An enquiry into the duties of the female sex

An enquiry into the duties of the female - by this

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by this date.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - stamped

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stamped below. Please return or renew

An enquiry into the duties of the female - This bo

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This book is due on the latest date

An enquiry into the duties of the female - PRINCET

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PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

An enquiry into the duties of the female - PRINCET

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PRINCETON UNIVERSr < LIBRflRY 32101006235921

An enquiry into the duties of the female - . (r) M

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. (r) Matthew, xxv. 34. 41. THE END*

An enquiry into the duties of the female - ** an i

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** an inheritance incorruptible and uncle-1 " filed, a crown of glory that fadeth not ** away, fullness of joy in the presence o.f ** God for evermore." Yet in its most awful denunciations it evinces a desire to shew mercy. It speaks the language of terror to lead you to repentance. It denounces judgements that,'under the guidance and blessing of God, you may escape them. But, remember, that it speaks no terrors, it denounces no judgements, •which shall not be executed On all who persevere in disobedience. If you be not among those who hear the final"sentence, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inhe" rit the kingdom prepared for you front " the foundation of the world ;" you will bd of the number of them to whom it is said* " Depart, ye cvirsed, into everlasting fire, prej "• pared for the Devil and his Angels (/•).•"

An enquiry into the duties of the female - "aa

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"aa

An enquiry into the duties of the female - phatica

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phatically on the wisdom and security of those, who cleave unto God with full purpose of heart, than on the self-delusioa and extreme danger of all those, from the obstinately trifling to the obdurate sinner, •who in different degrees fall short of that scriptural standard; and do not so love their Maker " with all their hearts, and *' with all their minds, and with all their " souls, and with all their strength," as to suffer no pleasure, no interest, no worldly object whatever, to hold the place in their thoughts and affections, which is due tat the love and the service of God. It tell* of " indignation and wrath, tribulation '* and anguish, upon every soul of 0»an " that doeth evil;" of" the place of darkness M and torment, where the worm dieth not, " and the fire is never quenched ;" as plainly as of the inheritance of the Saints in light,

An enquiry into the duties of the female - O

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An enquiry into the duties of the female - con con

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con conspicuously a,s promises. It insists not more strongly on the comforts and rewards assigned to holiness here and hereafter, than on the certain misery attendant on unrighteousness. It dwells not more em

An enquiry into the duties of the female - trials

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trials which they might not have withstood* Were their talents more than usually promising ? It tells you that those talents might have proved the sources of ruinous temptations. Whether you have lost parent, husband, or child, it tells you that " them " which sleep in Jesus will God bring with *' him (q)" It tells you that the means of securing to yourself a participation of the unchangeable happiness, destined for those who have been faithful servants of Christ, are offered to you by the grace of God, are placed within yonr reach, are pressed upon your notice and acceptance. Reli-» gion at times speaks to you the language of terror. It sets before you. threatenings aa (/>) Mark, x. 14. (?) i Thes, iv. 14,

An enquiry into the duties of the female - *• J

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*• J

An enquiry into the duties of the female - death d

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death death of a beloved partner in marriage £ It represents to you the Ruler of the Universe as the especial protector of the widow and the orphan. Are your offspring taken from you in their early childhood ? It tells you that " of such is the kingdom of God (p)' Are they snatched away in riper years ? It reminds vou that thev are removed from

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (o) Ecc

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(o) Eccl. vii. J.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - would w

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would would have condemned. It restrains y.on from no innocent gratifications, except when they would be unseasonable or excessive ; •wheu, by preventing you from discharging some present duty, or rendering you less qualified for the discharge of duty at a future period, they would diminish _your everlasting recompense. 13e it however remembered, that they who, in deciding •whether they should or should qot adopt '4 life of religion, bring into the argument smy calculations as to the amount of present pleasures to be sacrificed, are as little acquainted with the dictates of sober rea500, as with the spirit of Christian repentijnce and conversion. If your days bq crowned with worldly blessings, if you have Competence and health, if you be happy in your parents, your connections, your children; what solid delight could you feel.in the contemplation of your felicity, (did you )>now no niore tha.n that every object whence it is derived is together with yourself descending with ceaseless rapidity to the abyss of death ? How would yotf have borne to stand on the brink of the gulph, gazing across in vain for an oppo^ site shore, and looking down into unfathomable vacuity ; if Religion had not unfolded to you the secrets of another world, and instructed you how to attain its never* ending glories ? But your comforts perhaps are undermined by sickness or misfortune, and your prospects darkened by grief. Religion can blunt the arrows of pain, and brighten the gloom of calamity and sorrow. It teaches you the moral and sanctifying purposes for which affliction and chastise-1 ment are mercifully sent. It teaches you that " by the sadness of the countenance " the heart is made better (o)." Are your1 parents unnatural; or are they no more ? It tells you that you hare an Almighty and all-bounteous Father in Heaven. Is your husband unkind ? It teaches you to win him by your modest virtues; and gives you a solemn assurance that patience shall not lose its reward. Are you deprived by

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (>.} Is

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(>.} Isaiah, xiv. 27.—xlvi. 9. l«.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - disbeli

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disbelieve Christianity : but its truth is not on that account impaired. You may slight the impending day of retribution: but it? approach is not on that account retarded, ** The Lord hath purposed; and who shall ** disannul it ?" " I am God, declaring " the end from the beginning, and from an** cient times the things that are not done; ** saying, My Counsel shall stand (n)" What if Christianity had commanded you wholly to refrain even from reasonable pleasures and moderate indulgences ? Would you have murmured at temporary forbearance when compared with an eternal reward ? Christianity however imposes no such restriction, Even in this respect its " yoke is easy," and its " burthen is light;" easy and light to all who are disposed to fulfil what they perceive to be their duty. It prohibits you from no pleasures except those which had Christianity never been revealed, your own reason, if unbiassed,

An enquiry into the duties of the female - *' that

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*' that do evil (?')." " The righteous " shall be recompensed in the earth— ** the righteous hath hope in his death •* (A)." «* If thou wilt enter into life, " keep the commandments (/)." " Be" lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and " thou shall be saved (m)" You may

An enquiry into the duties of the female - O

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An enquiry into the duties of the female - «* hqw

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«* hqw " how to give good gifts unto your chil" dren ; how much more shall your hea" renly Father give the Holy Spirit to « them that ask Him (g) ?" " The fear •* of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to de•* part from evil is understanding (A)." ** He * that will love life and see good days, •*• let him refrain his tongue from evil, and •* his lips* that they speak no guile. Let •: him eschew evil,,- and do good : let him *• seek peace and ensue it. For the eye* ** of the Lord are over the righteous, and •* his ears are open to their prayers : but *t the face of the Lord is against them

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (/) Rom

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(/) Rom. iii. 25.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (d] 2 P

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(d] 2 Peter, iii. 9 (f) I John, iv. la.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - In yout

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In youth and in age, in single and in matrimonial life, in all circumstances and under all relations, to live stedfastly and habitually under the guidance of those principles which they who are now lying on the bed of death are rejoicing, that they have obeyed, or mourning that they have disregarded, is the sum of human wisdom and human happiness. *' Hie Lord is not willing that any f should perish, but that all should come " to repentance (d)." '* God loved us, and1 *' sent his Son to be the propitiation for *f our sins (e)"—r" whom God hath set *' forth to be a propitiation through faith in «' his blood (/).'*• " If ye, being evil, know

An enquiry into the duties of the female - hortati

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hortation^ hortation, by uniform example, endear to them that piety which is your support. Engage them to a continual remembrance of the hour, when they shall be as you are. 80 shall your memory speak the language of instruction and of comfort, when you are silent in the grave.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - tience

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tience and resignation. By seasonable ex-?

An enquiry into the duties of the female - by affe

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by affectionate kindness, by devout pa-.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - -.by ch

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-.by cheerful good-humour, by benevolence,

An enquiry into the duties of the female - . Endea

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. Endear then yourself to all around you

An enquiry into the duties of the female - If age

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If age have its peculiar burthens, it has also, when crowned with piety, its peculiar consolations. The fervid passions which agitated the breast of youth have subsided: the vanities which dazzled its gaze have ceased to delude. Cheerful hours, enlivened by the society of descendents, of relations, perhaps of some coeval friend en*deared by the recollection of long established regard, still remain. If maladies press heavily on the functions of life, if pain embitter the remnant of your satisfactions; yet the duration of your sufferings cannot be long. If the day be far spent, the hour of rest must necessarily be at hand. The young, when overtaken with calamities corresponding to those which you endure, know not but that, according to the settled order of hnman events, a very long period of sorrow and anguish may await them. From all such distresses you will shortly he at r F 4 peace. peace. Whether your waning years be loaded with affliction, or glide away placid and -serene ; have you not still in your possession the chief of earthly blessings, the promises of the Gospel, the prospect of immortality ? If those promises, that prospect, be not adapted to give you comfort, lay not your disquiet to the charge of age; charge il on your- past life, on your own folly, on your own sin : and labour ere the day of grace be past, ere the portentous shades of death and misery close around you, to make even yet your peace with God through the mediation of an atoning Saviour. But if you have so lived as to have an interest in the glorious hopes of Christianity ; how peculiarly strong must be your delight in looking forward to rewards, from which you are separated by so brief an iq? terval !

An enquiry into the duties of the female - selves,

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selves, in the prime of life, witnessed similar misconceptions, and listened to similar complaints.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - selves^

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selves^

An enquiry into the duties of the female - is beco

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is become noisy, petulant, and irreverent to its seniors: rank and station are no» longer treated with respect. Moral virtue has diminished : tradesmen have lost their honesty, servants their ready and punctual obedience. Even in personal appearance the rising generation is far inferior to the last. The very course, and aspect, and energy of nature sympathise in the general transformation. The seasons are no longer regular and genial ; the verdure of the fields is impaired : flowers have lost their odour's, fruits their relish. Such are the suspicions prone to irritate the bosoms of the old ; such the repinings which too often dwell upon their lips. To tolerate» to pity this waywardness is the office of the young; to guard against indulging it is the duty of the aged. Let the former anticipate the hour in which they too, should they survive, will be tempted blindly to attribute to every surrounding object the decay which has taken place in their own faculties alone. Let the latter recal • to mind the sensations with which they thera-^

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Another

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Another of the unfavourable characteristics by which age is sometimes distinguished, is a peevish and dissatisfied temper. To those who are conversant with a narrow circle of objects, trifles swell into importance. Small disappointments a^ permitted to assume the form of serious evils; inadvertence and unintentional omissions are construed into positive unkindness. Novelties of every sort disgust; and every little variation is a novelty. All things appear to have changed, and to have changed for the worse. Manners are no longer simple, as they were once : fashions are not rational and elegant, as heretofore : youth i r i is

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Among t

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Among the defects of old age querulous* ness is esteemed one of the most prominent. Complaint is the natural voice of suffering ; and to suffer is the common lot of declining years; Even in the earlier periods of life, women of weak health and irritable spirits; not seldom contract a habit of complaining; and though when called to severe trials, they may disclose exemplary patience, yet IJhey indulge in common life a frequent F F 2 recur recurrence of the tones and language o.f querulousness. The inward trouble seems ever on the watch for opportunities of repealing itself; and any little mark of regard, any expression of tenderness, from a husband or a brother, immediately calls forth the intimation of an ailment. In age, when the affection of children and near relations rightly distinguishes itself by particular assiduity and solicitude ; when, if the hand of Providence withhold acuteness of pain, some degree of infirmity and suffering is mercifully allowed to give almost constant admonitions of an event which cannot be remote; when garrulity, no longer employed on the variety of subjects which once interested the mind, dwells with augmented eagerness on present objects and present sensations ; it is not surprising that a disposition to complaint should gather strength. But let all who suffer remember, that it is not by continual lamentation that the largest measuse of compassion is to be obtained. Reiterated impressions lose their force. The ear becomes dull to sounds to which it is habituated. A part of the uneasinesses described by the sufferer is attributed to imagination; and the mind of the hearer, instead of estimating the amount of the remainder, wonders and regrets that they are not borne better. Among the strongest supports of pity is the involuntary reverence commanded by silent resignation.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Affecti

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Affectionate tendencies, however, in the bosoms of the old proceed, in some instances, to an extreme ; and require, though not to be checked, yet to be regulated. Fondness attaches itself with pernicious eagerness to one of the children of the family ; rests not without the presence of the favourite object; destroys its health by pampering it with dainties; and stimulates and strengthens its passions by immoderate and indiscriminate gratification. Many a child, whom parental discipline would have trained in the paths of knowledge and virtue, has been nursed up in ignorance and prepared for vice by the blind indulgence 2 , • of tH the grandmother and the aunt. Unwillingness to thwart the wishes of old age, curtailed of many enjoyments and impatient of contradiction^ frequently restrain* the parent from timely and effectual interference. Were this obvious circumstance considered beforehand* and with due seriousness) by women advanced in years, they would less frequently reduce those with whom they live to the embarrassing dilemma of performing a very irksome duty, or of acquiescing in the danger and detriment, perhaps in the ruin* b.f their off Spring.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - inertne

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inertness of the body weighs down the activity of the mind. Hence the liveliness and warmth of benevolence are sometimes impaired. To preserve them undiminished in the midst of infirmity and pain, and •while personal connectionwith mortal events is daily becoming looser and looser, is one of the noblest and most endearing exertions of old age.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - \

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An enquiry into the duties of the female - F p ine

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F p inertness

An enquiry into the duties of the female - A defic

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A deficiency in tender concern1 for the Interests of others is occasionally perceptible in the aged. Of the ties which united them to the wdrld, many are broken: The honours, the pursuits, the profits, even the temporary happiness and misfortunes of individuals may well appear to them in the light in which they ought to be seen by every individual of the human race, as trifles when contrasted with eternity, The Sensations too become blunted; and thd

An enquiry into the duties of the female - in thei

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in their train timidity, fuspicion, an high opinion of the power of wealth to command respect, or any other feeling or persuasion. which is adapted to excite or to confirm a propensity to ax-arice; that propensity finds in the antecedent pursuits and habits and sentinients of rnen, encouragements and supports which among individuals of the female sex it experiences in a less degree, or not at all. Among the aged, however, of the female sex, there are examples of covetousness sufficient to authorise a deliberate admonition against it.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - 439

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439

An enquiry into the duties of the female - than in

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than in the female sex. The causes of th6 difference may easily be explained. The attention of men in general is more or less directed by the circumstances of their condition to the accumulation of money. In the case of those who pursuelucrative professions, or commerce.^ or any other employment of which gain is the object, the fact is manifest. It is scarcely less apparent in the case ot noblemen and private gentlemen, who live upon the incomes of their estates. A reasonable desire of providing fortunes for their younger children, without leaving an immoderate burthen on the patrimonial inheritance, commonly dispsoes them to study at least, if not to accomplish, plans of annual saving, From these cares and occu* pations women, whether married or unmarried, are comparatively free. In the next place, their native stock of benevolence and liberality is often less impaired than that of the other sex, accustomed in the active business of life to the continual sight and knowledge of fraud, selfishness* and demerit. Hence, when advancing years bring

An enquiry into the duties of the female - than

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than

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Avarice

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Avarice is one of the vices of age, which ' .is more frequently exemplified among men • . (0 Prov. xvi. 31.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Of all

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Of all the methods by which a woman arrived at old age may preclude herself from enjoying the respect to which by her years alone she would have been entitled, an attachment to the gay amusements of youth is perhaps the least uncertain. To behold one whose countenance, whose figure, whose very gesture proclaims that the last sands of life are running out, clinging to the levities of a world which she is about to leave for ever ; haunting with tottering steps the scene of public entertainment; and labouring with sickly efforts, to win attention by the affectation of juvenile sprightliness and ease; to behold gray hairs thus spontaneously degraded and debased, is not only one of the most disgusting, but one of the most melancholy spectacles which can be surveyed.,

An enquiry into the duties of the female - <{ a cr

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<{ a crown of glory," it must be " found " in the way of righteousness ((?)."

An enquiry into the duties of the female - " a cro

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" a crowd

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (i) Lev

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(i) Levit. xxi. 32.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (z) i T

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(z) i Tim. v. i, 2. (a) i Peter, v. 5.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (x) I T

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(x) I Tim. r. 4. (y) Prov. xxiii. 22.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - love: f

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love: from all, tenderness and respect* Its claims are just, acceptable, and sacred* Reason approves1 them j sympathy welcomes them; Revelation sanctions them. u Let children requite their parents (#)." " Despise not thy mother when she is " old (y)*" " Intreat the elder women as " mothers (z)." " Ye younger, submit " yourselves unto the elder (a)." " Thou shalt rise up before the hoai'y head (&)." But if age would be regarded with affection and reverence ; it must shew itself invested with the qualities by which those feelings are to be conciliated. It must be useful according to its ability, by example, if not by exertion. If unable to continue the full exercise of active virtues, it must display the excellence of those which are passive. It must resist the temptations by which it is beset, and guard itself against indulging faults on the plea of infirmity. In a word, if the " hoary head" is to be

An enquiry into the duties of the female - The Bou

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The Bourse of our enquiry now conducts us to the period, when gray hairs and augmenting infirmities forbode with louder. and louder admonition the common termination of mortality. The spring and summer of life are past; autumn is far advanced ; the frown of winter is already felt. Age has its privileges and its honours. It claims exemption from the more arduous offices of society, to which its strength is no longer equal; and immunity from some at least of the exertions, the fruit of which it cannot enjoy. Deprived of many active pleasures, it claims an equivalent of ease and repose. Forced to contract the sphere of its utility, it claims a grateful remembrance of former services. From the child and the near relation, it claims duty and

An enquiry into the duties of the female - ON THE

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ON THE DUTIES OP THE DECLINE OF LIFE.—CONCLUSION.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - CHAP. X

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CHAP. XVI.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - who are

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who are free from the faults in manners and temper, which many under similar circumstances have contracted. Let it also be observed, that in the situation of the. persons in question there are peculiarities, the recollection of which will produce in a generous mind impressions very different from scorn. They are persons cut off from a state of life usually regarded as thd most desirable. They are frequently unprovided with friends, on whose advice. or assistance they can thoroughly confide, Sometimes they are destitute of a settled home ; and compelled by a scanty income to depend on the protection, and bear the humours, of supercilious relations. Sometimes in obscure retreats, solitary, and among ftrangers, they wear away the hours of sickness and of age, unfurnished with the means of procuring the assistance and the comforts which sinking health demands. Let not unfeeling derision be. added to the difficulties, which it has perhaps been impossible to avoid, or virtue to decline.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - who

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who

An enquiry into the duties of the female - some go

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some gome individuals, who, by manifest ill-temper* or by other repulsive parts of their character, have even from their youth precluded themselves from the chance of receiving matrimonial proposals. Is this a reason for branding unmarried women of a middle age with a general stigma ? Be it admitted that certain peculiarities of deportment, certain faults of disposition, which, though they ought studiously to be shunned and corrected, it is not necessary here to recite, are proverbially frequent in women, who have long remained single. Let it then also be remembered that every situation of life has a tendency to encourage some particular errors and failings ; that the defects of women, who, by choice or by necessity, are in a situation extremely different from that in which the generality of their sex is placed, will always attract more than their proportional share of attention ; and that whenever attention is directed towards them, it is no more than common justice at the same time to render signal praise to the individuals,

An enquiry into the duties of the female - singleh

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singlehood ? Perhaps that very circum* stance might be entitled in a. large majority of instances to praise and admiration. So various are the motives uhich men in general permit to have considerable influence on their views in marriage ; so different are the opinions of different individuals of that sex as to personal appearance and manners in the pther; that of the women who pass through life without entering into a connubial engagement, there are, probably, very few who have not had, earlier or later, the option of contracting it. If then, from a wise and delicate reluctance to accept offers made by persons , of objectionable or of ambiguous character ; from unwillingness to leave the abode of a desolate parent, struggling with difficulties, or declining towards the grave ; from a repugnance to marriage produced by affection surviving the loss of a beloved object prematurely snatched away by death; if in consequence of any of these or of similar causes a woman continue single, is she to be despised ? Let it be admitted that there are

An enquiry into the duties of the female - single

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single

An enquiry into the duties of the female - The goo

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The good sense and the refinement of the present age have abated much of the contempt, with which it was heretofore the practice to regard women, who had attained or past the middle period of life without having entered into the bands of marriage. The contempt was unjust, and it was ungenerous. Why was it ever. deemed to be merited ? Because the objects of it were remaining in a state of

An enquiry into the duties of the female - th» the

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th» the means which you employ according to the character and situation of the person whom you desire to benefit, ll binds you to do all with earnestness and prudence; with sincerity and benevolence. It binds you to beware, lest by negligence you lose opportunities which you might with propriety have embraced ; or through inadvertence and mistaken politeness contribute to strengthen sentiments and practices, to •which, if you are at the time unable to oppose effectual resistance, you ought, at least, not to have given the apparent fanction of your authority.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - women p

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women presses on those who are further advanced in life with the greater force and urgency in proportion to the closeness of the ties, whether of consanguinity or of friendship, by which the latter are connected with the former; and also to the circumstances of disposition, and of time and place, and to various other particulars, which may give to the admonition a more or less favourable prospect of success. Let it not however be imagined that it binds you to consult the improvement of your daughter only and your niece, or of some individual specially thrown under your immediate superintendence. It binds you to consult the improvement of all whom it is in your power to improve, whether connected with you more or less; whether your superiors, your equals, or your inferiors; whether likely to derive a higher or a lower degree of advantage from your endeavours. It binds you-to consult their improvement by deliberate advice, by incidental reflection, by silent example; by studiously selecting, varying, and combining

An enquiry into the duties of the female - E E 4 w

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E E 4 women

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (m) Whe

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(m) Where Tituswas resident when St. Paul addressed this Epistle to him.—See Chap. i. 5—.12, 13.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - " the t

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" the things which become sound doctrine— " that the aged women likewise be in be" haviour as becometh holiness, not false >" accusers;" not guilty of calumny and slander. Having subjoined to these injunctions respecting their personal conduct another which, it may be hoped, is irt the present times less frequently applicable in our own country than it seems jto have been in Crete (u) in the days of the Apostle, " that they be not given " to much wine;" he extends his view to the duties which they owe to the younger part of their own sex. He directs that they be " teachers of good things; that they " may teach the young women to be sober," (full of prudence and moderation,) " to love " their husbands, to love their children, to " be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, " good," (of kind tempers,) " obedient to " their own husbands; that the word of " God be not blasphemed." The obligation of imparting instruction to young

An enquiry into the duties of the female - The fir

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The first obligation incumbent on every individual is habitually to act aright in the sphere of personal duty: the next, to en-» courage, and, in proportion to existing ability and opportunity, to instruct others to do the same. St. Paul, in his directions to Titus (/), respecting the admonitions to be delivered by the latter to elderly women, attends to this distinction. ** Speak thou

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Among I

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Among Indies, who have fully arrived at the period of age, of which we now speak, there are to be found many who, in consequence of having been early taught by a rational and religious education to fix their rnjnds on proper objects, have escaped even from their fust introduction into the world the dazzling influence of those allurements, which fascinate the greater part of their sex; or have learned from reflection and experience in the progress of a changeful life to rate them according to their proper value. Of those, however, to whom the one or the other of these descriptions is applicable, there are some, who in their conversation and intercourse with young persons of their own sex contribute to establish others in the errors which they have themselves been happy enough to avoid. Impelled by the desire of rencjering themselves agreeable to their youthful associates; a desire commendable in itself, but reprehensible when in practice if.Becomes the evident cause of indiscretion; they endeavour to suit their discourse to the taste of their hearers by confining it to the subjects of dress, personal appearance, public amusements, and other similar topics; arid by expatiating upon each of these subjects in a manner from which their opinion respecting it might reasonably be inferred to be very different from their actual sentiments Not that they are austerely to turn away from lighter themes Ee 3 of of conversation; or to consider a total ab? stinence from innocent trifling as one of the essential characteristics of wisdom and of virtue. But it is one thing to be austere, and another to be prudent and discriminating. There is an extreme on the side of compliance and accommodation. And good humour is carried to excess, when it excites misconceptions; rivets mistakes; sanctions ensnaring customs; and prohibits experience from intermixing, amidst the effusions of cheerfulness and benevolence, the voice of seasonable instruction.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - by numb

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by numberless artifices, and expedienti perpetually changing, the odious depredations of time, swelling with envious indignation at the sight of her juniors enjoying in their day the notice once paid to herself; unwilling to permit her daughters to accompany her into public, lest their native bloom should expose by contrast the purchased complexion of their mother, or their very stature betray that she can no longer be young; and disgracing herself, and disgusting even those who deem it civility to flatter and deceive her, by affecting the flippancy of manners, for which youth itself would have been a most nadequate apology.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - is pain

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is painful; and to many minds not the less painful, when the eminence itself had no real value, and the foundation, on which it restedj no durable solidity. She •who is mortified by the loss or diminution of those superficial observances which her personal attractions had sometimes induced admiration to render; and had more frequently drawn from curiosity) or vanity, or politeness, while she blindly gave admiration credit for the whole; has not known or has disregarded the only qualities and endowments, which secure genuine esteenij and confer attractions •worthy of being prized. Yet, scarcely any spectacle is more common in the haunts of polite life, than to behold a woman in the wane of beauty courting with unremitting perseverance the honours which she can ho longer command; exercising her ingenuity in laying traps for compliment and encomium; shutting her eyes against those alterations in her own countenance and figure, which are visible to every other person on the slightest glance; supplying E E2 by

An enquiry into the duties of the female - So enga

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So engaging are the attractions, so impressive is the force of beauty, that women distinguished by superiority of personal E £ appearance, appearance, are not permitted long to continue unconscious of being the objects of general attention. Admired and flattered, pursued with assiduities, singled out from their associates at every scene of public resort, they perceive themselves universally welcomed with marked and peculiar •preference. To those in whom harmony of form and brilliancy of complexion are not conspicuous, youth itself, graced with unaffected simplicity, or at least rendered interesting by sprightliness and animation, is capable of ensuring no inconsiderable portion of regard. As youth and beauty wear away, the homage which had been paid to them is gradually withdrawn. They who had heretofore been treated fas the idols of public and private circles, and had forgotten to anticipate the termination of their empire, are at length awakened from their dream, and constraiped to rest satisfied with the common notice shewn to their station, and the respect which they may have acquired ' by their virtues. To descend from eminence 13. is

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Among t

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Among the duties appertaining to the female sex in the middle period of life, those which are peculiar to the wife and to the mother hold the principal rank, and form the largest proportion. They have already been discussed at sufficient length. It may not, however, be unprofitable to subjoin some additional remarks, partly referring to the conduct of married women during that period, and partly to the situation of individuals, who have remained single.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - FURTHER

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FURTHER REMARKS ON THE DUTIES BELONGING TO THE MIDDLE PE* RIOD OF LIFE.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - CHAP. X

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CHAP. XV.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - (s) Rom

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(s) Romans, xii. 15.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - The pec

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The peculiar obligations of parent and child are not wholly cancelled but by the stroke which separates the bands of mortality. When years may have put a period to authority and submission ; parental solicitude, filial reverence, and mutual affecr tion survive. Let the mother exert herself during her life to draw closer and closer the links of benevolence and kindness. Let her counsel, never obtrusively offered or pressed, be at all times ready when it will be beneficial and acceptable. But let her not be dissatisfied, though the proceedings \vhich she recommends should not appear the most advisable to her children, who are now free agents. Let her share in their joy, and sympathise with their afflictions ; " rejoice with them that rejoice, " and weep with them that weep (s.)" She may then justly hope that their love will never forget what she has don« and what she has suffered for them ; and that the hand of filial gratitude will delight to smooth the path of her latter days.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - When ma

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When matrimonial alliances introduce a mother to new sons and new daughters ; let her study to conduct herself towards them in a manner befitting the ties of affinity, by which she is now united to them. If she harbour prejudices against them, if pride, jealousy, caprice, or any other unwarrantable emotion mark her behaviour towards them ; the injustice of her conduct to the individuals themselves hath this weighty accession of criminality, that it also wounds in the tenderest point the feelings of her own children.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - The adj

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The adjustment of pecuniary transactions antecedent to marriages, commonly belongs to the fathers of the young peo10 pie, pie, rather than to maternal care. But the opinion of the mother will, of course, have its weight. Let that weight ever be employed to counteract the operation of sordid principles ; and to promote the ar* rangement of all subordinate points on such a basis as may promise permanence to the reciprocal happiness of the two families, which are about to be connected.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - of of o

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of of other mothers suspects the scheme ; the •quicksightedness of young men discerns it. When once it is discerned, its consequences are wholly opposite to those •which it was intended to produce. The destined captive recoils from the net. The odium of the plot, instead of being confined, as justice commonly requires, to the mother, is extended to the daughter, and pursues her whithersoever she goes. In the intercourse of private families in the country, where similar schemes are not unfrequent, though conducted on a smaller scale ; the forward advances and studied attentions of the mother to young men of fortune whom she wishes to call her sons-in-law, are often in the highest degree distressing to her daughters as well as oiFensive to the other parties ; and in many cases actually prevent attachments, which would otherwise have taken place.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - conques

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conquest; conquest; dwells on the wonderful effect of sudden impressions ; recounts various examples in which wealthy baronets and the eldest sons of peers have been captivated by the yesistless power of female elegance in a ball-room, and forgets or passes over the wretchedness by which the marriage was in most instances succeeded ; and drags him, unconvinced, from London to Bath, from Tunbridge to Weymouth, that the young woman may be corrupted into dissipation, folly, and misconduct, and exposed, as in a public market, to the inspection of bachelors of fashion. It would scarcely be practicable to invent a system more indelicate to the feelings of the person for whose benefit it is professedly carried on ; nor one whose effect, considered in a matrimonial point of view, would have a greater tendency to betray her into a hasty engagement, and the unhappiness which a hasty engagement usually forbodes. But in this plan, as in others, cunning not seldom over-reaches itself. The jealousy

An enquiry into the duties of the female - from en

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from enjoying the happiness naturally belonging to her situation. Her daughter, however may be more provident, and assuredly will be more fortunate. Satisfied with this explanation, she studies the means of throwing her daughter into the way of young men of station more or less superior to her own. And while she continues to persuade herself, that religious principles and a worthy character are the grand objects to which she attends in the future husband of her child ; she is prepared to admit with respect to each of those particulars a considerable deduction from the standard which she professes to have fixed, when compensated by a title, or the addition of a thousand pounds in the rentroll. Public places now present themselves to her mind as the scenes where her wishes may have the fairest prospect of being realised. She enlarges to her husband on the propriety of doing justice to their daughter's attractions, and giving her the same chance which other ladies of her age enjoy of making a respectable

An enquiry into the duties of the female - from

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from

An enquiry into the duties of the female - confer;

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confer; confer ; diminishes in the same proportion the temptations and the drawbacks with which they are accompanied; and discovers reasons which would render them peculiarly trifling in the present instance. Has she herself been unhappy, notwithstanding the possession of riches and honours ? She ascribes her misfortune to accidental causes, from the effect of most, if not all, of which she conceives that her daughter may easily be secured. Her husband's temper unexpectedly proved indifferent: she herself had unforeseen bad health, and partly through want of care: the neighbourhood unluckily was more unfriendly and disrespectful than could have been apprehended: opportunities of doing good happened to be uncom* monly rare, and generally occurred at times when it chanced not to be thoroughly convenient to embrace them: and various other singular and unaccountable circumstances, the existence of which she perfectly remembers, though she does not at present recollect the particulars, all conspired to prevent her

An enquiry into the duties of the female - careful

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carefully ought a parent to guard against) aiding the delusion. Yet not only is this truth very frequently disregarded, but absurd and unjustifiable- activity is employed to effect matrimonial estabiihments. A mother, who has personally experienced how slight the connection is between connubial happiness and the worldly advantages of wealth and gran-. deur, is often seen training her children in the very paths which she has found rugged and strewed with thorns. The opinions, the passions, which, having smothered, she imagined that she had extinguished, shew themselves to be alive. She takes pains to deceive herself, to devise apologies to her own conscience for indulging in the case of her children the spirit of vanity and the anxiety for pre-i eminence, which on every other occasion she has long and loudly condemned. She magnifies in fancy the power of doing good, the command of temporal enjoyments, all the advantages, comforts, and gratifications, which rank and opulence

An enquiry into the duties of the female - careful

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carefulijr

An enquiry into the duties of the female - There i

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There is scarcely any circumstance by •which \he. sober judgement and the fixed principles of parents are so frequently perverted, as by a scheming eagerness respecting the settlement of their daugh-' ters in marriage. That a daughter should1 be settled in marriage is a point on which parents, who would not take an improper step to promote it, are seen too earnestly to fix their hearts. They do not sufficiently reflect that the great object, which both old and young ought to have in view through life, is, to do their duty, as in the sight of God, in the situation in which they are actually placed, without being too solicitous to change it. In proportion as the mind of a young woman is likely to lean with too strong a bias towards matrimony, the more

An enquiry into the duties of the female - enter i

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enter into competition, mutual affection instantly cools. A mother, in confirming her children in reciprocal love, ought uniformly to bear in mind this distinction.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - enter

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enter

An enquiry into the duties of the female - each ot

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each other. If the fact be admitted, it must be acknowledged, I apprehend, to have been rightly ascribed to competition. Brothers can scarcely ever be engaged in the pursuit of an object, which can excite rivalship on the part of a sister. It is seldom indeed that they are rivals to each other. When they enter into active life, they are immediately distributed into different professions and situations. One is a.. clergyman, another pursues physic, a third studies law, a fourth becomes a merchant. One resides in a country village, another in a provincial town, another in the capital, another in a sea-port. They may forward each other; but they cannot clash. They move on in parallel lines ; some with greater, some with less celerity, but cross not each other's course. Whereas sisters, both while they continue in the paternal mansion, and afterwards when settled in marriage, are frequently drawn into conv< petitions by the shewy trifles and follies on which the female mind is too apt to dote. And whenever they begin to

An enquiry into the duties of the female - It is a

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It is a common remark, that sisters generally love their brothers more warmly than D D 4 cac>

An enquiry into the duties of the female - of df s

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of df such friends let her willingly gratify them ; sometimes abroad, more frequently under her own roof. But let her not consent to their residence in families where they will be conversant with ensnaring company of either sex ; where boldness of demeanour will be communicated by. example, an extravagant fondness for amusements inspired, habits of serious reflection discouraged, and the rational employment of time disregarded. Let her not be flattered by the solicitations, imprudent, however well intended, of ladies of superior rank, desirous to introduce her daughters into circles in which, according to their present place in the scale of society, they are not destined to move. If ambition be once kindled by introduction into a higher sphere is it likely that it will descend contentedly ftbm its elevation ? Is it likely that the modest retirement of private life will remain as engaging as before ?

An enquiry into the duties of the female - . There

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. There is a medium which is not always easy to be observed, with respect to daughters being allowed to accept invitations to pass some time in other families. Such intercourse on proper occasions is improving as well as pleasant. But if a young woman is accustomed to be frequently absent from home, roving from house to house, and accumulating visit upon visit; she is in no small danger of acquiring an unsettled and dissipated spirit; of becoming dissatisfied with the calm occupations and enjoyments of D D 3 the the family fireside; and even of losing some portion of the warm affection which she felt for her parents and near relations, while she was in the habit of placing her chief delight in their society. If the parent would guard her daughters from all propensity to this extreme, let her aid the sobriety of disposition and sedateness of character, already instilled into them, by the charms of never-failing and affectionate good humour on her own part, which are essential to the comfort of domestic life, and particularly attractive in the eye of youth. There are fashionable mothers who, at the same time that they introduce their daughters into a general and free acquaintance •with others of their age, sex, and station, carefully instil into them the prudential maxim, to contract friendship with none. The scheme either fails to succeed, or breeds up a character of determined selfishness. Let the parent encourage her daughters -in friendly attachment to young women, in whom amiable manners and virtuous principles are exemplified. With the society

An enquiry into the duties of the female - that yo

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that you may hope effectually to screen your daughter from modish folly and dissipation, 'from indiscreet intimacies and dangerous connections. It is thus that you may engage her to avail herself of the advantage of your experience ; and render to her, by your counsel, the most signal benefits both in the general intercourse of society, and particularly when she meditates on any prospect which may be opened to her of settling in connubial life.

An enquiry into the duties of the female - that

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that

An enquiry into the duties of the female - in vari

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in various respects such as are likely to guide her amiss. Her love for you may possibly not be radically shaken ; but her respect for your determinations, her solicitude to have her own sentiments confirmed and sanctioned by your concurrence, her distrust of her own views of characters and proceedings when contrary to your opinion, is universally impaired. Study then during the childhood of your daughter, study even with greater anxiety as her youth advances, to train her in the habit of regarding you not as a parent only, but as a friend. Fear not, when she enters into the temptations of the work!, to point out with unrestrained sincerity the dangers in \vhich novelty, and youthful passions, and fashionable example, involve her. If you point them not out fully and assiduously, you abandon the duty of a pavent. But to preserve the confidence of a friend, point them out with affectionate benignity, mindful of the hazards to which you were yourself exposed under similar circumstances, at a similar period of youth. It is thus

An enquiry into the duties of the female - the mis

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the misconceptions, dispel the delusions, and unravel the artifices, by which the fervour and inexperience of youth are en•nared ? If you encounter errors occasioned or increased by sensibility with austere coldness, with vehement chidings, or with unbending authority that disdains to assign reasons, and to make allowance for circumstances of mitigation; you destroy your own influence, and produce not conviction. Your disapprobation is ascribed to prejudice, to temper, to deadness of feeling. You are obeyed; but it is with inward reluctance, and with an augmented proneness to the step which you have forbidden. Confidence, withdrawn from yourself, is transferred to companions of the same age with your child, and therefore liable to the same mistakes and the same faults. Coincidence of ideas rivets her opinion of their judgement; friendship blinds her to thtir nusconduct. She is thus in a great measure removed from your hands into the hands of others, who are not likely to be qualified for the office of guiding. her, and may be D D 2 in

An enquiry into the duties of the female - . the

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. the

An enquiry into the duties of the female - • * • *

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• * • *

An enquiry into the duties of the female - Though

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Though time and judgement have sobered the excess of warmth and of sensibility by which your feelings, when you began first to be introduced into the world, were, like those of other young people, cha>racterised ; let it however be apparent to -your children, when at the period of life now under consideration, that you have not forgotten what they were. To the welfare •of your daughters in particular this is a point -of the highest concern. Unless it be evi•dent that you understand and frankly enter -into the emotions, which new scenes and new temptations excite in their minds; how will it be practicable for you to correct

An enquiry into the duties of the female - . j

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. j