ly of his wife. In his estimation, almost every thing she says is foolish, and more than half she does is wrong. That manner on his part, has occasioned, in her, an intellectual and moral debasement. Treated daily with disrespect and scorn, she has lost by degrees almost all respect for herself.

There are other pairs, who, in this respect, are very equally matched. For instance, Pertinax and his conjugal mate, dispute it together all the year round about trifles, because he is always in the right, and she never in the wrong. They are "as like as cherry to cherry," in their general qualities, which are passably good; and it only wants a little condescention on both sides, to render their union felicitous rather than otherwise.

Fix it as a maxim in your mind, that it is of more importance, generally speaking, for one to keep well with his wife, than with any other earthly friend. Acting on that maxim, and yet more on the sacred principle of moral and religious duty, ever treat your wife with heart-felt benevolence. Cast the mantle over the common frailties incidental to humanity; esteem and cherish her better qualities, and habitually maintain a tender and sympathetic consideration for her feelings.

Of the other sex, I crave the indulgence of hazarding the monition and the advice, which here follow.

Marry not the man who is known to be unkind, contemptuous, and scornful, to the mother that bare him :— it will be a miracle if he treat his wife any better.

Marry not a blasphemous infidel, however rich, or however accomplished. For, besides the weighty consideration of the contaminating influence of such an alliance, he that contemns the God that made him, is not one that will give due honour to the wife that is subject to him.

Marry not a profligate libertine in hopes of reforming him. Too feeble will be your cords to bind down

the headlong passions of a man alike regardless of the authority of moral principle, and of the opinions of all the respectable part of society.

Marry not a man, because you think him one that will tamely submit to be ruled by you. It had been the jesting boast of Azuba, that she intended to make a fool of her husband. She was saved that trouble by chancing to wed a ready-made one; but she found his obstinacy and contrariety invincible. No effect at all could her reasoning have on a mind incapable of com prehending it; nor any effect could her persuasions have upon a heart ever jealous of a rival power, and the more constantly alive to suspicions for its dwelling in the dark. It is a fact often attested by experience, that none are more jealous of falling under the dominion of their wives, or more unyielding to their reasonable influence, than men of inferior understandings and pertinacious tempers. "Nothing is so dogmatical and inconvincible as a very shallow man who counts himseir to be wise."

Sweet is power to the human heart, and as sweet to the heart of woman, as of man. It is no wonder therefore, that there are sometimes rivalries for power in domestic government, as well as in governments of wider extent. It is a complaint of long standing, that very many women would fain read St. Paul thus, Husband's be obedient to your wives. A flagrant misconstruction, which, with all the orthodox of the masculine sex, can be regarded as very little better than downright heresy. Nevertheless, wives, who deserve the name, are entitled to much influence with their husbands. Nor, with husbands possessing a good understanding and a considerable share of the benevolent affections, will they often fail of obtaining all the influence they can reasonably desire, provided they take, and steadily pur

sue, the right way for it. This nice point I will illus: trate by a living example.

Susannah, is a plain woman, of plain good sense, possessing neither beauty nor wit: yet her husband, a very sensible and worthy man, and not at all of a cringing spirit, is dotingly fond of her, and some even say that she governs him. And what has been her artifice ? None at all. Where is her ruling hand seen? Nowhere. Susannah had adorned herself with "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit ;" and, from her bridal day, she has continued to wear it all along. Now, however marvellous it may seem to some, that same old fashioned ornament, so charms the husband that he scarcely can find it in his heart to deny her, and much less to chide her. If he happens to be moody, as now and then he is, the irresistible influence of the law of kindness in her tongue," presently restores him to good humour. If I have a correct notion of the trim of that man's mind and heart, no termagant of a wife, however beautiful, or artful, or accomplished, could have gained half so much influence upon him.

NUMBER ЄVII.

Of regarding Accomplishments as the principal part of female education.

AMONG all the wants of humanity, few are more deplorable than the want of discrimination between things of great and things of little importance. The absence either of the existence or of the exercise of the faculty of such discrimination, occasions a considerable part of the errors of life. For, not to speak of the fatal error

of preferring the things which are temporal to the things that are eternal-often, very often, in merely our worldly concerns, we sacrifice the greater to the less. It would not be difficult to exemplify this sentiment in a variety of instances; but I will confine myself to one only-Female Education.

We live in an age in which few, if any, whose opin ions are worth notice, will deny the necessity of educating, and of well educating the female part of our species. Passing over, therefore, this point upon which there is so general an agreement, I will mention, and but barely mention, the primary qualities of a good female education.

The great benefit of education, and what should ever be its ultimate design, consists in its tendency to prepare the pupils to act the parts allotted them with propriety, both as immortal and as mortal beings :—and, in this view, education has an equal bearing upon both the sexes.

Female education, conducted upon rational principles, regards the parts that females are ordinarily destined to act upon the theatre of social life. Female children, in common with those of the other sex, are moral and accountable beings, destined to an immortal existence, and should therefore be assiduously taught "the moral and religious knowledge of right and wrong," or their duty to God, to themselves, and to their fellow creatures. As social beings, their understanding must be cultivated. As moral beings, their hearts must be cultivated. They may meet with unforeseen temptations and snares, and should be taught self-government, modesty, and delicacy of thought, of speech, and of action. They may meet with hard and distressing trials, and should be early taught the value of a meek and humble spirit, which, in some women un

der adversity, has shone with a lustre far surpassing that of the diamond. Moreover, they may be destined, however worthy or estimable, to lead a single and solitary life; and they should be so educated that, having resources in their own minds, they will be able, not only to endure, but to enjoy their hours of retirement and solitude, and to make themselves respectable and agreeable, by the good sense of their conversation and the benevolence of their dispositions. Again, they may be wives; and it is the part of education to qualify and prepare them to be good wives-conversable-mild and affectionate-discreet-hospitable, and yet saving and frugal-looking well to the ways of their households. Finally, they may be mothers; and it is the part of education, to qualify them, as mothers, to educate their infant offspring. In this one particular, women have a most important part to act. Women, as mothers, do in a great measure form the characters of future women and of future men; since the formation of character, for the first seven or eight years of life, depends chiefly on them. If they are well informed, discreet, and of goodly morals, their children are made, partly by their instruction and partly by imitation, to assimilate to these qualities. But if they are vain and frivolous, their little ones soon catch the contagion of their vanity and frivolity.

The foregoing particulars embrace most of the primary qualities or indispensible rudiments of a good female education. And yet, quite often is it remarked of females, that they have had an excellent education, merely because they have been taught the female accomplishments. Very little attention was ever paid to the culture of their understandings, of their minds, of their hearts, of their tempers. But, with much pains, and at considerable expense, they have got a smatter,