University of Virginia Library

Tuesday, A. M.
WRITING AND ARITHMETIC.

The young ladies being seated, this morning,
their Preceptress addressed them as follows.

“Writing is productive both of pleasure and
improvement. It is a source of entertainment
which enlarges the mental powers more, perhaps,
than any other. The mind is obliged to exertion
for materials to supply the pen. Hence it
collects new stores of knowledge, and is enriched
by its own labours. It imperceptibly treasures
up the ideas, which the hand impresses. An
opportunity is furnished of reviewing our sentiments
before they are exposed; and we have the
privilege of correcting or expunging such as are
erroneous. For this purpose, you will find it a
good method to collect and write your thoughts
upon any subject that occurs; for by repeatedly
arranging and revising your expressions and
opinions, you may daily improve them, and learn
to think and reason properly on every occasion.
By this mean you may likewise provide yourselves
with a fund of matter for future use,
which, without this assistance, the memory

would not retain. It will be of great service to
note down in your common-place book such
particulars as you may judge worth remembering,
with your own observations upon them.
This will be a kind of amusement which will
exercise your thinking powers at the time, and,
by recurring to it afterwards, it may afford you
many useful hints.

“The frequent use of the pen is calculated
to refine and enlarge your understandings.
Have you any talent at composition? it will be
increased by cultivation.

“Neglect no opportunity, therefore, which your
leisure affords, of delighting your friends, and
accomplishing yourselves by the exercise of your
genius in this way.

“Thrice blessed are we, the happy daughters
of this land of liberty, where the female mind is
unshackled by the restraints of tyrannical custom,
which in many other regions confines the exertions
of genius to the usurped powers of lordly
man! Here virtue, merit, and abilities are
properly estimated under whatever form they appear.
Here the widely extended fields of literature
court attention; and the American fair are
invited to cull the flowers, and cultivate the expanding
laurel.

“But the species of writing, which is open to
every capacity, and ornamental to every station,
is the epistolary. This, between particular friends,

is highly agreeable and interesting. It is a method
of interchanging sentiments, and of enjoying
intercourse with those from whom you are far
removed, which is a happy substitute for personal
conversation. In a correspondence of this
sort, all affectation, formality, and bombast should
be laid aside.

“Ease, frankness, simplicity, and sincerity should
be its leading traits. Yet let not your letters be
composed of mere sounding terms, and verbose
egotism; but intermix sentiment with expression,
in such a manner as may be improving as well
as pleasing. Letters of friendship should conduce
no less to the advantage than entertainment
of the person addressed; and mere cursory letters,
of general acquaintance, must, at least, be
written with propriety and accuracy. The formation
of the characters, the spelling, the punctuation,
as well as the style and sense, must be attended
to.

“Never omit noticing the receipt of letters, unless
you mean to affront the writers. Not to answer
a letter, without being able to assign some
special reason for the neglect, is equally unpardonable
as to keep silence when conversation is
addressed to you in person.

“By habituating yourselves to writing, what
may, at first, appear a task, will become extremely
pleasant. Refuse not, then, to improve this
part of your education, especially by your frequent

and dutifully affectionate epistles to your
parents, when absent from them. Express your
gratitude for their care, and convince them it has
not been lost upon you.

“Always employ your pens upon something
useful and refined. Let no light or loose compositions
occupy your time and thoughts; but
remember that what you utter in this way is in
some measure the picture of your hearts. Virtue
forbid, that this favourite employment should
be disgraced by impurity, indelicacy, or the communication
of vicious and ignoble sentiments!

“One of the sages of antiquity being asked why
he was so long in writing his opinion, replied,
“I am writing for futurity.”

“Your characters during life, and even when
you shall sleep in the dust, may rest on the efforts
of your pens. Beware then how you employ
them. Let not the merit of your attainments in
this noble art be degraded by improper subjects
for its exercise. Suffer not the expectation of
secrecy to induce you to indulge your pens upon
subjects, which you would blush to have exposed.
In this way your characters may be injured,
and your happiness destroyed.

“Celia and Cecilia were companions at a boarding
school. When separated, they commenced
an epistolary correspondence, on which each valued
herself. Their former intimacy, which they
termed friendship, prompted them to write with

unlimited confidence; and, without the least reserve,
to reveal every dictate of levity and thoughtless
folly. They imagined themselves perfectly
secure from the censure of the critic. Their
education had not taught them, that a virtuous
mind should shrink even from ideal indelicacy.
Celia was courted by Silvander, a young man of
whom she was passionately fond; but she had
art and resolution enough to conceal her letters
from his inspection, though he often solicited a
communication of her correspondence. At length
he became impatient for a perusal of letters
which appeared so pleasing and interesting to the
parties, and suspicious that some particular cause
directed their privacy. Influenced by these motives,
Silvander bribed a market-boy, who came
from the village where Cecilia lived, and always
conveyed the letters to and from her, to give them
first into his hand. How astonished was he to
find the lightness of mind exemplified in them!
Purity of sentiment, delicacy of thought, and
refinement of taste were entirely laid aside; and
illiberal wit, frothy jests, double entendres, and
ridiculous love-tales were substituted in their
place. His name was used with so much freedom,
and every circumstance relative to his intercourse,
and proposed connexion with Celia,
was bandied with such familiarity, that he was
mortified, disgusted, and chagrined, in the extreme.
He had the policy, however, to conceal
the discovery till he had copied a considerable
number of Celia's letters, leaving out whatever
had reference to his own affairs. He then revenged
himself by disclosing his knowledge to
her, avowing his indignation at her weakness,
duplicity and folly, and taking an immediate and
final leave. Not content with this, he even circulated
her letters among his acquaintance. This
fixed the stamp of ignominy on the correspondents;
and their names and characters were rendered
as ridiculous as scandal and malicious wit
could desire.

“Celia was almost distracted at the loss of her
lover; but when she found the method he had
taken to punish her indiscretion, and that her
reputation was thus materially injured, she secluded
herself, in a great measure, from society. Her
sensibility received a wound which could never be
healed; and she lived and died in melancholy,
regret, and obscurity.

“However censurable the unjust and ungenerous
conduct of Silvander may be deemed, yet
no adequate excuse can be offered for the young
ladies, who dishonored their pens and their talents
by a most improper and unbecoming use of
both.

“Next to writing, arithmetic usually claims attention.
This is absolutely necessary in every
department, and in every stage of life. Even in
youth, the proper arrangement of your expenses

will conduce greatly to your advantage; and
when placed at the head of families, it will be
very friendly to the order and economy of your
domestic affairs. But, leaving your matronal
conduct to future admonition, many benefits result
from keeping regular accounts in a single
state. Your parents allow you a certain sum for
your own private use. Fashion and folly are always
busy in creating innumerable imaginary
wants, which must exceed your finances, if you
do not attend to an exact adjustment of your expenditures.
For this purpose, always calculate
your immediate and most necessary demands.
Let these be first supplied, and then, if your
funds be not exhausted, more superfluous ones
may occupy your thoughts. There is one claim,
however, which must not be neglected, and that
is CHARITY. You will, therefore, manage your
expenses in such a manner as to reserve some
portion of your income for the necessitous.
Should you think your allowance insufficient to
admit the children of want to a share, let your
benevolence plead for the retrenchment of some
trifling article which you may dispense with,
without much inconvenience; and the exquisite
pleasure resulting from the bestowment, will
more than counterbalance the sacrifice. In these,
and many other particulars, a knowledge of arithmetic
will enable you to conduct the affairs of
youth with ease, advantage, and usefulness.
And, perhaps, as you advance in years, and are
called to fill more important stations, you may
find it of still greater utility.

“The father of Lucinda was in easy circumstances,
while he could perform the duties and
enjoy the profits of a lucrative business. He
was the affectionate parent of a numerous family,
to whose education and improvement he attended
with unwearied diligence and pleasure; till repeated
losses in trade, and disappointments in his
worldly expectations embarrassed his affairs, depressed
his spirits, and impaired his health. In
the midst of these difficulties, his amiable and
beloved wife was removed by death. This trial
was greater than he could support. He sunk under
the affliction, and lost his reason. Lucinda
was the eldest of six children, the care of whom,
with the melancholy task of attending and ministering
to the necessities of her unhappy father, devolved
on her. She looked upon the woe-fraught
scence, and wept. Her heart was sinking under
the weight of grief; and hope, the best soother
of the unfortunate, had nearly abandoned her.
She advised with her friends, who proposed to
relieve the family by means of a subscription.
Lucinda thanked them for their proffered kindness,
and returned to her disconsolate habitation.
She deliberated on the projected measure; which
she considered must be slow, uncertain, and, at
any rate, inadequate to their future exigences.

She could not reconcile herself to the idea of her
father's depending on charity for subsistence.
Yet what could be done? One resource only
remainded;—her own exertions. By these she
slattered herself, that she might save the family
from suffering want, and discharge the obligations
she owed to her revered parent. Her education,
by which, among other branches of learning,
she had been well instructed in arithmetic,
(that being her father's favourite study) qualified
her for this undertaking. She therefore devoted
herself to the business without delay; examined
her father's accounts, collected whatever remained
that was valuable; sold the superfluous moveables,
and purchased a small stock for trade. All
who knew her motives and merit frequented her
shop, and encouraged her by their custom and
kindness. By this mean, together with her judicious
management, and engaging behaviour, she
increased her business to such a degree, as to support
the family with ease and reputation.

“Her discreet and dutiful conduct to her father,
soon restored him to his reason.

“When he found how prudently and affectionately
Lucinda had exerted herself in his behalf,
he exclaimed, “Many daughters have done
virtuously, but thou excellest them all!”

“He resumed his former business, and lived to
see his children all well provided for, and happily
settled around him.”