therefore, learn to deny herself in this particular; and if she wishes to see her children really happy let her make it her business to excite and cherish the benevolent and social affections in their little souls; for in the exercise of these, the true happi ness of intellectual beings, through every stage of existence, will be found to consist.

All young creatures are naturally disposed to joy. It is the crossings of self-will that most frequently overcast "the sunshine of the breast." Where self will is early subdued, which it may be by very early notions of obedience, and uniform simplicity in dress and diet, these crossings, which provoke and irritate the temper, will be unnecessary. The feli city will be uninterrupted. The buoyant spirits will have full play. Cheap and simple are the joys of Nature! Directed by her, the happiness of childhood is an easy purchase; for never did she intend that it should be paid for by the misery of the future life. Under her guidance, the pleasures and amuse ments of infancy may be made introductory to tha of wisdom," whose paths are pleasantness, and whose end is peace!" Adieu.

LETTER XI.

ASSOCIATIONS PRODUCTIVE OF VANITY.

Advantages resulting from directing the attention to an exam. ination of the objects of sense.---Associations begetting preference for the splendid, and contempt for the useful.--- Illustrations.

THE associations which beget esteem, or inspire predilection, for certain objects or qualities, naturally present themselves as the next object of our consideration. On the formation of these depend the strength and virtue of the future character, which will be found to rise or fall, to become wise or foolish, virtuous or vicious, in exact proportion as the objects of esteem are found worthy or unworthy of a rational and accountable being.

I fear I may be thought to proceed upon a chimerical hypothesis, when I refer these important associations to the early age of which we are now treating; but let it be remembered, that we are still speaking of those associations which are rendered permanent, not so much by the strength of the impression, as by the frequency of the repetition, Now it appears to me that those we wish to remain permanent cannot be too early impressed, or too frequently repeated; and that it is of the utmost consequence that we proceed in the education of the heart and mind in an uniform tenor, never counteracting ourselves, by teaching at one period of life what we wish untaught at another.

The pleasurable sensation produced in early infancy by gaudy colours, by light and sound, is intended, by the wisdom and goodness of Providence, as a source of happiness and improvement. And here it is worthy of remark, that as each of the amiable passions of our nature-love, hope, gratitude, and joyhas a tendency to produce the benevolent affections; while hatred, fear, revenge, &c. have all a tendency to produce malevolence; à school of virtue is opened by Nature in the bosom of creation. For are not the first feelings of the mind those of pleasure? whilst the objects that inspire delight are liberally scattered on every side. The helplessness of infancy naturally inspires that compassionate tenderness, which, by its emphatic expressions, awakes the infant heart to sympathetic affection, while gratitude disposes it to joy. Thus love, joy, gratitude, complacency, all unite in opening the heart to the impressions of virtue.

This, it appears to me, is the view we ought to take of the intentions of Nature (or rather of Nature's GoD) in forming the infant mind susceptible of pleasure from the objects of sight and sound, before the mental faculties have begun to open. And to this we may add another and important end, it was the design of Nature by these means (and Nature is never superfluous in means) to accomplish: By this pleasing sensation the mind is called to an examination of sensible objects, and where unthinking folly does not counteract the wise design by its fond and foolish interference, the rudiments of knowledge and experience are thus acquired.

Miss Edgeworth's plan of an institution for having servants educated to the care of children, is

certainly excellent; but would it not be an improvement upon it, if young ladies, who are all brought up in the expectation of being wives and mothers, were to receive a few instructions concerning the nature of the duties they ought in these characters to fulfil? A few plain and rational notions concerning the proper management of children from the first stage of infancy would, in all probability, be little less useful than any of the accomplishments on which they are taught to pique themselves. Were young women of all ranks to be a little instructed in the nature of the human mind, and the developement of its faculties; were they to be informed of the great importance of observing the early tendencies of the disposition, and made sensible how much these early tendencies depended on the judicious or injudicious management of infancy, we should not behold young mothers treating their children as animated dolls, who were merely intended to gratify their vanity, and give variety to their amusements.

For want of this necessary instruction, the wish to please the tender babe is often productive of its misery. Observing its attention to sound, we inces santly stun it with noise in order to promote its happiness; and no sooner do we observe its eyes fixed upon an object, than we hurry it away to some other which is in our opinion more gay or beautiful. By the jingle of bells and a bit of coral, we expect at all times to be able to withdraw its observation from whatever objects have attracted its curiosity. Often, indeed, do we tantalize it by a sight of forbidden treasure, and tease it into fret fulness by presenting objects to its curiosity which

it is not permitted to examine or investigate by the only means of examination and investigation in its power, feeling and taste. Who has not sympathised in the misery of the poor child placed on its mother's lap after dinner, before a table covered with shining chrystal? In vain does it stretch out the little hand, and strain the eager eye, after the prohibited decanter. Even the less unwieldly drinking glass is forbidden to its touch; and while lavish streams of nonsense are poured on it from every side, the poor little creature, insensible to the foolish flattery, frets with mortification and disappoint

ment.

Would it not be better to present such objects to the sight of infants as may with safety be subjected to their curiosity? Nor when that is engaged, should we suffer their attention to be perpetually interrupted by presenting new objects to their observation. I have seen a child of six months old, with whom this mode of treatment had been observed, amuse herself for half an hour, by noticing the flowers upon printed callico hangings, which by the gravity of her looks, she appeared to be comparing with the flowers of the field.

Children brought up in the country have, in every stage and period, a great advantage over those cooped up in towns; but in the earlier stages of existence, the children of the poor have even in the country a manifest advantage over those of the rich. It is they alone who are permitted to feel and to enjoy the rich provision made by nature for their instruction in its full extent. Accordingly, we shall find that the children of peasants of the lowest class, nay, even the children of gypsies, have, at three