with politics4 ,they have1
 and ought to have much to do with      
politics4 ,but in what way8 ,it has been
 maintained that their public           
participation in them would be fatal to 
the best interests of society4 ,how1    

then1 are women to interfere in         
politics8 ,as moral agents2 as          
representatives of the moral principle2 
as champions of the right in preference 
to the expedient2 by their endeavours to
 instil into their relatives of the     
other sex the uncompromising sense of   
duty and self-devotion1 which ought to  
be their ruling principles6 ,the immense
 influence which women possess will be  
most beneficial1 if allowed to flow in  
its natural channels1 viz4 domestic     
ones1--because it is of the utmost      
importance to the existence of          
influence1 that purity of motive be     
unquestioned4 ,it is by no means        
affirmed that women's political feelings
 are always guided by the abstract      
principles of right and wrong2 but they 
are surely more likely to be so1 if they
 themselves are restrained from the     
public expression of them4              
,participation in scenes of popular     
emotion has a natural tendency to warp  
conscience and overcome charity4 ,now1  

conscience and charity 7or love7 are the
 very essence of woman's beneficial     
influence2 therefore every thing tending
 to blunt the one and sour the other is 
sedulously to be avoided by her4 ,it is 
of the utmost importance to men to feel1
 in consulting a wife1 a mother1 or a   
sister1 that they are appealing from    
their passions and prejudices1 and not  
to them1 as imbodied in a second self3  
nothing tends to give opinions such     
weight as the certainty that the utterer
 of them is free from all petty or      
personal motives4 ,the beneficial       
influence of woman is nullified if once 
her motives1 or her personal character1 
come to be the subject of attack2 and   
this fact alone ought to induce her     
patiently to acquiesce in the plan of   
seclusion from public affairs4  ,it     
supposes1 indeed1 some magnanimity in   
the possessors of great powers and      
widely extended influence1 to be willing
 to exercise them with silent1          
unostentatious vigilance4 ,there must be

 a deeper principle than usually lies at
 the root of female education1 to induce
 women to acquiesce in the plan1 which1 
assigning to them the responsibility1   
has denied them the eclat of being      
reformers of society4 ,yet it is1       
probably1 exactly in proportion to their
 reception of this truth1 and their     
adoption of it into their hearts1 that  
they will fulfil their own high and     
lofty mission2 precisely because the    
manifestation of such a spirit is the   
one thing needful for the regeneration  
of society4 ,it is from her being the   
depository and disseminator of such a   
spirit1 that woman's influence is       
principally derived4 ,it appears to be  
for this end that ,providence has so    
lavishly endowed her with moral         
qualities1 and1 above all1 with that of 
love1--the antagonist spirit of selfish 
worldliness1 that spirit which1 as it is
 vanquished or victorious1 bears with it
 the moral destinies of the world6 ,now1
 it is proverbially as well as          

scripturally true1 that love seeketh not
 its own interest1 but the good of      
others1 and finds its highest honour1   
its highest happiness1 in so doing4     
,this is precisely the spirit which can 
never be too much cultivated by women1  
because it is the spirit by which their 
highest triumphs are to be achieved3 it 
is they who are called upon to show     
forth its beauty1 and to prove its      
power2 every thing in their education   
should tend to develop self-devotion and
 self-renunciation4 ,how far existing   
systems contribute to this object1 it   
must be our next step to inquire4       
,,education ,,of ,,women4   ,the        
education of women is more important    
than that of men1 since that of men is  
always their work4#ajh  ,we are now to  
consider how far the present systems of 
female education tend to the great end  
here mentioned--the truth of which1     
reflection and experience combine to    
prove4 ,great is the boast of the       
progress of education2 great would be   

the indignation excited by a doubt as to
 the fact of this progress4 ,a simple   
question will express this doubt more   
forcibly1 and place this subject in a   
stronger light3 ',are women qualified to
 educate men8' ,if they are not1 no     
available progress has been made4 ,in   
the very heart of civilized ,europe1 are
 women what they ought to be8 and does  
not their education prove how little we 
know the consequences of neglecting     
it8#aji ,is it possible to believe1 that
 upon their training depends the        
happiness of families--the well-being of
 nations8 ,the selfishness1 political   
and social2 the forgetfulness of        
patriotism2 the unregulated tempers and 
low ambition of the one sex1 testify but
 too clearly how little has been done by
 the vaunted education of the other4    
,for education is useless1 or at least  
neutral1 if it do not bear upon duty1 as
 well as upon cultivation1 if it do not 
expand the soul1 while it enlightens the
 intellect4  ,how far expansion of soul1

 or enlightenment of intellect1 is to be
 expected from the present systems of   
female education1 we have seen in       
effects1--let us now go back to causes4 
,it is unnecessary to start from the    
prejudice of ignorance2 it is now       
universally acknowledged that women have
 a right to education1 and that they    
must be educated4 ,we smile with        
condescending pity at the blinded state 
of our respected grandmothers1 and thank
 ,god that we are not as they1 with a   
thanksgiving as uncalled for as that of 
the proud ,pharisee4 ,on abstract       
ground1 their education was better than 
ours2 it was a preparation for their    
future duties4 ,it does not affect the  
question1 that their notion of these    
duties was entirely confined to the     
physical comfort of husbands and        
children4 ,the defect of the scheme1 as 
has been argued1 was not in rationality1
 but in comprehensiveness1--a           
fundamentally right principle being the 
basis1 it is easy to extend the         

application of it indefinitely4         
,indiscriminate blame1 however1 is as   
invidious as it is useless2 if the      
fault-finder be not also the            
fault-mender1 the exercise of his powers
 is1 at best1 but a negative benefit4   
,let us1 therefore1 enter into a calm   
examination of the two principal        
ramifications1 into which education has 
insensibly divided itself1 as far as the
 young women of our own country are     
concerned2 bearing in mind that women   
can only exercise their true influence1 
inasmuch as they are free from          
worldly-mindedness and egotism1 and     
that1 therefore1 no system of education 
can be good which does not tend to      
subdue the selfish and bring out the    
unselfish principle4 ,the systems       
alluded to are these3--  #ast4 ,the     
education of accomplishments for shining
 in society4  #b;d4 ,intellectual       
education1 or that of the mental powers4
  ,what are the objects of either8 ,to  
prepare the young for life2 its         

subsequent trials2 its weighty duties2  
its inevitable termination8 ,we will    
examine the principles on which both    
these educations are made to work1 and  
see whether1 or how far1 they have any  
relation to those most called for1 by   
the future and presumed duties of the   
educated4 ,the worldly and the          
intellectual1 alternately objects of    
contempt to each other1 are equally     
objects of pity to the wise1 as mistaken
 in their end1 and deceived as to the   
means of attaining that end4  ,the      
education of accomplishments1           
7especially as conducted in this        
country17 would be a risible1 if it were
 not a painful subject of contemplation4
 ,intense labour2 immense sums of money2
 hours1 nay1 days of valuable time6     
,what a list of sacrifices6 ,now for    
results4 ,of the many who thus sacrifice
 time1 health1 and property1 how few    
attain even a moderate proficiency4 ,the
 love of beauty1 the power of           
self-amusement 7if obtained7 might1 in  

some degree1 justify these sacrifices2  
they are valuable ends in themselves1   
still more valuable from contingent     
advantages4 ,there is a deep influence  
hidden under these beautiful arts1--an  
influence far deeper than the world in  
its thoughtlessness1 or the worldly     
student in his vanity1 ever can         
know1--an influence refining1 consoling1
 elevating3 they afford a channel into  
which the lofty aspirings1 the          
unsatisfied yearnings of the pure and   
elevated in soul may pour themselves4   
,the perception of the beautiful is1    
next to the love of our                 
fellow-creatures1 the most purely       
unselfish of all our natural emotions1  
and is1 therefore1 a most powerful      
engine in the hands of those who regard 
selfishness as the giant passion1 whose 
castle must be stormed before any other 
conquest can be begun1 and in           
vanquishing whom all lawful and innocent
 weapons should1 by turns1 be employed4 
,let us consider how we employ this     

mighty ally of virtue and loftiness of  
soul4 ,into the cultivation of the arts1
 disguised under the hackneyed name of  
accomplishments1 does one particle of   
intellectuality creep8 ,would not many  
of their ablest professors and most     
diligent practitioners stare1 with      
unfeigned wonder1 at the supposition1   
that the five hours per diem devoted to 
the piano and the easel had any other   
object than to accomplish the fingers8  
,the idea of their influencing the head 
would be ridiculous6 of their improving 
the heart1 preposterous6 ,yet if both   
head and heart do not combine in these  
pursuits1 how can the cultivators       
justify to themselves the devotion of   
time and labour to their acquisition3   
time and labour1 in many cases1         
abstracted from the performance of      
present1 or preparation for future      
duties1--this is especially applicable  
to the middle classes of society4  ,let 
us now turn to the issues of this       
education6 ,the accomplishments acquired

 at such cost must be displayed4 ,to    
whom8 the possessor has no delight in   
them1--her immediate relatives1 perhaps1
 no taste for them2--to strangers1      
therefore4 ,it is not necessary to make 
many strictures on this subject2 the    
rage for universal exhibition has been  
written and talked down3 in fact1 there 
are great hopes for the world in this   
particular2 it has descended so low in  
the scale of society1 that we trust it  
will soon be exploded altogether4 ,the  
fashion1 therefore1 need not be here    
treated of1 but the spirit which it has 
engendered1 and which will survive its  
parent4 ,this1 as influencing the female
 character--especially the              
maternal--bears greatly upon the point  
in view2--to live for the applause of   
the foolish many1 instead of the        
approbation of the well-judging few2 to 
rule duty1 conscience1 morals1 by a low 
worldly standard2 to view worldly       
admiration as the aim1 and worldly      
aggrandizement as the end of life2 these

 are a few1--a very few1 indications of 
this spirit1 and these have infected    
every rank1 from the highest to the     
middle and lower classes of society4 ,to
 every thing gentle or refined1 to every
 thing lofty or dignified in the female 
character1 this spirit is utterly       
opposed4 ,refinement would teach to shun
 the vulgar applause which almost       
insults its object1--dignity would      
shrink from displaying before heartless 
crowds those emotions of the soul1      
without which all art is vulgar1--and   
how can women1 who have neither         
refinement nor dignity1 retail that     
influence which1 rightly used1 is to be 
so great an engine in the regeneration  
of society8 ,how can the vain and       
selfish exhibitor of paltry acquirements
 ever mature into the mother of the     
,gracchi1 the tutelary guardian of the  
rising virtues of the commonwealth8 ,it 
is in vain to hope it4  ,before making  
any strictures on intellectual          
education1 it is necessary to enter into

 a short explanation2 for it is not     
denied that rightly-cultivated mental   
power is a great good4 ,the kind of     
cultivation which is here decried is    
open to the same objections as the last 
mentioned4 ,it is the cultivation of    
power1 with a view1 not to the happiness
 of the individual1 but to her fame2 not
 to her usefulness1 but to her          
brilliancy4 ,we have only to look round 
society1 and see that intellect has its 
vanity as well as beauty or             
accomplishments1 and that its effects   
are more mischievous4 ,it has a         
hardening1 deadening kind of influence2 
the more so1 that the so-called mental  
cultivation frequently consists only of 
a pedantic heaping up of information1   
valuable indeed in itself1 but wanting  
the principle of combination to make it 
useful4 ,stones and bricks are valuable 
things1 very valuable2 but they are not 
beautiful or useful till the hand of the
 architect has given them a form1 and   
the cement of the bricklayer has knit   

them together4 ,it is a fine expression 
of ,miss ,edgeworth1 in speaking of the 
mind of one of her heroines1 that the   
stream of literature had passed over it 
was apparent only from its fertility4   
,intellectual cultivation was too long  
considered as education1 properly so    
called4 ,the mischief which this error  
has produced1 is exactly in proportion  
to the increase of power thereby        
communicated to wrong principles4       
,what1 then1 is the true object of      
female education8 ,the best answer to   
this question is1 a statement of future 
duties2 for it must never be forgotten1 
that if education be not a training for 
future duties1 it is nothing4 ,the      
ordinary lot of woman is to marry4 ,has 
any thing in these educations prepared  
her to make a wise choice in marriage8  
,to be a mother6 ,have the duties of    
maternity1--the nature of moral         
influence1--been pointed out to her8    
,has she ever been enlightened as to the
 consequent unspeakable importance of   

personal character as the source of     
influence8 ,in a word1 have any means1  
direct or indirect1 prepared her for her
 duties8 ,no6 but she is a linguist1 a  
pianist1 graceful1 admired4 ,what is    
that to the purpose8 ,the grand evil of 
such an education is the mistaking means
 for ends2 a common error1 and the      
source of half the moral confusion      
existing in the world4 ,it is the       
substitution of the part for a whole4   
,the time when young women enter upon   
life1 is the one point to which all     
plans of education tend1 and at which   
they all terminate3 and to prepare them 
for that point is the object of their   
training4 ,is it not cruel to lay up for
 them a store of future wretchedness1 by
 an education which has no period in    
view but one2 a very short one1 and the 
most unimportant and irresponsible of   
the whole of life8 ,who that had the    
power of choice would choose to buy the 
admiration of the world for a few short 
years with the happiness of a whole     

life8 the temporary power to dazzle and 
to charm1 with the growing sense of     
duties undertaken only to be neglected1 
and responsibilities the existence of   
which is discovered perhaps             
simultaneously with that of an utter    
inability to meet them8 ,even if the    
mischief stopped here1 it would be      
sufficiently great2 but the craving     
appetite for applause once roused1 is   
not so easily lulled again4 ,the moral  
energies1 pampered by unwholesome       
nourishment1--like the body when        
disordered by luxurious                 
dainties1--refuse to perform their      
healthy functions1 and thus is          
occasioned a perpetual strife and       
warfare of internal principles2 the     
selfish principle still seeking the     
accustomed gratification1 the conjugal  
and maternal prompting to the           
performance of duty4 ,but duty is a cold
 word2 and people1 in order to find     
pleasure in duty1 must have been trained
 to consider their duties as pleasures4 

,this is a truth at which no one arrives
 by inspiration6 ,and in this moral     
struggle1 which1 like all other         
struggles1 produces lassitude and       
distaste of all things1 the happiness of
 the individual is lost1 her usefulness 
destroyed1 her influence most           
pernicious4 ,for nothing has so         
injurious an effect on temper and       
manners1 and consequently on moral      
influence1 as the want of that internal 
quiet which can only arise from the     
accordance of duty with inclination4    
,another most pernicious effect is1 the 
deadening within the heart of the       
feeling of love1 which is the root of   
all influence2 for it is an             
extraordinary fact1 that vanity acts as 
a sort of refrigerator on all men--on   
the possessor of it1 and on the         
observer4  ,now1 if conscientiousness   
and unselfishness be the two main       
supports of women's beneficial          
influence1 how can any education be good
 which has not the cultivation of these 

qualities for its first and principal   
object8 ,the grand objects1 then1 in the
 education of women1 ought to be1 the   
conscience1 the heart1 and the          
affections2 the development of those    
moral qualities which ,providence has so
 liberally bestowed upon them1 doubtless
 with a wise and beneficent purpose4    
,originators of conscientiousness1 how  
can they implant what they have never   
cultivated1 nor brought to maturity in  
themselves8 ,sovereigns of the          
affections1 how can they direct the     
kingdom whose laws they have not        
studied1 the springs of whose government
 are concealed from them8 ,the          
conscience and the affections being     
primarily enlightened1 all other        
cultivation1 as secondary1 is most      
valuable4 ,intelligence1                
accomplishments1 even external elegance1
 become objects of importance1 as       
assisting the influence which women     
have1 and exert too often for unworthy  
ends1 but which in this case could not  

fail to be beneficial4 ,let the light of
 intellect and the charm of             
accomplishments be the willing handmaids
 of cultivated and enlightened          
conscience4 ,cultivate the intellect    
with reference to the conscience1 that  
views of duty may be comprehensive1 as  
well as just2 cultivate the imagination 
still with reference to the conscience1 
that those inward aspirations which all 
indulge1 more or less1 may be turned    
from the gauds of an idle and vain      
imagination1 and shed over daily life   
and daily duty the halo of a poetic     
influence2 cultivate the manners1 that  
the qualities of heart and head may have
 an additional auxiliary in obtaining   
that influence by which a mighty        
regeneration is to be worked4 ,the      
issues of such an education will justify
 the claims made for women in these     
pages2 then the spirit of vanity will   
yield to the spirit of self-devotion3   
that spirit confessedly natural to      
,women1 and only perverted by wrong     

education4 ,content with the sphere of  
usefulness assigned her by ,nature and  
,nature's ,god1 viewing that sphere with
 the piercing eye of intellect1 and     
gilding it with the beautiful colours of
 the imagination1 she will cease the    
vain and almost impious attempt to      
wander from it4 ,she will see and       
acknowledge the beauty1 the harmony of  
the arrangement which has made her      
physical inferiority 7the only          
inferiority which we acknowledge7 the   
very root from which spring her virtues 
and their attendant influences4 ,removed
 from the actual collision of political 
contests1 and screened from the passions
 which such engender1 she brings party  
questions to the test of the unalterable
 principles of reason and religion2 she 
is1 so to speak1 the guardian angel of  
man's political integrity1 liable at the
 best to be warped by passion or        
prejudice1 and excited by the rude      
clashing of opinions and interests4     
,this is the true secret of woman's     

political influence1 the true object of 
her political enlightenment4            
,governments will never be perfect till 
all distinction between private and     
public virtue1 private and public       
honour1 be done away6 ,who so fit an    
agent for the operation of this change  
as enlightened1 unselfish woman8 ,who so
 fit1 in her twofold capacity of        
companion and early instructor1 to teach
 men to prefer honour to gain1 duty to  
ease1 public to private interests1 and  
,god's work to man's inventions8 ,and   
shall it be said that women have no     
political existence1 no political       
influence1 when the very germs of       
political regeneration may spring from  
them alone1 when the fate of nations yet
 unborn may depend upon the use which   
they make of the mighty influences      
committed to their care8 ,the blindness 
which sees not how these influences     
would be lessened by taking her out of  
the sphere assigned by ,providence1 if  
voluntary1 is wicked--if real1 is       

pitiable4 ,as well might we desire the  
earth's beautiful satellite to give     
place to a second sun1 thereby producing
 the intolerable and glaring continuity 
of perpetual day4 ,those who would be   
the agents of ,providence must observe  
the workings of ,providence1 and be     
content to work also in that way1 and by
 those means1 which ,almighty wisdom    
appoints4 ,there is infinite littleness 
in despising small things4 ,it seems    
paradoxical to say that there are no    
small things2 our littleness and our    
aspiration make things appear small4    
,there are1 morally speaking1 no small  
duties4 ,nothing that influences human  
virtue and happiness can be really      
trifling1--and what more influences them
 than the despised1 because limited1    
duties assigned to woman8 ,it is true1  
her reward 7her task being done7 is not 
of this world1 nor will she wish it to  
be--enough for her to be one of the most
 active and efficient agents in her     
heavenly ,father's work of man's        

regeneration1--enough for her that      
generations yet unborn shall rise up and
 call her blessed4   ,,footnotes3  #ajh 
,aime ,martin4  #aji ,ibid4             
,,love--,,marriage4   ,the conventual   
and monastic origin of all systems of   
education has had a very injurious      
influence1 on that of women especially1 
because the conventual spirit has been  
longer retained in it4  ,if no education
 be good which does not bear upon the   
future duties of the educated1 it       
follows that the systematic exclusion of
 any one subject connected with1 or     
bearing upon1 future duties1 must be an 
evil4 ,the wisdom of employing those who
 had renounced the world to form the    
minds of those who were to mix in it1 to
 be exposed in all its allurements1 to  
share in all its duties1 was doubtful   
indeed2 and the danger was enhanced by  
the fact1 that the majority of recluses 
were any thing but indifferent to the   
world which they had renounced4 ,the    
convent was too often the refuge of     

disappointed worldliness1 the grave of  
blasted hopes1 or the prison of         
involuntary victims2 a withering        
atmosphere this in which to place warm  
young hearts1 and expect them to expand 
and flourish4 ,the evil effects would be
 varied according to the different      
characters submitted to its influence4  
,the sensitive entered upon life        
oppressed with fears and terrors2 with a
 conscience morbid1 not enlightened2    
bewildered by the impossibility of      
reconciling principles and duties4 ,the 
ardent and sanguine1 longing to escape  
from restraint1 pictured to themselves1 
in these unknown and untried regions1   
delights infinite and unvaried2 and1    
seeing the incompatibility of inculcated
 principles and worldly pleasures1      
discarded principle altogether4 ,it is  
needless to pursue this subject further1
 because a universal assent will 7in    
this country1 at least17 await the      
remarks here made2 their applicability  
to what follows may not at first be so  

apparent4 ,the conventual spirit has    
survived conventual institutions1--in   
the department of female education      
especially4  ,in the first place1 the   
instructors of female youth are         
considered respectable and trustworthy  
only in proportion as they cease to be  
young1 or at least in proportion as they
 appear to forget that they ever were   
so4 ,any touch of sympathy for the      
follies of childhood1 or the            
indiscretions of youth1 would blast the 
prospects of a candidate for that       
honourable office1 and1 in the opinion  
of many1 render her unfit for its       
fulfilment4 ,the unfitness is attached  
to the opposite disposition2 for the    
very fact of its existence is as        
effectual an obstacle to her being a    
good trainer of youth1 as if she had    
taken a vow never to see the world but  
through an iron grating4 ,experience can
 never benefit youth1 except when       
combined with indulgence4 ,the          
instructor who1 from the heights of past

 temptations and subdued passion1 looks 
down with cool watchfulness on the      
struggles of his youthful pupil1 will   
see him lie floundering in the mire1 or 
perishing in the deep water4 ,he must   
retrace his own steps1 take him by the  
hand1 and sustain him1 till he is passed
 the dangerous and slippery paths of    
youth4 ,he must become as a little child
 to the young and frail being committed 
to his care1 and whose welfare and      
safety depend 7in great measure7 upon   
him4 ,a cold and unloving admiration    
never will produce imitation3 it is like
 the hopeless love of poor ,helena3--   
',twere all as one as ,i should love a  
bright particular star6  ,here1 then1   
the conventual spirit has been in       
injurious operation2--no less so on     
other points4  ,this conventual         
prejudice has banished from our         
school-rooms the name of love1 and      
presented to their youthful inmates     
fragments instead of books1 cramped and 
puny publications instead of the works  

of master-spirits1 lest the mind should 
be contaminated by any allusion to that 
passion contained in them4 ,the wisdom  
of such a proceeding is much upon a par 
with that which devoted the feet to     
stocks and the shoulders to backboards1 
in order to make them elegant1 and      
denied them heaven's air and active     
exercise through care for their health4 
,the result1 in the one case as in the  
other1 is disease and distortion4       
,nature will assert her rights over the 
beings she has made2 and she avenges1 by
 the production of deformity1 all       
attempts to force or shackle her        
operations4 ,the golden globe could not 
check the expansive force of water2     
equally useless is it to attempt any    
check on the expansive force of         
mind1--it will ooze out6 ,we ought long 
ago to have been convinced that the only
 power allowed to us is the power of    
direction4 ,if one-half the amount of   
effort expanded to useless endeavours to
 cramp and check1 had been turned       

towards this channel1 how different     
would be the results6 ,it is true that  
it is easier to check than to guide1--to
 fetter than to restrain2 and that to   
attempt to remove evil by the           
first-occurring remedy is a natural     
impulse4 ,but a pause should by made1   
lest in applying the remedy a worse evil
 be not engendered4 ,distorted spines   
and pale consumptions1 the result of the
 one mistake1 are trifling evils1 when  
compared with the moral evils resulting 
from the other4 ,for if1 as is affirmed1
 no education can be good which does not
 bear upon future duties1 how can that  
be wise which keeps love and its        
temptations1 maternity and its          
responsibilities1 out of view8 ,who     
would believe that this love1 so        
denounced1 so guarded against1 so       
carefully banished from the minds of    
young women1 is the one principle on    
which their future happiness may be     
founded or wrecked8 ,it is sure to seek 
them1 7most of them1 at least17 like    

death in the fable1 to find them        
unprepared1--too often to leave them    
wretched4  ,meanwhile1 these exaggerated
 precautions in the education of one sex
 have been met by equally fatal         
negligence in the education of the      
other2 and while to girls have been     
denied the very thoughts of love1--even 
in its noblest and purest form1--the    
most effeminate and corrupt productions 
of the heathen writers have been        
unhesitatingly laid open to boys2 so    
that the two sexes1 on whose respective 
notions of the passion depends the      
ennobling or the degrading of their     
race1 meet on these terms3--the men know
 nothing of love but what they have     
imbibed from an impure and polluted     
source2 the women1 nothing at all1 or   
nothing but what they have clandestinely
 gathered from sources almost equally   
corrupt4 ,the deterioration of any      
feeling must follow from such           
injudicious training1 more especially a 
feeling so susceptible as love of       

assuming such differing aspects4  ,let  
no sober-minded person be startled at   
the deductions hence drawn1 that it is  
foolish to banish all thoughts of love  
from the minds of the young4 ,since it  
is certain that girls will think1 though
 they may not read or speak1 of love2   
and that no early care can preserve them
 from being exposed1 at a later period1 
to its temptations1 might it not be well
 to use here the directing1 not the     
repressing power8 ,since women will     
love1 might it not be as well to teach  
them to love wisely8 ,where is the      
wisdom of letting the combatant go      
unarmed into the field1 in order to     
spare him the prospect of a combat8 ,are
 not women made to love1 and to be      
loved3 and does not their future destiny
 too often depend upon this passion8    
,and yet the conventual prejudice which 
banishes its name subsists still4       
,mothers forget1 in presence of their   
children1 all the dangers with which    
this prejudice has surrounded           

themselves2 the illusions which arise   
from that ignorance1 and the weakness   
which springs from those illusions4 ,to 
open the minds of the young to the      
nature of true love1 is to arm them     
against the frivolous passions which    
usurp its name1 for in exalting the     
faculties of the soul1 we annihilate1 in
 a great degree1 the delusions of the   
senses4#aaj  ,examine the first choice  
of a young girl4 ,of all the qualities  
which please her in a lover1 there is1  
perhaps1 not one which is valuable in a 
husband4 ,is not this the most complete 
condemnation of all our systems of      
education8 ,from the fear of too much   
agitating the heart1 we hide from women 
all that is worthy of love1 all the     
depth and dignity of that passion when  
felt for a worthy object2--their eye is 
captivated1 the exterior pleases1 the   
heart and mind are not known1 and1 after
 six months union1 they are surprised to
 find the beau ideal metamorphosed into 
a fool or a coxcomb4 ,this is the issue 

of what are ordinarily called           
love-matches1 because they are          
considered as such4 ,cupid is indeed    
often blamed for deeds in which he has  
no share4 ,in the opinion of the wise1  
the mischief is occasioned by the action
 of vivid imaginations upon minds       
unprepared by previous reflection on the
 subject2 that is1 by the entire        
banishment of all thoughts of love from 
education4 ,we should endeavour1 then1  
to engrave on the soul a model of virtue
 and excellence1 and teach young women  
to regulate their affections by an      
approximation to this model2 the result 
would not be an increased facility in   
giving the affections1 but a greater    
difficulty in so doing2 for women1 whose
 blindness and ignorance now make them  
the victims of fancied perfections1     
would be able to make a clear-sighted   
appreciation of all that is excellent1  
and have an invincible repugnance to an 
union not founded upon that basis4      
,love1 in the common acceptation of the 

term1 is a folly1--love1 in its purity1 
its loftiness1 its unselfishness1 is not
 only a consequence1 but a proof of our 
moral excellence1--the sensibility to   
moral beauty1 the forgetfulness of self 
in the admiration engendered by it1 all 
prove its claim to be a high moral      
influence2 it is the triumph of the     
unselfish over the selfish part of our  
nature4#aaa  ,what is meant by educating
 young women to love wisely is simply   
this1 that they be taught to distinguish
 true love from the false spirit which  
usurps its name and garb2 that they be  
taught to abstract from it the          
worldliness1 vanity1 and folly1 with    
which it has been mixed up4 ,they should
 be taught that it is not to be the     
amusement of an idle hour2 the          
indulgence of a capricious and greedy   
vanity2 the ladder1 by the assistance of
 which they may climb a few steps higher
 in the grades of society2 in short1    
that except it owe its origin to the    
noble qualities of heart and mind1 it is

 nothing but a contemptible weakness1 to
 be pitied perhaps1 but not to be       
indulged or admired4  ,when the might   
influence of this passion is considered1
 the important relations and weighty    
responsibilities to which it gives rise1
 we have reason to be astonished at the 
levity with which the subject is treated
 by the world at large1 and the         
unconsciousness and indifference with   
which those responsibilities are        
assumed4 ,it is like the madman who     
flings about firebrands and calls it    
sport4 ,the remedy for this evil must   
begin with the sex who have in their    
hands that powerful influence1 the      
liberty of rejection4 ,let them not     
complain that liberty of choice is not  
theirs2 it would only increase their    
responsibilities without adding to their
 happiness or to their usefulness4 ,the 
liberty which they do possess is amply  
sufficient to insure for them the power 
of being benefactors of mankind4 ,as    
soon as the noble and elevated of our   

sex shall refuse to unite on any but    
moral and intellectual grounds with the 
other1 so soon will a mighty            
regeneration begin to be effected3 and  
this end will1 perhaps1 be better served
 by the simple liberty of rejection than
 by liberty of choice4 ,rejection is    
never inflicted without pain2 it is     
never received without humiliation1     
however unfounded1 7for simply to want  
the power of pleasing can be no         
disgrace27 but in the existence of this 
conventional feeling we find the source 
of a deep influence4 ,if women would1 as
 by one common league and covenant1     
agree to use this powerful engine in    
defence of morals1 what a change might  
they not effect in the tone of society6 
,is it not a subject that ought to      
crimson every woman's cheek with shame1 
that the want of moral qualifications is
 generally the very last cause of       
rejection8 ,if the worldly find the     
wealth1 and the intellectual the        
intelligence1 which they seek in a      

companion1 there are few who will not   
shut their eyes in wilful and convenient
 blindness to the want of such          
qualifications4 ,it is a fatal error    
which has bound up the cause of         
affection so intimately with worldly    
considerations2 and it is a growing     
evil4 ,the increasing demands of luxury 
in a highly civilized community operate 
most injuriously on the cause of        
disinterested affections1 and           
particularly so in the case of women1   
who are generally precluded from        
maintaining or advancing their place in 
society by any other schemes than       
matrimonial ones4 ,i might say something
 here on the cruelty of that            
conventional prejudice which shackles   
the independence of women1 by attaching 
the loss of caste to almost all1 nay1   
all1 of the very few sources of         
pecuniary emolument open to them4 ,it   
requires great strength of principle to 
disregard this prejudice2 and while     
urged by duty to inveigh against        

mercenary unions1 ,i feel some          
compunction at the thoughts of the      
numerous class who are in a manner      
forced by this prejudice into forming   
them4 ,but there are too many who have  
no such excuse1 and to them the         
remaining observations are addressed4   
,the sacred nature of the conjugal      
relation is entirely merged in the      
worldly aspect of it4 ,that union       
sacred1 indissoluble1 fraught with all  
that earth has to bestow of happiness or
 misery1 is entered upon much of the    
plan and principle of a partnership     
account in mercantile affairs--each     
bringing his or her quantum of worldly  
possessions--and often with even less   
inquiry as to moral qualities than      
persons so situated would make2 ,god's  
ordinances are not to be so mocked1 and 
such violations of his laws are severely
 visited upon offenders against them4   
,it would be laughable1 if it were not  
too melancholy1 to see beings bound by  
the holiest ties1 who ought to be the   

sharers in the most sacred              
duties--united1 perhaps1 but in one aim1
 and that to secure from a world which  
cares not for them1 a few atoms more of 
external observance and attention3 to   
this noble aim sacrificing their own    
ease and comfort1 and the future        
prospects of those dependent on them4   
,if half the sacrifice thus made to the 
imperious demands of fashion1 7and which
 is received with the indifference it   
deserves17 were exerted in a good cause1
 what benefits might it not produce8    
,while women are thus content to        
sacrifice delicacy1 affection1          
principle1 to the desire of worldly     
establishment or aggrandizement1 how is 
the regeneration of society to be       
expected from them8 ,formerly1 too1 this
 spirit was confined to the old1        
hackneyed in the ways of the world1 and 
who1 having worn out the trifling       
affections which they ever had1 would   
subject those of their children to the  
maxims of worldly prudence4 ,this we    

learn from fiction and the drama1 where 
the worldly wisdom of age is always     
represented as opposed to the generous  
but imprudent passions of youth4 ,but   
now1 in these our better and more       
enlightened days1 those mercenary maxims
 which were odious even in age1 are     
found in the mouths of the young and the
 fair1--or at least1 if not in their    
mouths1 in their actions4 ,to sacrifice 
affection to interest is a praiseworthy 
thing4 ,it is fearful to hear the       
withering sneer with which that folly1  
love1 is spoken of by young and innocent
 lips--a sneer of conscious superiority1
 too6 ,it is a superiority not to be    
envied1 and which makes them objects of 
greater pity than those whom they affect
 to despise4 ,there is no subject so    
sacred that it has not a side open to   
ridicule1 and all the most pure and     
noble attributes of our nature may be   
converted into subjects for a jest1 by  
minds in which no lofty idea can find an
 echo4 ,all notions of unworldly and    

unselfish attachment are branded with   
the name of romantic follies1 unworthy  
of sensible persons2 and the idealities 
of love1 like all other idealities1 are 
fast disappearing beneath the leaden    
mantle of expediency4  ,the reform must 
begin here1 as in all great moral       
questions1 with the arbiters of         
morals--those from whom morals take     
their tone--women4 ,that we have no     
right to expect it to begin with the    
other sex1 may be proved even by a      
vulgar aphorism4 ,it is often           
triumphantly said1 that a man may marry 
when he will--a woman must marry when   
she can4 ,how keen a satire upon both   
sexes is couched in this homely proverb6
 and how long will they consent not only
 patiently to acquiesce in its truth1   
but to prove it by their actions8 ,that 
women may be able thus to reform        
society1 it is of importance that       
conscience be educated on this subject  
as on every other2 educated1 too1 before
 the tinsel of false romance deceive the

 eye1 or the frost of worldly-mindedness
 congeal the heart of youth4 ,it seems  
to me that this object would best be    
effected1 not by avoiding the subject of
 love1 but by treating it1 when it      
arises1 with seriousness and simplicity1
 as a feeling which the young may one   
day be called upon to excite and to     
return1 but which can have no existence 
in the lofty in soul and pure in heart1 
except when called forth by             
corresponding qualities in another4     
,such training as this would be a far   
more effectual preventive of foolish    
passions1 than cramping the intellect in
 narrow ignorance1 and excluding all    
knowledge of what life is--in order to  
prepare people for entering upon it3 a  
plan about as wise in itself1 and as    
successful as to results1 as the bolts1 
bars1 and duennas of a ,spanish play4   
,outward1 substituted for inward1       
restraints are sure to act upon man     
mentally1 as actual bonds do physically2
 he only wants to get free from them4   

,noble and virtuous principles in the   
heart will not fail to direct the       
conduct aright1 and it is to transfer   
these things from matters of decorum or 
expediency1 to matters of conscience1   
that we should use our most earnest     
endeavours4 ,above all1 it is incumbent 
upon those who have the training of the 
young--of women especially--so to imbue 
their souls with lofty and conscientious
 principles of action1 that they may be 
alike unwilling to deceive1 or liable to
 be deceived2 that they may not be led  
as fools or as victims into those       
responsible relations1 for the          
consequences of which1 7how momentous67 
to themselves1 to others1 and to society
 at large1 they are answerable to a ,god
 of infinite wisdom and justice4        
,,footnotes3  #aaj ,aime ,martin4  #aaa 
,it is ,coleridge who speaks of the     
unselfishness of love1 in one of the    
volumes of his ,remains4     ,,literary 
,,capabilities ,,of ,,women4  ,,by      
,,lord ,,jeffrey4   ,women1 we fear1    

cannot do every thing2 nor every thing  
they attempt4 ,but what they can do1    
they do1 for the most part1             
excellently--and much more frequently   
with an absolute and perfect success1   
than the aspirants of our rougher and   
ambitious sex4 ,they cannot1 we think1  
represent naturally the fierce and      
sullen passions of men--nor their       
coarser vices--nor even scenes of actual
 business or contention--nor the mixed  
motives1 and strong and faulty          
characters1 by which affairs of moment  
are usually conducted on the great      
theatre of the world4 ,for much of this 
they are disqualified by the delicacy of
 their training and habits1 and the     
still more disabling delicacy which     
pervades their conceptions and feelings2
 and from much they are excluded by     
their necessary inexperience of the     
realities they might wish to            
describe--by their substantial and      
incurable ignorance of business--of the 
way in which serious affairs are        

actually managed--and the true nature of
 the agents and impulses that give      
movement and direction to the stronger  
currents of ordinary life4 ,perhaps they
 are also incapable of long moral or    
political investigations1 where many    
complex and indeterminate elements are  
to be taken into account1 and a variety 
of opposite probabilities to be weighed 
before coming to a conclusion4 ,they are
 generally too impatient to get at the  
ultimate results1 to go well through    
with such discussions2 and either stop  
short at some imperfect view of the     
truth1 or turn aside to repose in the   
shade of some plausible error4 ,this1   
however1 we are persuaded1 arises       
entirely from their being seldom set on 
such tedious tasks4 ,their proper and   
natural business is the practical       
regulation of private life1 in all its  
bearings1 affections1 and concerns2 and 
the questions with which they have to   
deal in that most important department1 
though often of the utmost difficulty   

and nicety1 involve1 for the most part1 
but few elements2 and may generally be  
better described as delicate than       
intricate2--requiring for their solution
 rather a quick tact and fine           
perception1 than a patient or laborious 
examination4 ,for the same reason1 they 
rarely succeed in long works1 even on   
subjects the best suited to their       
genius2 their natural training rendering
 them equally averse to long doubt and  
long labour4  ,for all other            
intellectual efforts1 however1 either of
 the understanding or the fancy1 and    
requiring a thorough knowledge either of
 man's strength or his weakness1 we     
apprehend them to be1 in all respects1  
as well qualified as their perceptions  
of grace1 propriety1 ridicule--their    
power of detecting artifice1 hypocrisy1 
and affectation--the force and          
promptitude of their sympathy1 and their
 capacity of noble and devoted          
attachment1 and of the efforts and      
sacrifices it may require1 they are1    

beyond all doubt1 our superiors4  ,their
 business being1 as we have said1 with  
actual or social life1 and the colours  
it receives from the conduct and        
dispositions of individuals1 they       
unconsciously acquire1 at a very early  
age1 the finest perception of character 
and manners1 and are almost as soon     
instinctively schooled in the deep and  
more dangerous learning of feeling and  
emotion2 while the very minuteness with 
which they make and meditate on these   
interesting observations1 and the finer 
shades and variations of sentiment which
 are thus treasured and recorded1 train 
their whole faculties to a nicety and   
precision of operation1 which often     
discloses itself to advantage in their  
application to studies of a different   
character4 ,when women1 accordingly1    
have turned their minds--as they have   
done but too seldom--to the exposition  
or arrangement of any branch of         
knowledge1 they have commonly exhibited1
 we think1 a more beautiful accuracy1   

and a more uniform and complete justness
 of thinking1 than their less           
discriminating brethren4 ,there is a    
finish and completeness1 in short1 about
 every thing they put out of their      
hands1 which indicates not only an      
inherent taste for elegance and         
neatness1 but a habit of nice           
observation1 and singular exactness of  
judgement4  ,it has been so little the  
fashion1 at any time1 to encourage women
 to write for publication1 that it is   
more difficult than it should be1 to    
prove these truths by examples4 ,yet    
there are enough1 within the reach of a 
very careless and superficial glance    
over the open field of literature1 to   
enable us to explain1 at least1 and     
illustrate1 if not entirely to verify1  
our assertions4 ,no man1 we will venture
 to say1 could have written the ,letters
 of ,madame de ,sevigne1 or the ,novels 
of ,miss ,austin1 or the ,hymns and     
,early ,lessons of ,mrs4 ,barbauld1 or  
the ,conversations of ,mrs4 ,marcet4    

,those performance1 too1 are not only   
essentially and intensely feminine2 but 
they are1 in our judgment1 decidedly    
more perfect than any masculine         
productions with which they can be      
brought into comparison4 ,they          
accomplish more completely all the ends 
at which they aim2 and are worked out   
with a gracefulness and felicity of     
execution which excludes all idea of    
failure1 and entirely satisfies the     
expectations they may have raised4 ,we  
might easily have added to these        
instances4 ,there are many parts of     
,miss ,edgeworth's earlier stories1 and 
of ,miss ,mitford's sketches and        
descriptions1 and not a little of ,mrs4 
,opie's1 that exhibit the same fine and 
penetrating spirit of observations1 the 
same softness and delicacy of hand1 and 
unerring truth of delineation1 to which 
we have alluded as characterizing the   
purer specimens of female art4 ,the same
 distinguishing traits of woman's spirit
 are visible through the grief and piety

 of ,lady ,russel1 and the gayety1 the  
spite1 and the venturesomeness of ,lady 
,mary ,wortley4 ,we have not as yet much
 female poetry2 but there is a truly    
feminine tenderness1 purity1 and        
elegance in the ,psyche of ,mrs4 ,tighe1
 and in some of the smaller pieces of   
,lady ,craven4 ,on some of the works of 
,madame de ,stael--her ,corinne         
especially--there is a still deeper     
stamp of the genius of her sex4 ,her    
pictures of its boundless               
devotedness--its depth and capacity of  
suffering--its high aspirations--its    
painful irritability1 and               
inextinguishable thirst for emotion1 are
 powerful specimens of that morbid      
anatomy of the heart1 which no hand but 
that of a woman's was fine enough to    
have laid open1 or skilful enough to    
have recommended to our sympathy and    
love4 ,there is the same exquisite and  
inimitable delicacy1 if not the same    
power1 in many of the happier passages  
of ,madame de ,souza and ,madame        

,cottin--to say nothing of the more     
lively and yet melancholy records of    
,madame de ,stael1 during her long      
penance in the court of the ,duchesse de
 ,maine4  ,we think the poetry of ,mrs4 
,hemans a fine exemplification of       
,female ,poetry--and we think it has    
much of the perfection which we have    
ventured to ascribe to the happier      
productions of female genius4  ,it may  
not be the best imaginable poetry1 and  
may not indicate the very highest or    
most commanding genius2 but it embraces 
a great deal of that which gives the    
very best poetry its chief power of     
pleasing2 and would strike us1 perhaps1 
as more impassioned and exalted1 if it  
were not regulated and harmonized by the
 most beautiful taste4 ,it is singularly
 sweet1 elegant1 and tender--touching1  
perhaps1 and contemplative1 rather than 
vehement and overpowering2 and not only 
finished throughout with an exquisite   
delicacy1 and even severity of          
execution1 but infused with a purity and

 loftiness of feeling1 and a certain    
sober and humble tone of indulgence and 
piety1 which must satisfy all judgments1
 and allay the apprehensions of those   
who are most afraid of the passionate   
exaggerations of poetry4 ,the diction is
 always beautiful1 harmonious1 and      
free--and the themes1 though of great   
variety1 uniformly treated with a grace1
 originality1 and judgment1 which mark  
the same master hand4 ,these themes she 
has occasionally borrowed1 with the     
peculiar imagery that belongs to them1  
from the legends of different nations1  
and the most opposite states of society2
 and has contrived to retain much of    
what is interesting and peculiar in each
 of them1 without adopting1 along with  
it1 any of the revolting or extravagant 
excesses which may characterize the     
taste or manners of the people or the   
age from which it has been derived4 ,she
 has transfused into her ,german or     
,scandinavian legends the imaginative   
and daring tone of the originals1       

without the mystical exaggerations of   
the one1 or the painful fierceness and  
coarseness of the other--she has        
preserved the clearness and elegance of 
the ,french1 without their coldness or  
affectation--and the tenderness and     
simplicity of the early ,italians1      
without their diffuseness or languor4   
,though occasionally expatiating1       
somewhat fondly and at large1 among the 
sweets of her own planting1 there is1 on
 the whole1 a great condensation and    
brevity in most of her pieces1 and1     
almost without exception1 a most        
judicious and vigorous conclusion4 ,the 
great merit1 however1 of her poetry1 is 
undoubtedly in its tenderness and its   
beautiful imagery4 ,the first requires  
no explanation2 but we must be allowed  
to add a word as to the peculiar charm  
and character of the latter4  ,it has   
always been our opinion1 that the very  
essence of poetry--apart from the       
pathos1 the wit1 or the brilliant       
description which may be imbodied in it1

 but may exist equally in               
prose--consists in the fine perception  
and vivid expression of the subtle and  
mysterious analogy which exists between 
the physical and the moral world--which 
makes outward things and qualities the  
natural types and emblems of inward     
gifts and emotions1 or leads us to      
ascribe life and sentiment to every     
thing that interests us in the aspects  
of external nature4 ,the feeling of this
 analogy1 obscure and inexplicable as   
the theory of it may be1 is so deep and 
universal in our nature1 that it has    
stamped itself on the ordinary language 
of men of every kindred and speech3 that
 to such an extent1 that one-half of the
 epithets by which we familiarly        
designate moral and physical qualities1 
are in reality so many metaphors1       
borrowed reciprocally1 upon this        
analogy1 from those opposite forms of   
expression4 ,the very familiarity1      
however1 of the expression1 in these    
instances1 takes away its political     

effect--and indeed1 in substance1 its   
metaphorical character4 ,the original   
sense of the word is entirely forgotten 
in the derivative one to which it has   
succeeded2 and it requires some         
etymological recollection to convince us
 that it was originally nothing else    
than a typical or analogical            
illustration4 ,thus we talk of a        
sparkling wit1 and a furious blast--a   
weighty argument1 and a gentle          
stream--without being at all aware that 
we are speaking in the language of      
poetry1 and transferring qualities from 
one extremity of the sphere of being to 
another4 ,in these cases1 accordingly1  
the metaphor1 by ceasing to be felt1 in 
reality ceases to exist1 and the analogy
 being no longer intimated1 of course   
can produce no effect4 ,but whenever it 
is intimated1 it does produce an effect2
 and that effect we think is poetry4    
,it has substantially two functions1 and
 operates in two directions4 ,in the    
first place1 when material qualities are

 ascribed to mind1 it strikes vividly   
out1 and brings at once before us1 the  
conception of an inward feeling or      
emotion1 which it might otherwise have  
been difficult to convey1 by the        
presentiment of some bodily form or     
quality1 which is instantly felt to be  
its true representative1 and enables us 
to fix and comprehend it with a force   
and clearness not otherwise attainable2 
and1 in the second place1 it vivifies   
dead and inanimate matter with the      
attributes of living and sentient mind1 
and fills the whole visible universe    
around us with objects of interest and  
sympathy1 by tinting them with the hues 
of life1 and associating them with our  
own passions and affections4 ,this      
magical operation the poet too performs1
 for the most part1 in one of two       
ways--either by the direct agency of    
similies and metaphors1 more or less    
condensed or developed1 or by the mere  
graceful presentment of such visible    
objects on the scene of his passionate  

dialogues or adventures1 as partake of  
the character of the emotion he wishes  
to excite1 and thus form an appropriate 
accompaniment or preparation for its    
direct indulgence or display4 ,the      
former of those methods has perhaps been
 most frequently employed1 and certainly
 has most attracted attention4 ,but the 
latter1 though less obtrusive1 and      
perhaps less frequently resorted to of  
set purpose1 is1 we are inclined to     
think1 the most natural and efficacious 
of the two2 and it is often adopted1 we 
believe unconsciously1 by poets of the  
highest order2--the predominant emotion 
of their minds overflowing spontaneously
 on all the objects which present       
themselves to their fancy1 and calling  
out from them1 and colouring with their 
own hues1 those that are naturally      
emblematic of its character1 and in     
accordance with its general expression4 
,it would be easy to show how habitually
 this is done1 by ,shakspeare and       
,milton especially1 and how much many of

 their finest passages are indebted1    
both for force and richness of effect1  
to this general and diffusive harmony of
 the external character of their scenes 
with the passions of their living       
agents--this harmonizing and appropriate
 glow with which they kindle the whole  
surrounding atmosphere1 and bring all   
that strikes the sense into unison with 
all the touches the heart4  ,but it is  
more to our present purpose to say1 that
 we think the fair writer before us is  
eminently a mistress of this poetical   
secret2 and1 in truth1 it was solely for
 the purpose of illustrating this great 
charm and excellence in her imagery1    
that we have ventured upon this little  
dissertation4 ,almost all her poems are 
rich with fine descriptions1 and studded
 over with images of visible beauty4    
,but these are never idle ornaments2 all
 her pomps have a meaning2 and her      
flowers and her gems are arranged1 as   
they are said to be among ,eastern      
lovers1 so as to speak the language of  

truth and of passion4 ,this is          
peculiarly remarkable in some little    
pieces1 which seem at first sight to be 
purely descriptive--but are soon found  
to tell upon the heart1 with a deep     
moral and pathetic impression4 ,but it  
is1 in truth1 nearly as conspicuous in  
the greater part of her productions2    
where we scarcely meet with any striking
 sentiment that is not ushered in by    
some such symphony of external          
nature--and scarcely a lovely picture   
that does not serve as an appropriate   
foreground to some deep or lofty        
emotion4 ,we may illustrate this        
proposition1 we think1 by the following 
exquisite lines1 on a palm-tree in an   
,english garden4      ,it waved not     
through an ,eastern sky1     ,beside a  
fount of ,araby     ,it was not fanned  
by southern breeze     ,in some green   
isle of ,indian seas1     ,nor did its  
graceful shadows sleep     ,o'er stream 
of ,africa1 lone and deep4      ,but far
 the exiled ,palm-tree grew     ,midst  

foliage of no kindred hue2     ,through 
the laburnum's dropping gold     ,rose  
the light shaft of orient mould1        
,and ,europe's violets1 faintly sweet1  
,purpled the moss-beds at his feet4     
,there came an eve of festal hours--    
,rich music filled that garden's bowers3
     ,lamps1 that from flowering        
branches hung1     ,on sparks of dew    
soft colours flung1     ,and bright     
forms glanced--a fairy show--     ,under
 the blossoms1 to and fro4      ,but    
one1 a lone one1 midst the throng1      
,seemed reckless all of dance or song3  
,he was a youth of dusky mien1          
,whereon the ,indian sun had been--     
,of crested brow1 and long black hair-- 
,a stranger1 like the ,palm-tree1 there6
      ,and slowly1 sadly moved his      
plumes1     ,glittering athwart the     
leafy glooms3     ,he passed the pale   
green olives by1     ,nor won the       
chestnut-flowers his eye2     ,but1 when
 to that sole ,palm he came1     ,then  
shot a rapture through his frame6       

,to him1 to him its rustling spoke3     
,the silence of his soul it broke6      
,it whispered of his own bright isle1   
,that lit the ocean with a smile2       
,ay1 to his ear that native tone        
,had something of the sea-wave's moan6  
,his mother's cabin home1 that lay      
,where feathery cocoas fringed the bay2 
,the dashing of his brethren's oar2     
,the conch-note heard along the shore2--
     ,all through his wakening bosom    
swept2     ,he clasped his country's    
,tree--and wept6      ,oh6 scorn him    
not6 ,the strength whereby     ,the     
patriot girds himself to die1     ,the  
unconquerable power1 which fills        
,the freeman battling on his hills--    
,these have one fountain deep and       
clear--     ,the same whence gushed that
 child-like tear6     ,,ennui1 ,,and    
,,the ,,desire ,,to ,,be ,,fashionable4 
,,by ,,lord ,,jeffrey4   ,there are two 
great sources of unhappiness to those   
whom fortune and nature seem to have    
placed above the reach of ordinary      

miseries4 ,the one is ennui--that       
stagnation of life and feeling which    
results from the absence of all motives 
to exertion2 and by which the justice of
 ,providence has so fully compensated   
the partiality of fortune1 that it may  
be fairly doubted whether1 upon the     
whole1 the race of beggars is not       
happier than the race of lords2 and     
whether those vulgar wants that are     
sometimes so importunate1 are not1 in   
this world1 the chief ministers of      
enjoyment4 ,this is a plague that       
infects all indolent persons who can    
live on in the rank in which they were  
born1 without the necessity of working2 
but1 in a free country1 it rarely occurs
 in any great degree of virulence1      
except among those who are already at   
the summit of human felicity4 ,below    
this1 there is room for ambition1 and   
envy1 and emulation1 and all the        
feverish movements of aspiring vanity   
and unresting selfishness1 which act as 
prophylactics against this more dark and

 deadly distemper4 ,it is the canker    
which corrodes the full-blown flower of 
human felicity--the pestilence which    
smites at the bright hour of noon4  ,the
 other curse of the happy1 has a range  
more wide and indiscriminate4 ,it1 too1 
tortures only the comparatively rich and
 fortunate2 but is most active among the
 least distinguished2 and abates in     
malignity as we ascend to the lofty     
regions of pure ennui4 ,this is the     
desire of being fashionable2--the       
restless and insatiable passion to pass 
for creatures a little more             
distinguished than we really are--with  
the mortification of frequent failure1  
and the humiliating consciousness of    
being perpetually exposed to it4 ,among 
those who are secure of meat1 clothes1  
and fire1 and are thus above the chief  
physical evils of existence1 we do      
believe that this is a more prolific    
source of unhappiness1 than guilt1      
disease1 or wounded affection2 and that 
more positive misery is created1 and    

more true enjoyment excluded1 by the    
eternal fretting and straining of this  
pitiful ambition1 than by all the       
ravages of passion1 the desolations of  
war1 or the accidents or mortality4     
,this may appear a strong statement2 but
 we make it deliberately2 and are deeply
 convinced of its truth4 ,the           
wretchedness which it produces may not  
be so intense2 but it is of much longer 
duration1 and spreads over a far wider  
circle4 ,it is quite dreadful1 indeed1  
to think what a sweep of this pest has  
taken among the comforts or our         
prosperous population4 ,to be though    
fashionable--that is1 to be thought more
 opulent and tasteful1 and on a footing 
of intimacy with a greater number of    
distinguished persons than they really  
are1 is the great and laborious pursuit 
of four families out of five1 the       
members of which are exempted from the  
necessity of daily industry4 ,in this   
pursuit1 their time1 spirits1 and       
talents are wasted2 their tempers       

soured2 their affections palsied2 and   
their natural manners and dispositions  
altogether sophisticated and lost4      
,these are the great twin scourges of   
the prosperous3 ,but there are other    
maladies1 of no slight malignity1 to    
which they are peculiarly liable4 ,one  
of these1 arising mainly from want of   
more worthy occupation1 is that         
perpetual use of stratagem and          
contrivance--that little1 artful        
diplomacy of private life1 by which the 
simplest and most natural transactions  
are rendered complicated and difficult1 
and the common business of existence    
made to depend on the success of plots  
and counterplots4 ,by the incessant     
practice of this petty policy1 a habit  
of duplicity and anxiety is infallibly  
generated1 which is equally fatal to    
integrity and enjoyment4 ,we gradually  
come to look on others with the distrust
 which we are conscious of deserving2   
and are insensibly formed to sentiments 
of the most unamiable selfishness and   

suspicion4 ,it is needless to say1 that 
all these elaborate artifices are worse 
than useless to the person who employs  
them2 and that the ingenious plotter is 
almost always baffled and exposed by the
 downright honesty of some undesigning  
competitor4 ,miss ,edgeworth1 in her    
tale of ,manoeuvring1 has given a very  
complete and most entertaining          
representation of the by-paths and      
indirect crooked ways1 by which these   
artful and inefficient people generally 
make their way to disappointment4 ,in   
the tale1 entitled ,madame de ,fleury1  
she has given some useful examples of   
the ways in which the rich may most     
effectually do good to the poor--an     
operation which1 we really believe1     
fails more frequently from want of skill
 than of inclination3 ,and1 in ,the     
,dun1 she has drawn a touching and most 
impressive picture of the wretchedness  
which the poor so frequently suffer1    
from the unfeeling thoughtlessness which
 withholds from them the scanty earnings

 of their labour4     ,,the ,,influence 
,,of ,,personal ,,character4   ,the     
immense importance of personal character
 is a subject which does not enough draw
 the attention of individuals or        
society1 yet it is to the power of      
gaining influence1 what the root is to  
the tree1--the soul to the body4 ,it is 
doubtful if any of us can be acquainted 
with the infinitely minute ramifications
 into which this all-pervading influence
 extends4 ,a slight survey of society   
will enable us1 in some degree1 to judge
 of it4 ,there are individuals who1 by  
the sole force of personal character1   
seem to render wise1 better1 more       
elevated1 all with whom they come in    
contact4 ,others1 again1 stand in the   
midst of the society in which they are  
placed1 a moral upas1 poisoning the     
atmosphere around them1 so that no      
virtue can come within their shadow and 
live4 ,family virtues descend with      
family estates1 and hereditary vices are
 hardly compensated for by hereditary   

possessions4 ,the characters of the     
junior members of a family are often    
only reflections or modifications of    
those of the elder4 ,families retain for
 generations peculiarities of temper and
 character4 ,the ,catos were all stern1 
upright1 inflexible2 the ,guises proud  
and haughty at the heart1 though        
irresistibly popular and fascinating in 
manner4 ,we see the influence which men1
 exalted and powerful1 exert on their   
age1 and on society2 it is difficult to 
believe that a similar influence is     
exerted by every individual man and     
woman1 however limited his or her sphere
 of life3 the force of the torrent is   
easily calculated1--that of the         
under-current is hidden1 yet its        
existence and power are no less actual4 
,this truth opens to the conscientious a
 field of duty not enough cultivated4   
,the improvement of individual character
 has been too much regarded as a matter 
of personal concern1 a duty to          
ourselves1--to our immediate relations  

perhaps1 but to no others1--a matter    
affecting out individual happiness here1
 and our individual safety hereafter6   
,this is taking a very narrow view of a 
very extended subject4 ,the work of     
individual self-formation is a duty1 not
 only to ourselves and our families1 but
 to our fellow-creatures at large2 it is
 the best and most certainly beneficial 
exercise of philanthropy4 ,it is not1 it
 is true1 very flattering to self-love  
to be told1 that instead of mending the 
world1 7the mania of the present day17  
the best service which we can do that   
world is to mend ourselves4 ,if each    
mends one1 all will be mended1 says the 
old ,english adage1 with the deep wisdom
 of those popular sayings1--a wisdom    
amply corroborated by the unsettled     
principles and defective practice of too
 many of the self-elected reformers of  
society4  ,it is peculiarly desirable1  
at this particular juncture of time1    
that this subject be insisted upon4     
,man1 naturally a social and gregarious 

animal1 becomes every day more so4 ,the 
vast undertakings1 the mighty movements 
of the present day1 which can only be   
carried into operation by the combined  
energy of many wills1 tend to destroy   
individuality of thought and action1 and
 the consciousness of individual        
responsibility4 ,the dramatist complains
 of this fact1 as it affects his art1   
the representation of surface1--the     
moralist has greater cause to complain  
of it1 as affecting the foundation of   
character4 ,if it be true that we must  
not follow a multitude to do evil1 it is
 equally true that we must not follow a 
multitude even to do good1 if it involve
 the neglect of our own peculiar duties4
 ,our first1 most peremptory1 and most  
urgent duty1 is1 the improvement of our 
own character2 so that public           
beneficence may not be neutralized by   
private selfishness1--public energy by  
private remissness1--that the applause  
of the world may not be bought at the   
expense of private and domestic         

wretchedness4 ,so frequent and so       
lamentable are the proofs of human      
weakness in this respect1 that we are   
sometimes tempted to believe the opinion
 of the cold and sneering skeptic1#aab  
that the two ruling passions of men are 
the love of pleasure and the love of    
action2 and that all their seemingly    
good deeds proceed from these           
principles4 ,it is not so3 it is a libel
 on human nature3 men1--even erring     
men1--have better motives1 and higher   
aims3 but they mistake the nature of    
their duties and invert their order2    
what should be first is last1 and the   
last first4  ,it may be wisely urged1   
that if men waited for the perfecting of
 individual character1 before they      
joined their fellow men in those great  
undertakings which are to insure benefit
 to the race1 nothing would ever be     
accomplished1 and society would languish
 in a state of passive inertness4 ,it is
 far from necessarily following that    
attention to private should interfere   

with attention to public interests2 and 
public interests are more advanced or   
retarded than it is possible to believe1
 by the personal characters of their    
agitators4 ,it is difficult to get the  
worldly and the selfish to see this1 but
 it is1 nevertheless1 true2 and there is
 no wisdom1 political or moral1 in the  
phrase1 ,measures1 not men4 ,measures1  
wise and just in themselves1 are        
received with distrust and suspicion1   
because the characters of their         
originators are liable to distrust and  
suspicion4 ,lord ,chesterfield1 the     
great master of deception1 was forced to
 pay truth the compliment of declaring1 
that the most successful diplomatist    
would be a man perfectly honest and     
upright1 who should1 at all times1 and  
in all circumstances1 say the truth1 the
 whole truth1 and nothing but the truth4
 ,so the rulers of nations ought to be  
perfectly honest and upright2 not       
because such men would be free from     
error1 but because the faith of the     

governed in their honour would obviate  
the consequences of many errors4 ,it is 
the want of unselfishness and truth on  
the part of rulers1 and the consequent  
want of faith in the ruled1 that has    
reduced the politics of nations to a    
complicated science4 ,if we could once  
get men to act out the gospel precept1  
,do unto others as ye would that they   
should do unto you1 nations might burn  
their codes1 and lawyers their          
statute-books4 ,these are the hundred   
cords with which the ,lilliputians bound
 ,gulliver1 and he escaped4 ,if they had
 possessed it1 or could have managed it1
 one cable would have been worth them   
all4 ,much has been said1--much         
written1--on the art of governing4 ,why 
has the simple truth been overlooked or 
suppressed1 that the moral character of 
the rulers of nations is of first-rate  
importance8 ,except the ,lord build the 
city1 vain is the labour of them who    
build it2 except religion and virtue    
guide the state1 vain are the talents   

and the acts of legislators4 ,is it     
possible that motives of paltry personal
 advancement1 or of pecuniary gain1 can 
induce men to assume responsibilities   
affecting the welfare of millions8 ,the 
voice of those millions replies in the  
affirmative1 and their reproachful      
glances turn on you1 mothers of our     
legislators6 ,it might have been yours1 
to stamp on their infant minds the      
dispassionate and unselfish devotedness 
which belongs to your own sex1--the     
scorn of meanness2 the contempt of self1
 in comparison with others1 peculiar to 
woman4 ,how have you fulfilled your     
lofty mission8 ,charity itself can only 
allow us to suppose that its existence  
is as unknown as its spirit4  ,the      
important fact1 then1 of the great      
influence of personal character1 can    
never be too much impressed upon all2   
but it is peculiarly needful that women 
be impressed with it1 because their     
personal character must necessarily     
influence that of their children1 and be

 the source of their personal character4
 ,for1 if the active performance of the 
duties of a citizen interfere1 and it   
undoubtedly does so1 with the duty of   
self-education1 of what importance is it
 that men enter upon them with such a   
personal character as may insure us     
confidence while it secures us from     
temptation8 ,the formation of such a    
character depends mainly on mothers1 and
 especially on their personal character 
and principles4 ,the character of the   
mother influences the children more than
 that of the father1 because it is more 
exposed to their daily1 hourly          
observation4 ,it is difficult for these 
young1 though acute observers1 to       
comprehend the principles which regulate
 their father's political opinions2 his 
vote in the senate2 his conduct in      
political or commercial relations2 but  
they can see1--yes6 and they can        
estimate and imitate1 the moral         
principles of the mother in her         
management of themselves1 her treatment 

of her domestics1 and the thousand petty
 details of the interior4 ,these        
principles1 whether lax or strict1 low  
or high in moral tone1 become1 by an    
insensible and imperceptible adoption1  
their principles1 and are carried out by
 them into the duties and avocations of 
future life4 ,it would be startling to  
many to know with what intelligence and 
accuracy motives are penetrated1        
inconsistencies remarked1 and treasured 
up with retributive or imitative        
projects1 as may best suit the purpose  
of the moment4 ,nothing but a more      
extensive knowledge of children than is 
usually possessed on entering life1 can 
awaken parents to the perception of this
 truth2 and awakened perception may1    
perhaps1 be only awakened misery4 ,how  
important is it1 then1 that every thing 
in the education of women should tend to
 enlighten conscience1 that she may     
enter on her arduous task with          
principles requiring only watchfulness1 
not reformation2 and such a personal    

character as may exercise none by       
healthy influences on her children6     
,,footnotes3  #aab ,gibbon4     ,,on    
,,the ,,means ,,of ,,securing ,,personal
 ,,influence4   ,the qualities which    
seem more especially needful in a       
character which is to influence others1 
are1 consistency1 simplicity1 and       
benevolence1 or love4  ,by consistency  
of character1 ,i mean consistency of    
action with principle1 of manner with   
thought1 of self with self4 ,the want of
 this quality is a failing with which   
our sex is often charged1 and justly2   
but are we to blame8 ,our hearts are    
warm1 our nerves irritable1 and we have 
seen how little there is1 in existing   
systems of female education1 calculated 
to give wide1 lofty1 self-devoted       
principles of action4 ,without such     
principles1 there can be no consistency 
of conduct2 and without consistency of  
conduct1 there can be no available moral
 influence4  ,the peculiar evil arising 
from want of consistency1 is the want of

 trust or faith which it engenders4     
,this is felt in the common intercourse 
with the world4 ,in our relations with  
inconsistent persons1 we are like       
mariners at sea without a compass4 ,on  
the other hand1 intercourse with        
consistent persons gives to the mind a  
sort of tranquillity1 peculiarly        
favourable to happiness and to virtue4  
,it is like the effect produced by the  
perception of an immutable truth1 which1
 from the very force of contrast1 is    
peculiarly grateful to the inhabitants  
of so changeable a world as this4 ,it is
 moral repose4  ,this sort of moral     
repose is most peculiarly advantageous  
to children1 because it allows ample    
scope for the development of their      
mental and moral faculties2 banishing   
from their minds all that chaotic       
bewilderment into which dependence on   
inconsistent persons throws them4 ,it is
 advantageous to them in another1 and   
more important way1--it prepares them   
for a belief in virtue2 a trust in      

others1 which it is easy to train up    
into a veneration for the source of all 
virtue2 a trust in the origin of all    
truth4 ,there can be no clearness of    
moral perception in the governed1 where 
there is no manifestation of a moral    
rule of right in the governor4 ,in      
speaking of moral perception1 ,i do not 
mean to say that children have1 properly
 speaking1 a moral perception of        
inconsistency2 but it affects their     
comfort and well-being1 nevertheless4   
,there is1 in the nature of man1 as     
great a perception of moral1 as of      
physical order and proportion2 and the  
absence of the moral produces pain and  
disgust to the soul1 as the absence of  
the physical does to the senses4 ,this  
state of pain and disgust is felt1      
though it can never be expressed1 by    
children1 who are under the management  
of inconsistent persons1--that is1      
persons whose conduct is guided solely  
by feeling1 7good or bad17 by caprice1  
or impulse2 and how injurious it is to  

them1 we may easily conceive4 ,if1      
however1 their present comfort only were
 endangered by it1 the evil would be of 
comparatively small magnitude2 but it   
affects their character for life4 ,they 
cease to trust1 and they cease to       
venerate2 now1 trust is the root of     
faith1 and veneration of piety3--and    
when the root is destroyed1 how can the 
plant flourish8 ,perhaps we may remark  
that the effect here produced upon      
children is the same as that which long 
intercourse with the world produces in  
men3 only that the effect differs in    
proportion to their differing           
intellectual faculties4 ,the child is   
annoyed1 and knows not the cause of     
annoyance2 the man is annoyed1 and      
endeavours to lose the sense of         
discomfort in a universal skepticism as 
to human virtue1 and a resolving of all 
actions into one principle1             
self-interest4 ,he thus seeks to create 
a principle possessing the stability    
which he desires1 but seeks in vain to  

find2 for1 be it remembered1 our love of
 moral stability is precisely as great  
as our love of physical change2--another
 of the mysteries of our being4 ,the    
effects on the man are the same as on   
the child1--he ceases to believe1 and he
 ceases to venerate2 and the end is the 
most degrading of all conditions1--the  
abnegation of all abstract virtue1      
generosity1 or love4 ,now1 into this    
state children are brought by the       
inconsistency of parents1--that is1     
these young and innocent creatures are  
placed in a condition1 moral and        
intellectual1 which we consider an evil1
 even when produced by long contact with
 a selfish and unkind world4 ,and thus  
they enter upon life1 prepared for vice 
in all its forms1--and skepticism1 in   
all its heart-withering tendencies4 ,how
 can parents bear this responsibility8  
,there is something so touching in the  
simple faith of childhood1--its utter   
dependence1--its willingness to believe 
in the perfection of those to whom it   

looks for protection--that to betray    
that faith1 to shake that dependence1   
seems almost akin to irreligion4  ,the  
value of principle1 then1 in itself so  
precious1 is enhanced tenfold by        
constancy in its manifestations1 and    
therefore consistency1 as a source of   
influence1 can never be too much        
insisted upon4  ,consistency of         
principle is brought to the test in     
every daily1 hourly occurrence of       
woman's life1 and if she have been      
brought up without an abiding sense of  
duty and responsibility1 she is of all  
beings most unfortunate2 influences the 
most potent are committed to her care1  
and from her they issue like the simoom 
of the desert1 breathing moral blight   
and death4 ,i have endeavoured1 in some 
degree1 to enforce the power of indirect
 influences on the minds of children3   
they are very powerful in the other     
relations of life2 in the conjugal1 the 
truth is too well known and attested by 
tale and song to need additional        

corroboration here--and this book is    
principally1 though not wholly1         
dedicated to woman in her maternal      
character4  ,the extreme importance of  
the manifestation of consistency in     
mothers may be argued from this fact1   
that it is of infinite importance to    
children to see the daily operation of  
an immutable and consistent rule of     
right1 in matters sufficiently small to 
come within the sphere of childish      
observation1 and1 therefore1 if called  
upon to give a definition of the        
peculiar mission of woman1 and the      
peculiar source of her influence1 ,i    
should say it is the application of     
large principles to small duties1--the  
agency of comprehensive intelligence on 
details4 ,that largeness of mental      
vision1 which1 while it can comprehend  
the vast1 is too keen to overlook the   
little1 is especially to be cultivated  
by women4 ,it is a great mistake to     
suppose the two qualities are           
incompatible2 and the supposition that  

they are so1 has done much mischief2 the
 error arises not from the extent1 but  
from the narrowness of our capacity1 ,to
 aspire is our privilege1 and a         
privilege which we are by no means slack
 to use1 without considering that the   
operations of infinitude are even more  
incomprehensible in their minuteness    
than in their magnitude1 and that1      
therefore1 to be always looking from the
 minute towards the vast1 is only a     
proof of the finite nature of our       
present capacity4 ,the loftiest         
intellect may1 without abasement1 be    
employed on the minutest domestic       
detail1 and in all probability will     
perform it better than an inferior one3 
it is the motive and end of an action   
which makes it either dignified or mean4
 ,in the homely words of old ,herbert   
,all may of thee partake3       ,nothing
 can be so mean1     ,which1 with this  
tincture1 for thy sake       ,will not  
grow bright and clean4  ,it is then in  
the minutiae of daily life and conduct  

that this consistency has its most      
beneficial operation1 and it must derive
 its power from the personal character  
for this reason1 that no virtues but    
indigenous ones are capable of the sort 
of moral transfusion here mentioned4 ,it
 is rare to see a parent1 eminently     
distinguished by any moral virtue1      
unsuccessful in the transmitting that   
virtue to children1 simply because1     
being an integral part of character1 it 
is consistent in its mode of operation2 
so virtues originating in effort1 or    
practised for the sake of example1 are  
seldom transferable2 the same           
consistency cannot be expected in the   
exercise of them1 and this may explain  
the small success of pattern mothers1   
par excellence so called1 and whose good
 intentions and sacrifices ought not to 
be objects of derision2 the very        
appearance of effort mars the effect of 
all effort4  ,the world is sometimes    
surprised to see extraordinary proofs of
 moral influence exercised by persons   

who never planned1 never aimed1 to      
obtain such influence1--nay1 whose      
conduct is never regulated by any fixed 
aim for its attainment2 the fact is1    
that those characters are composed of   
truth and love2--truth1 which prevents  
the assumption even of virtues which are
 not natural1 thereby adding to the     
influence of such as are2 love1 the most
 contagious of all moral contagions1 the
 regenerating principle of the world6   
,the virtue which mainly contributes to 
the support of consistency--without     
which1 in fact1 consistency cannot      
exist--is simplicity3 consistency of    
conduct can never be maintained by      
characters in any degree double or      
sophisticated1 for it is not of         
simplicity as opposed to craft1 but of  
simplicity as opposed to sophistication1
 that ,i would here speak1 and rather as
 the ,christian virtue1                 
single-mindedness2 the desire to be1    
opposed to the wish to appear4 ,we have 
seen how rarely influence can be gained 

where no faith can be yielded2 now an   
unsimple character can never inspire    
faith or trust4 ,people do not always   
analyze mental phenomena sufficiently to
 know the reason of this fact1 but no   
one will dispute the fact itself4 ,it is
 true there are persons who have the    
power of conciliating confidence of     
which they are unworthy1 but it is only 
because 7like ,castruccio ,castrucciani7
 they are such exquisite dissemblers1   
that their affection of simplicity has  
temporarily the effect of simplicity    
itself4 ,this power of successful       
assumption is1 fortunately1 confined to 
very few1 and the pretenders to unreal  
virtues and the utterer of assumed      
sentiments are only ill-paid labourers1 
working hard to reap no harvest-fruits4 
,an objection slightly advanced before1 
may here naturally occur again1 and may 
be answered more fully1 viz4 the        
opposition of the conventional forms of 
society to entire simplicity of thought 
and action1 and consequently to         

influence4 ,the influence which         
conventionalism has over principle is to
 be utterly disclaimed1 but its having  
an injurious influence over manner is   
far more easily obviated2 so easily1    
indeed1 that it may be doubted whether  
there be not more simplicity in         
compliance than in opposition4          
,originality1 either of thought or      
behaviour1 is most uncommon1 and only   
found in minds above1 or in minds below1
 the ordinary standard2 neither is this 
peculiar feature of society in itself a 
blame-worthy one3 it arises out of the  
constitution of man1 naturally          
imitative1 gregarious1 and desirous of  
approbation4 ,nothing would be gained by
 the abolition of these forms1 for they 
are representatives of a good spirit2   
the spirit1 it is true1 is too often not
 there1 but it would be better to call  
it back than to abolish the form4 ,we   
have an opportunity of judging how far  
it would be convenient or agreeable to  
do so1 in the conduct of some soi-disant

 contemners of forms2 we perceive that  
such contempt is equally the offspring  
of selfishness with slavish regard3 it  
is only the exchange of the selfishness 
of vanity for the selfishness of        
indolence and pride1 and the world is   
the loser by the exchange4 ,hypocrisy   
has been said to be the homage which    
vice pays to virtue4 ,conventional forms
 may1 with justice1 be called the homage
 which selfishness pays to benevolence4 
,how then is simplicity of character to 
be preserved without violating          
conventionalism1 to which it seems so   
much at variance1 and yet1 which it     
ought not to oppose8 ,by the cultivation
 of that spirit of which conventional   
forms are only the symbol1 by training  
children in the early exercise of the   
kind the benevolent affections1 and by  
exacting in the domestic circle all     
those observances which are the signs of
 good-will in society1 so that they may 
be the emanations of a benevolent heart1
 instead of the gloss of artificial     

politeness4 ,conventionalism will never 
injure the simplicity of such characters
 as these1 nay1 it may greatly add to   
their influence1 and secure for their   
virtues and talents the reception that  
they deserve2 it is a part of           
benevolence to cultivate the graces that
 may persuade or allure men to the      
imitation of what is right4 ,stand off1 
,i am holier than thou1 is not more     
foreign to true piety1 than ,stand off1 
,i am wiser than thou1 is to true       
benevolence1 as relates to those things 
indifferent1 in which we are told that  
we may be all things to all men4  ,the  
cultivation of domestic politeness is a 
subject not nearly enough attended to1  
yet it is the sign1 and ought to be the 
manifestation1 of many beautiful        
virtues--affection1 self-denial1        
elegance1 are all called into play by   
it2 and it has a potent recommendation  
in its being an excellent preservative  
against affectation1 which generally    
arises from a great desire to please1   

joined to an ignorance of the means of  
pleasing successfully4 ,it is to be     
hoped that these remarks will not be    
deemed trifling or irrelevant in a      
chapter on the means of securing        
personal influence4 ,powers of pleasing 
are a very great source of that         
influence1 and there is no telling how  
great might be the benefit to society1  
if all on whom they are bestowed 7and   
how lavishly they are bestowed on       
woman67 would be persuaded to use them1 
not as a means of selfish gratification1
 but as an engine for the promotion of  
good4#aac ,such powers are as sacred a  
trust from the ,creator as any other    
gift1 and ought to be equally used for  
his glory and the advancement of moral  
good4 ,virtue1 indeed1 in itself is     
venerable1 but it must be attractive in 
order to be influential4 ,and how       
attractive it might be1 if the powers of
 pleasing1 which can cover and even     
recommend the deformity of vice1 were   
conscientiously excited in its behalf6  

,this is the peculiar province of women1
 and they are peculiarly fitted for it  
by ,nature4 ,their personal loveliness1 
their versatile powers1 and lively      
fancy1 qualify them in an eminent degree
 to adorn1 and by adorning to recommend1
 virtue and religion4      ,cosi all'   
egro fanciul porgiamo aspersi     ,di   
soare licor gli orli del vaso4          
,,footnotes3  #aac ,it was a beautiful  
idea in the mythology of the ancients1  
which identified the ,graces with the   
,charities of social life4