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Article ON FEMALE EDUCATION. ← Page 2 of 2
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On Female Education.
that little miss can scarcely lisp out pappa and mamma , before she has a relish for public Diversions ; and Gaming is as soon taught ( I had almost said sooner ) than their letters ; nay , in public places ^ they are seen to came at an age their grandmothers never thoughfof being present fn ; and expensive finery helps to make the happiness of their little souls . Thus is the poor child led into extravagance , before it is possible for her to conceive she does wrong ; and no wonder she
should not know the value of money , who never heard the words of a good father , ' I can ' t afford it ' : ' words too significant to be heedlessly passed over , but which seldom have a due regard paid to them , when the truth is really so . Thouo-h I would not be thought to insinuate that nothing is right but what " our grandmothers did , yet I would have it considered , that
the first and most necessary princip le to be observed in the education of young females , is the instilling into their minds a due regard for themselves , and ( let me borrow a line from the catechism ) " to teach them to do their duty in the station it shall please God to call them to . " If this is right , " sure they who seem to act purposely the reverse of thismust be greatly mistaken to bring up their daughters without
, any view to the station Providence may place them in , teaching them expences they too well know their own fortunes never can support ; and that , unless they marry greatly beyond their rank , or what they have reason to expect , they must with terror remember the unkind indulgences of their parents , and , if single , feel it themselves ; if married , make their husbands bear the punishment by their froward .
ness and ill-nature ; attributing those denials to want of affection , which the dread of future want only makes him give to every expensive diversion his wife has a mind to take . Too many parents can witness to the uneasiness ancl fear with which they hear their daughters demanded in marriage . And whence does this proceed ? . They will tell who too well know the reason , if they look at their daughters' expensive dressif they remember the
edu-, cation they have given them , they join to tell them . Thousands may be asked as . a portion ; but if they look into their iron chests , alas , " how little can they g ive 1 Whilst the father lives , the family makes a figure ; when he dies , how soon do they fail to decay 1 and she , who lived like the daughter of a rich man , finds herself too soon reduced to the kindness of friends , not to say alms of relations , for a support .
Women were not , I believe , designed for the rule and government of nations ; but the custom of our country did formerly , for good reasons , leave them that of our families ; and 1 wish the same reasons , as well as the custom did continue : but , unless we stop soon , the o'ood-natured English husband must take the management on himself ; and , if we mean to be honoured in our generations , let us return
to the old method of female education , and bring up our daughters in frugality , teaching them their duties as children and wives , convincing them by reason , that the prudent woman is the best woman , and that decency of behaviour will sooner get them husbands , than p leasure and idleness : for , whatever the beau may say in soft whispers at the ball , men of sense expect to find the friend iu the wife . P .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Female Education.
that little miss can scarcely lisp out pappa and mamma , before she has a relish for public Diversions ; and Gaming is as soon taught ( I had almost said sooner ) than their letters ; nay , in public places ^ they are seen to came at an age their grandmothers never thoughfof being present fn ; and expensive finery helps to make the happiness of their little souls . Thus is the poor child led into extravagance , before it is possible for her to conceive she does wrong ; and no wonder she
should not know the value of money , who never heard the words of a good father , ' I can ' t afford it ' : ' words too significant to be heedlessly passed over , but which seldom have a due regard paid to them , when the truth is really so . Thouo-h I would not be thought to insinuate that nothing is right but what " our grandmothers did , yet I would have it considered , that
the first and most necessary princip le to be observed in the education of young females , is the instilling into their minds a due regard for themselves , and ( let me borrow a line from the catechism ) " to teach them to do their duty in the station it shall please God to call them to . " If this is right , " sure they who seem to act purposely the reverse of thismust be greatly mistaken to bring up their daughters without
, any view to the station Providence may place them in , teaching them expences they too well know their own fortunes never can support ; and that , unless they marry greatly beyond their rank , or what they have reason to expect , they must with terror remember the unkind indulgences of their parents , and , if single , feel it themselves ; if married , make their husbands bear the punishment by their froward .
ness and ill-nature ; attributing those denials to want of affection , which the dread of future want only makes him give to every expensive diversion his wife has a mind to take . Too many parents can witness to the uneasiness ancl fear with which they hear their daughters demanded in marriage . And whence does this proceed ? . They will tell who too well know the reason , if they look at their daughters' expensive dressif they remember the
edu-, cation they have given them , they join to tell them . Thousands may be asked as . a portion ; but if they look into their iron chests , alas , " how little can they g ive 1 Whilst the father lives , the family makes a figure ; when he dies , how soon do they fail to decay 1 and she , who lived like the daughter of a rich man , finds herself too soon reduced to the kindness of friends , not to say alms of relations , for a support .
Women were not , I believe , designed for the rule and government of nations ; but the custom of our country did formerly , for good reasons , leave them that of our families ; and 1 wish the same reasons , as well as the custom did continue : but , unless we stop soon , the o'ood-natured English husband must take the management on himself ; and , if we mean to be honoured in our generations , let us return
to the old method of female education , and bring up our daughters in frugality , teaching them their duties as children and wives , convincing them by reason , that the prudent woman is the best woman , and that decency of behaviour will sooner get them husbands , than p leasure and idleness : for , whatever the beau may say in soft whispers at the ball , men of sense expect to find the friend iu the wife . P .