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I AM &longs;ometimes mortified to find
the books which I recommend to your
peru&longs;al, are not always applicable to the situation
of an American lady. The general
ob&longs;ervations of &longs;ome Engli&longs;h books are the
mo&longs;t u&longs;eful things contained in them; the
principal parts being chiefly filled with local

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de&longs;eriptions, which a young woman here is
frequently at a lo&longs;s to under&longs;tand.

I SEND you a little work, entitled “A Lady
of Quality's Advice to her Children” which,
though not altogether free from this exception,
is highly worthy of your attention. A
parent who is repre&longs;ented &longs;truggling with the
di&longs;tre&longs;s of a lingering illne&longs;s, bequeaths a
&longs;y&longs;tem of education to her offspring. I do
not recommend it to you as a Novel, but as
a work that &longs;peaks the language of the heart
and that inculcates the duty we owe to ourselves,
to &longs;ociety and the Deity.

DIDACTICK e&longs;&longs;ays are not always capable
of engaging the attention of young ladies.
We fly from the laboured precepts of the
e&longs;&longs;ayi&longs;t, to the &longs;prightly narrative of the

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novelist. Habituate your mind to remark the
difference between truth and fiction. You
will then always be enabled to judge of the
propriety and ju&longs;tne&longs;s of a thought; and
never be mi&longs;ied to form wrong opinions, by
the meretricious dre&longs;s of a plea&longs;ing tale. You
will then be capable of deducing the mo&longs;t
profitable le&longs;&longs;ons of in&longs;truction, and the defign
of your reading will be fully accomplished.—

HENCE you will be provided with a key to
the characters of men: To unlock the&longs;e curious
cabinets is a very u&longs;eful, as well as entertaining
employment. Of tho&longs;e in&longs;idious
gentlemen, who plan their advances towards
us on the Che&longs;terfieldian &longs;y&longs;tem, let me advi&longs;e
you to beware. A prudent commander

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would place a double watch, if he apprehended
the enemy were more di&longs;po&longs;ed to take the
fort by &longs;ecre&longs;y and undermining, than by an
open a&longs;&longs;ault.

I CANNOT but &longs;mile &longs;ometimes, to ob&longs;erve
the ridiculous figure of &longs;ome of our young
gentlemen, who affect to &longs;quare their condu
ct by his Lord&longs;hip's principles of politeness—
they never tell a &longs;tory unle&longs;s it be very
&longs;hort—they talk of decorum and the etiquette—
they dete&longs;t every thing vulgar or common—
they are on the rack if an old man
&longs;hould let fall a proverb—and a thou&longs;and
more trifling affectations, the ridicule of
which ari&longs;es, not &longs;o much from their putting
on this foreign dre&longs;s, as from their ignorance
or vanity in pretending to imitate tho&longs;e

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rules which were de&longs;igned for an Engli&longs;h
nobleman—Unle&longs;s, therefore, they have a
pro&longs;pect of being called by Congre&longs;s to execute
&longs;ome foreign negociation, they ought
certainly to be minding their bu&longs;ine&longs;s.

THIS affectation of fine breeding is destru
ctive to morals. Di&longs;&longs;imulation and insincerity
are connected with its tenets; and
are mutually inculcated with the art of pleasing.

A PERSON of this character grounds his
motives for plea&longs;ing on the mo&longs;t &longs;elfi&longs;h
principle—He is polite, not for the honour
of obliging you, as he endeavours to make
you believe, but that he him&longs;elf might be
obliged. Su&longs;pect him, therefore, of insincerity
and treachery, who &longs;acrifices truth to

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complai&longs;ance, and advi&longs;es you to the pur&longs;uit
of an object, which would tend to his advantage.

ALWAYS di&longs;tingui&longs;h the man of &longs;en&longs;e
from the coxcomb. Mr. Worthy is po&longs;&longs;e&longs;&longs;ed
of a good under&longs;tanding, and an exact judgment.
If you are united with him, let it
be the &longs;tudy of your life to pre&longs;erve his love
and e&longs;teem. His amiable character is adorned
with mode&longs;ty and a di&longs;po&longs;ition to
virtue and &longs;obriety. I never anticipate your
future happine&longs;s, but I contemplate this
part of his character with plea&longs;ure. But
remember the fidelity of a wife alone, will
not always &longs;ecure the e&longs;teem of a hu&longs;band;
when her per&longs;onal attractions do not continue
to delight his eye, &longs;he will flatter his

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judgment. I think you are enabled to perform
this, becau&longs;e you are &longs;olicitous to supply
your mind with tho&longs;e amiable qualities
which are more durable than beauty. When
you are no longer &longs;urrounded with a slattering
circle of young men, and the world &longs;hall
cea&longs;e to call you beautiful, your company
will be courted by men of &longs;en&longs;e, who know
the value of your conver&longs;ation.

I AM plea&longs;ed with the conduct of fome agreeable
girls, and the return of civility and
attention they often make to the conceited
compliments of a certain cla&longs;s of beaux.
The&longs;e ladies wi&longs;ely con&longs;ider them as the butterflies
of a day, and therefore generally
&longs;corn to break them on a wheel!

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WHEN you are in company, where the
vain and thoughtle&longs;s endeavour to &longs;hew
their ingenuity by ridiculing particular orders
of men, your prudence will dictate to
you not to countenance their abu&longs;e—The
book I have ju&longs;t mentioned, intimates, that
“there are a great many things done and
&longs;aid in company which a woman of virtue
will neither &longs;ee nor hear.”—To discountenance
levity, is a &longs;ure way to guard again&longs;t the
encroachment of temptation; to participate
in the mirth of a buffoon, is to render your&longs;elf
equally ridiculous. We owe to our&longs;elves a
dete&longs;tation of &longs;olly, and to the world, the appearance
of it. I would have you avoid coquetry
and affectation, and the ob&longs;ervance of
my maxims will never make you a prude—
Pretend, therefore, &longs;hould a vain youth throw

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out illiberal &longs;arca&longs;ms again&longs;t Mechanicks,
Lawyers, Mini&longs;ters, Virtue, Religion, or any
&longs;erious &longs;ubject, not to comprehend the
point of his wit.

I HAVE &longs;eldom &longs;poken to you on the importance
of Religion, and the veneration due
to the characters of the Clergy. I always
&longs;uppo&longs;ed your good &longs;en&longs;e capable of suggesting
their nece&longs;&longs;ity and eligibility. The Ministers
of no nation are more remarkable
for learning and piety than tho&longs;e of this
country. The fool may pretend to &longs;corn,
and the irreligious to contemn, but every
per&longs;on of &longs;en&longs;e and reflection mu&longs;t admire
that &longs;acred order, who&longs;e bu&longs;ine&longs;s is to inform
the under&longs;tanding, and regulate the passions
of mankind. Surely, therefore, that

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cla&longs;s of men, will continue to merit our efteem
and affection, while virtue remains upon
earth.

I AM always plea&longs;ed with the rea&longs;onable
and amiable light in which the Clergy are
placed by the author of the Guardian—
“The light,” &longs;ays he, “in which the&longs;e points
&longs;hould be expo&longs;ed to the view of one who is
prejuced again&longs;t the names, Religion, Church,
Prie&longs;t, or the like, is to con&longs;ider the Clergy
as &longs;o many Philo&longs;ophers, the Churches as
Schools, and their Sermons as Lectures for the
improvement and information of the audience.
How would the heart of Tully or
Socrates have rejoiced, had they lived in a
nation where the law had made provi&longs;ion
for philo&longs;ophers to read lectures of

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philosophy, every &longs;eventh day, in &longs;everal thou&longs;ands
of &longs;chools, erected at the publick charge,
throughout the whole country, at which
lectures, all ranks and &longs;exes, without distinc
tion, were obliged to be pre&longs;ent, for their
general improvement?”

YOU may, perhaps, think this letter too
&longs;erious, but remember that virtue and religion
are the foundation of education.

Adieu!

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