to regard the physician's advice; or, as in cases, alas, too common, commit the care of their offspring to a hireling servant; imprison them for hours in a nursery, regardless of their pleasing prattle; and, unattracted by their playful gambols, suffer their intrusion merely for an hour or two in the evening, rather than daily assist in the formation of their character. Could such unnatural and irrational fashions permanently contribute to domestic happiness?

ON THE OTHER HAND, it was contended that the opener had not defined the present system of education; he had confined his view to some disapproved parts of it, and had not particularized the domestic duties themselves.

The melancholy view which had been presented of society, and that as resulting from excessive attention to ornamental education, arose from an unhappy and unfair selection of extreme cases, in which such direful effects had resulted; for, if it were otherwise, if such was the prevailing system, and such its necessary consequences, a good wife would scarcely be found in society.

It had been properly contended that the objects of education should be to prepare the woman to become a good wife, an exemplary mother, and the competent mistress of a family; but the statement of the duties of these interesting characters was partial, and therefore incorrect.

Education may be considered as comprehending whatever improved the mind. It included all knowledge acquired, whether at home or elsewhere; whether taught by a master or mistress; it qualified the pupil to amuse as well as to labour, and raised the individual above the condition of the labourer who worked by the piece, and therefore to whom a stimulus to work-work-was applied, just commensurate with his strength and industry.

It may be doubted whether human happiness, and the formation of the character itself, did not depend as much on the employment of the intervals of leisure, (and the busiest life happily experienced some,) as on the regular discharge of weightier duties; and, without some accomplishments, how were these intervals to be spent to the interest and benefit of the family? Indeed, it was universally allowed, that relaxation is absolutely necessary, and the gravest men felt and admitted the fact. It was moreover important that home, of which the opponents seemed so fond, should be rendered attractive, that fewer inducements to wander in search of amusement should exist. To the young, especially, it could not be denied, these accomplishments constituted some of their sweetest pleasures.

In forming an estimate of the merits of a plan, it was proper to take a general view of its effects; and, generally speaking, the domestic duties were well discharged. It would not be difficult to point to ladies as distinguished for their literature as their accomplishments, who were exemplary in the discharge of the duties of home; and, in some families, the young ladies undertook the domestic management in turn. It must therefore have happened, that the cases which had so powerfully impressed the gentlemen's minds, were rather exceptions to, than examples of, the general rule; and which might have been as numerous under any other system. There are eccentricities in the human character, as well as anomalies in the structure of language, for which we are not always able to account.

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Fancy Needle-work had been objected to on two accounts, -a waste of time and expense. The gentlemen's error seemed to arise from a contemplation of the value of time, in the abstract; or an erroneous comparison of the value of children's time with that of their parents. Nor would it appear that skill, in these ornamental works, was so completely useless as had been represented. It may be presumed that dexterity in the use of the needle, once acquired, it might be afterwards turned to any account, as circumstances directed. be doubted, also, how far it was proper to estimate the merits of juvenile work by its intrinsic value. It was calculated too early to instil mercenary views. It fostered avarice, that contemptible and most dangerous passion; and destroyed those delicate feelings, arising from the finest associations of a cultivated mind. It was not the commercial value of the hearth-rug, the bell-rope, nor the fancy toys, or waxen fruit, that constituted its worth in the estimate of friendship. It was the train of thought and feeling which the sight of it awakened, that constituted its value, and, in this sense, it was above all price, both to the fair manufacturer, and all those who loved her. And, it may be farther questioned, whether these employments were so foreign to the discharge of the domestic duties as had been represented. It certainly must improve the taste, and the ability for many domestic ornaments and arrangements.

With respect to Music, it had been allowed to be interesting. It was, indeed, a source of exquisite pleasure, admirably calculated to enliven and divert the mind from subjects of painful solicitude. It had the powerful sanction of the great and good in every age, and was employed for the most sublime and hallowed of purposes-the praise of our Supreme Benefactor. It seemed to unite the terrestrial and celestial worlds, and was certainly one of the sciences that would endure for

ever. It was particularly adapted to become an accomplishment of her who would want every means of mitigating the cares of her anxious husband, and of enlivening the domestic circle; and the influence of the science in this connexion, was alike notorious, both in sacred and profane history; yea, it had given rise to the most delightful mythological fables; and its melody would be ten times sweeter, proceeding from female lips and fingers. But it appeared that ladies had been vain enough to endeavour to vie with professors of the science. Surely they must either have been such as were destined to become teachers of the art, or such as were endowed with superior genius; in either of which cases no one could regret their success. But, even supposing that some ladies are so indiscreet, does it follow that the science is injurious? Is there any connexion between the two positions? As well may we censure the study of Latin and Greek, because some have neglected immediate duty in the pursuits. But, an objection was taken to the general study of music, upon the presumption that nature had denied to many a taste for it. Cases have certainly existed, in which, from various causes, there has been a disability to follow any proposed note in the scale; and this discovered, the attempt at music would be doubtless absurd: but, there are very few uninfluenced by its charms, or who, by practice, would be unable to produce them; and, unhappy may be considered the lot of that parent, who had so hopeless, because so unnatural, a child; it might be feared its history would verify the well known, but striking lines, of Shakespeare, who, after describing the effects of music, even in the brute creation, exclaims:

"The man that has no music in himself,

Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus;

Let no such man be trusted."

Dancing was the next accomplishment on which the gentlemen had commented. Their objections to it, as forming a part of the modern system of education, were, that it was excessively practised; that, being associated with display in dress, it was calculated to produce vanity and distaste for the scenes of home. The force of these censures applied rather to the abuse of this elegant and innocent amusement, than to the healthful exercise itself; which immoderate consequences, it was equally the business of the parents and teachers to prevent; and, as it was not insinuated, and certainly could not be proved, that these sad effects universally, or even commonly, followed, it was obviously possible to insure the ad

vantages without the abuses of this art. If the abuse of things was a criterion of their utility, to what could we point as useful? Such was the weakness of human nature, that even the virtues glided into the opposite vices when pushed to extremes. Thus the boundaries between the gentleman's favourite economy and avarice; between consistency in dress and criminal negligence of the person; between necessary exercise and ruinous sloth, are not sufficiently obvious to be observed by many, who are as regardless of the domestic duties as they are of the controverted accomplishments. But, there is much truth in Lord Chesterfield's opinion, as it respects dress, that the extreme of excess is a better sign in youth than the extreme of deficiency; for, as it generally happens, that less attention is paid to appearance as age advances, indifference to dress in early life may be feared to terminate in slovenliness in maturer years.

To Drawing the opposition was feeble. It was objected, that fond parents made their children's performances the instruments of fostering youthful vanity. It must be remembered, that, although injudicious parents may ignorantly elicit excessive praise from their visitors, by too public display of their drawings and various performances, yet the effect deplored would be partial. In the first place, prudent parents would avoid it; and, in the next, timid and diffident children would be more benefited than injured by the practice. But, is it to be admitted, that this evil is general? Can it be imagined that evening parties meet for this purpose? or that, assembled, they have no higher employment? Have the visits of friendship, in this civilized age, ceased to produce,

"The feast of reason and the flow of soul?"

If the practice of drawing for the exhibitions was common, certainly this accomplishment would be injurious. But a survey of the annual catalogues will demonstrate the weakness of this objection. The instances are few; and, in ladies of genius and leisure, who could object? The woman who neglected the duties of her family to prepare a drawing for the public eye, must be considered as a fit inmate for Bethlem or St. Luke's; and, as such, she would be more the object of pity than blame; and it might be considered a merciful circumstance for her husband, or her parents, that during the dethronement of reason, a disordered imagination did not impel to more wild and dangerous pursuits.

With regard to the study of the French and Italian languages, objection only was made to their perfect acquirement. Gentlemen had forgotten, or disapproved, the maxim, “whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well." It was,

moreover, amusing, to observe how ingeniously they were for apportioning the acquirement of languages to the pupil's rank in society. To the higher classes, an intimate knowledge of modern languages: to the middling classes, a middling acquaintance with them; and, of course, to the lowest, none at all. This might do very well in theory; but, unless Providence should approve and adopt the distinction, it would never succeed in practice. Happily, the Almighty is less partial in his favours; and the intellectual, or persevering tradesman's daughter, will ever surpass the titled dunce. And, as in every age, the able and virtuous are more or less rising, and the incompetent and worthless descending, in the scale of society; the education can never be nicely adapted to future exigencies; unless it should please the Omniscient, to add to his revelation the prospective particulars of individual history.

Another consideration presented itself. It was a remarkable peculiarity of the present age, that knowledge was generally diffusing. The means of instruction were within the reach of the poorest, whether old or young; and even clothes were lent to the naked, who were anxious to be taught to enable them to attend. That the gradations of society may be preserved, it became necessary correspondingly to enlarge, elevate, and adorn, the system of education for the superior classes; and, undoubtedly, the study of the languages contributed to this end. Hence, while the middle classes of society have added to their plan the French and Italian, the higher classes had began to direct the attention of their daughters to the classics, to mathematics, and even experimental philosophy.

But the age at which young ladies leave school was complained of. They ought, it seems, to remain no longer than their brothers; that, while the latter are learning a trade or profession, the former may be acquiring the art and mystery of the domestic duties. To make the analogy more complete, would it not be advisable to apprentice the ladies to their mothers, as the sons are often bound to their fathers? or to article them to some celebrated housewife, that, at length, they may be pronounced free of the trade; and, consequently, thoroughly prepared for every domestic character?

Fault had been found with our boarding-schools. Children did not there acquire skill in the practice of the domestic duties: nor was this surprising, seeing the school was not the place to learn them; they were not sent there for that purpose: home was the scene for the discharge of those duties; and, therefore, home was the place to acquire a knowledge of them.