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LETTERS

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TO A VERY- MAR 10 1-

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S/CAi.

YOUNG LADY.

Or. V\/

VSVT1EN FOR THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, AVC
BEVISET By THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION.

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PHILADELPHIA:

AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION,

1122 Chestnut Street.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843,
l>y Herman Cope, Treasurer, in trust for the American Sun-
day-school Union, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court
c.f the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

STEREOTYPED BY
U JOHNSON. PHILADELPHIA.

PREFACE.

The writer of the following pages has
endeavoured to make a book which
should be both entertaining and useful
to the young. It has been his aim to
adapt his language to the wants of child-
ren, without becoming childish. For this
reason there has been little attempt to
come down to the style of the nursery;
in the belief that, if children do not under-
stand sound English, it is time they should
learn it. If every hard word is avoided,
none but easy words can ever be learned.

The subject and manner, in some let-
ters, are purposely higher than in others ;

for it is impossible to suit all capacities.

3

4 PREFACE.

It is hoped that none will find any diffi
culty which it will not be profitable to
overcome.

The religious instructions contained in
many parts of the book are earnestly
commended to the youthful reader, with
a hearty prayer that they may lead some
of Christ's lambs into the way of life.

CONTENTS.

Letter Page

I. Introductory - 7

II. Play 11

III. The Book-case - - ■ - 16

IV. Filial Duty .... 21
V. Farly Rising - -26

VI. Prayer 30

VII. Family Worship* - - - - 34
VIII. Behaviour at Table ... 39

IX. School ------ 44

X. Companions 50

XI. Reading 56

XII. Dress 65

XIII. Care of Room - - - - 71

XIV. Household Work 77
XV. Needlework 83

XVI. Accomplishments 89

XVII. Music 94

XVIII. Brothers and Sisters - - - 100

XIX Temper 105

XX. Behaviour to Servants - - 110

XXl. Acts of Charity - - - - 115

XX'il. Money 120

1* 5

6 CONTENTS.

Letter Paga

XXIII. Visits 126

XXIV. Receiving Visits - - - 131
XXV. Letter-Writing - - - - 136

XXVI. The Formation of Habits - 140

XXVII. Air and Exercise - - - 145

XX VIII. Conversation - - 150

XXIX. Truth 156

XXX. The Sunday-school - - 161

XXXI. Behaviour in Church - - 167

XXXII. The Bible - 174

XXXIII. Early Piety - - - - 181

XXXIV. Preparation for Death - - 188
XXXV. Duty of Children to pious Parents 194

X XXVI. Fashionable#Amusements - 199

XXXVII. Thoughts for the Future - - 207

*XXVIII Usefulness - 215

XXXIX. Entertainment out of Doors - 223

XL. Home 231

XLI. Humility and Meekress - - 239

XLII. CDnc usion - 247

LETTERS

TO A*

VE11T YOUNG LADY.

LETTER FIRST.

INTRODUCTORY.

My dear Mary, — You have now
arrived at an age when you are fully
able to understand the advice of your
friends, on the most important sub-
jects. You write letters to your lit-
tle acquaintances, and receive their
answers. This is a great source of
entertainment to young ladies of
your age, and at the same time it may
be made very improving. I do not
say that it often is so ; for the things
which fill such notes and billets are
sometimes very childish. But the
correspondence need not be childish,

8 LETTERS TO A

even when it is childlike ; for there
is a difference between these words. *
which I will leave you to find out.

Since you are so fond of letters, 1
do not see any reason, my dear, wh)
you should not have a new cor-
respondent. I think I hear you say,
Who can it be ? Where is this new
correspondent to come from ? I will
tell you. It shall be none of your
school-mates, nor any one of your
relations. But it shall be a friend
who loves you and enjoys your com-
pany. True he has lived many years
longer than you, and has gray hairs
and a good many wrinkles. But
notwithstanding this, he is not so old,
nor so cross, nor so sour, that he can-
not love the sweet wrays of pleasant
children. Ah ! you have guessed it !
It is I myself, who am going to be
your correspondent; and I mean to
write you a long string of letters ; that
is, what we call a series. And all I
have to ask is, that you wrould care-

VERY YOUNG LADY. 9

fulb read them ; and when you have
done tnis, that you would put thern
away safely, for future use. Because
there may be some things which you
will understand and enjoy better a
few years hence, if your life be
spared, than you do now.

Do not think, my dear child, be-
cause I am so much older than you,
and because I am a minister of the
gospel, and because I have a grave
and serious face, that I shall al-
ways write to you in a way to make
you sad. There are some things
which I must say, that may indeed
sadden you, for your good ; but I
hope to write some things, also, which
shall not only instruct, but entertain
and amuse you. I believe, I may
say without vanity, that I have in my
treasury many pleasant things for a
young lady of your age. Some of
these will be from my travels, some
from my daily walks, some from my
books, and some from the Book of

10 LETTERS TO A

Books, the Inspired Volume, which
is the message of God our Creator
and Saviour.

This is enough for an introduction
My letters will be numerous, but
they will not be long. Sometimes,
I hope, you will try your pen in the
way of reply. And let me assure
you, my dear Mary, in spite cf my
wrinkles and gray hairs, I sha' • prize
your little communication* very
much.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 11

LETTER SECOND.

PLAY.

M r dear Mary, — To be fond of
play is so natural at your age, that no
one would ever think of finding fault
with it. Providence has made it
natural to all young creatures to
sport and gambol. You see this in
the lamb, the kid, the kitten, and the
domestic fowls. It is wisely and
mercifully arranged, to ensure that
exercise which is necessary for the
growth of the body, and the opening
and strengthening of the limbs. Be-
sides, much that we call play is
really learning. There are many
things which we need to know, that
are taught in no schools, except the
school of play. But then, you know,
t is not right to be always at play,
any more than it is right to be always

12 LETTERS TO A

at school. Every thing is beautiful
in its season. The sparrow that
sings so sweetly near our window,
must sometimes be busy about her
nest. Very little children do scarce-
ly any thing but play. Very old
men and women do not play at all.
And while little people are growing
up, the older they become, the less
play they need. So that though I will
allow you to spend a good deal of
your time in amusing yourself, you
must always remember, that it is not
your main business, and that you
must willingly leave play for work, or
books.

Perhaps you are ready to ask me,
wdiat are the best plays for a little
girl ? I answer, play is play, and that
is best which you like best, provided
it is innocent, healthful and mode-
rate. It would be very unwise in
me to set you a task of play. You
would soon grow weary of your doll,
your tea-things, your graces, or your

VERY YOUXG LADY. 13

cup-and-ball, if you were commanded
to play with them an hour every day.

Be sure, my dear child, to have no
amusements which are unknown to
your dear parents, or which are not
pleasing to them. No play ought to
seem right to you which seems wrong
to them.

Plays in the open air are the best
of all. Exercise, out of doors, is
good for the health. Look at those
children who are kept very much
within the house. How pale they
are ! If you feel their arms, you wit
find them soft and weak. Little
girls who go to school, and sit there
several hours over their books, need,
in a special manner, the open air,
to give a colour to their cheeks,
and to prepare them for after life.
When the weather is very bad, your
parents will direct you to stay with-
in ; but if they are wise, they will
not allow you to be too much afraid
of a little sunshine or rain, or even
2

14 LETTERS TO A

of a gentle snow You are to live
in a rough world, and it will not do
for you to become too tender.

Your young acquaintances will be

much better advisers than I, as to

what sports and games you shall play

at. There is no danger that you will

not have enough. Avoid those which

are. boisterous and romping, and those

which give pain to your companions,

or to any living creature. Be gentle,

modest, and fair, even when in sport.

Keep far away from all plays, in

which you have to speak any thing

untrue, even in jest. If your sports

can be made of any use, or fit you

for any duty, so much the better. I

do not care how full of gayety and

ioy you are, while you are at your

play. It is well to do what we do

with all our heart. But never play

when you ought to be studying or

working. Say to yourself: When I

work, I work, and when I play, I

play. Especially, io not pia}' in

VERY YOUNG LADY. 15

school, unless by express permission:
and remember the Sabbath-day to
keep it holy.

Now, my dear, lest all this lecture
about play should turn out to be
hard work, I will weary you no
longer. You may go out to your tu
lips and roses, or to your skipping
rope, or to your swing, or to ride on
your pony, or to run along the river's
bank, or to arrange your tea-table
So I bid you good evening.

16 LETTERS TO A

LETTER THIRD.

THE BOOK-CASE.

My dear Mary, — I have been
thinking of giving you a little ad-
vice about your book-case "My
book-case !" you are ready to cry
out — " why, sir, I have no book-
case." Then, my dear, it is time
you had one. " O," you will say,
" you have book-cases, and my fa-
ther has a book-case, and lawyers
and scholars have book-cases ; but
what should I, a little girl not yet in
my teens, do with one ? I will an-
swer you, Mary. As soon as you
have books of your own, you should
have a place to keep them b)^ them-
selves. If you have two or three
only, a shelf will do in your mother's
chamber, or in the nursery, or in
vour own room. If you rave 3

VERY ItOUNG LADY. 17

dozen or more, as most girls of your
age have, who are careful of what
has been given them, you will need
several shelves, and these put to-
gether make a book-case. The car-
penter will make you a plain one for
a few shillings ; or, if your parents
can afford it, and will buy you one
of a more elegant sort, the money
will not be thrown away.

But whether you have a book-case
or not, you cannot begin too early to
keep every thing that belongs to you
in good order. A place for every
thing, and every thing in its place.
When you have been reading a
book and are suddenly called away,
do not leave it on a chair, or in the
window-seat, or on the door-steps, or
the bench in the arbour. Do not lay
it open on the breakfast-table or
work-stand, with the clean leaves
spread out to be soiled. Return it
carefully to the shelf, and to its ex-
act place ; not upside down, nor

18 LETTERS TO A

with the back inwards, but just as
you wo ild wish to find it. In work,
or study, or play, the rule is a good
one for all people : Leave things as
you would find them.

By no means use your book for
any purpose but to read in it. For
this it was made : and to do otherwise
is to abuse it. When I call upon the
young ladies of my flock, I see many
signs of abused books. Some of
them wet their finger or thumb to
turn over the leaf, a slovenly habit
which no neat person will indulge
in. It soils the page, and makes
what you call dog's-ears. I have
turned over many thousands of
leaves in my day, but I never found
this expedient necessary. Some
persons think a book a very safe and
good place for keeping flowers, cut-
paper, patterns of silk and ribands,
and delicate bits of lace ; and so it is,
if the book is never to be read. But
the sight of these things between

VERY YOUNG LADY. 19

the leaves is a fair sign that the
owner is not a great reader. Some
young ladies use a book to raise
them at the piano-forte, or they set a
flower-'pot upon it, or they take it to
support the sash of a window, when
the weight is out of order. Pray
avoid all these tricks. They are
most common where people are vul-
gar and ignorant. A book is made
to be read ; use it aright and it will
be a treasure. After a little while it
will be no trouble to you to put your
book away, whenever you have done
reading in it.

It is a good way to put a neat
paper-cover on such books as you
have to use very often. It is not a
good way to turn down a leaf in or-
der to mark the place, or to stick a
pin into the paper ; you had better
lose your place than do either of
these things.

Never allow yourself to write any
thing in a book except your name,

20 LETTERS TO A

and write that but once. You will
of course be ashamed to draw pic-
tures on the pages, or to tear out the
blank leaves at the beginning or end.
It is the slattern only who falls intc
such practices ; and I should judge
of the neatness of a young lady very
much by the care she takes of her
books.

This will be enough about the
outside of books. I may say some-
thing about the inside hereafter.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 21

LETTER FOURTH.

FILIAL DUTY.

My dear Mary, — Your kind pa
rents are still living It is an un-
speakable blessing, for which you
cannot be thankful enough to Al-
mighty God. Think of the thou-
sands of poor orphans in the world,
and pray to be kept from forgetting
the debt of gratitude that you owe.

When you see the care of your
beloved mother for your little sister
or brother, who is still in infancy,
you should daily remember that the
same care was once bestowed on
you. You cannot remember it, but
it is fresh in the rrinds of your pa-
rents; and if you were to live a
hundred years with them, you never
could repay them. O how they
watched by your bed-side when

22 LETTERS TO A

you were sick ! How they trembled
when they thought you would die !
Can you love them enough for this ?
How are you going to repay them.
Mary ? With money ? O, no ! ail
the gold of all the mines in the
world would not repay them. They
do not ask gold and silver, and you
have not got any, if they did. What
then are you to pay them with ?
What ought you to give them ? I
will tell you, in a single word, Ho-
nour : this is what you are to render,
and this is what God commands.

Honour thy Father and thy
Mother, that thy days may be
long upon the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee.

This is the fifth commandment,-
but it is the first commandment with
promise* It is the child's great
commandment, and the one which;
should be always in your mind and*
heart. It promises long life and

* Eph. vi. 2, 3.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 23

prosperity as far as these are for
God's glory and your good. Re-
member it, then, and honour those
beloved friends, who love you more
than it is possible for you now to
understand.

If other persons are placed over
vou in a situation like that of your
father and mother, they have like
authority. You must honour them
also. I mean your guardians, your
teachers, and all who take the place
of parents to you.

Bless God for giving you kind
and able parents, and ask yourself
every day, what you can do to make
them happy. Watch their very
looks, and do not wait for their com-
mand, but hasten to obey before
they have given you their orders.
It will be too late to think of this
when their precious heads are laid
cinder the earth. Then, my dear
Mary, (if you should be living,) you
will think of a thousand things:

24 LETTERS TO A

which you might have dene for
their comfort; but it will be toe
late.

Never differ with )rour mother a
single moment, about what you
ought to do. She knows better than
you. If you think otherwise, you
are a foolish, as well as a wicked
child. It is impossible for you to
please God, unless you please your
parents in every thing lawful which
they command you.

Obey from the heart cheerfully,
quickly and affectionately. Do not
be like the eye-servant, who works
only while the master is looking at
him. Attend to your parents' wishes
as much in their absence as in their
presence. It is ungrateful, it is
offensive to God, for any child to do
otherwise.

To say that a little girl is disobe-
dient to her parents is one of the
worst things it is possible to say
about her. There are such girls in

VERY YOUNG LADY. 25

the world. I have met with them.
I have heard them speak as pertly
to their mothers as they would to a
servant ; and I have been disgusted
and shocked, and have trembled for
them. Such a young lady shall
never be, with my leave, the com-
panion of my children. She is
hateful to God and holy angels, and
unless she repent and turn, will no
doubt fall under heavy judgments.
I hope better things of you, my
child. You cannot repeat too often
the words of Scripture : Children,
obey your parents in the Lord, for
this is right. Honour thy father
and mother, which is the first com-
mandment with promise; that it
may be well with thee, and thou
may est live long on the earth.
Ephes. vi. 1, 2, 3.
9

26 LETTERS TO A

LETTER FIFTH.

EARLY RISING.

My dear Mary, — It is now the
beautiful summer-season, when our
kind Creator has given us the great-
est delights of nature. It is the
time of flowers, and fruits, and
birds, and beautiful prospects. But
to enjoy these fully, you must rise
betimes. Young persons sometimes
get into a very bad habit of lying in
bed for some hours after the sun is
up. They are asleep when creation
is showing its wonderful beauties.
They lose many pleasures which
they might enjoy for nothing; and
they are forming a habit which is
likely to remain with them as long
as they live.

Make one fair trial of early rising,
and you w 11 be persuaded that 1

VEB ¥ YOUNG LADY. 27

am right. Go out with me just be-
fore sunrise. The moment you go
abroad, what a freshness and fra-
grance breathes from the country
around ! What a concert of gay
birds in the wood ! What brilliant
colours in the various flowers ! Now
tell me, is not this far better than to
be lving, stupidly asleep, in a warm
bed?

Early rising is good for the health.
Most old people will tell you that
they have been early risers. . If you
wish to have an appetite for your
breakfast, go out in season and brush
away the early dew. A little exer-
cise in these morning hours is better
than a great deal at a later hour in
the day.

Those who lie long in bed are
apt to neglect their dress. As they
rise but . a little before the family
come together, they have to dress in
a hurry ; and so they fall into care-
less, slovenly wavs. What is still

28 LETTERS TO A

worse, they often neglect their les*
sons. In the evening, when tired
with play, they put off their tasks
till morning; and when the morn-
ing comes they sleep so long that
they have just time to hurry down
to breakfast. And what is worst of
all, they are almost sure to neglect
their devotions. v They have no time
to read their Bible, as every one
ought to do every morning ; and if
they pray, it is in a hasty, careless
manner, which is unprofitable to
them, and displeasing to God. So
you see there are serious evils grow-
ing out of late rising.

It is a false kindness in your
friends to let you sleep too long in
the morning, and when you grow
older you will not thank them for it.
It would be a real favour if they
were to force you to arise at an early
hour, day after diy, until the habit,
was fully formed and fixed for life.

Begin at once. Every thing must

VERY YOUNG LADY. 29

have a beginning. It will be a little
hard at first, but it will be less and
less so every day. Spring out of
bed the moment you open your eyes.
Never lie an instant after you awake
and find it day. This will soon
make it necessary for you to retire
early, and you will not wake too
early more than once or twice.

I hope to find you among the
early birds, and to see by your
cheeks and your activity, that my
rules have done vou good.

3*

30 LETTERS TO A

LETTER SIXTH.

PRAYER.

My dear Map/, — There is an
age at which every child, whose pa-
rents respect religion, is accustomed
to pray to God. A.11 little hoys and
girls are taught to do so, unless they
have been brought up in a very
heathenish manner. You can re
member the time when your dear
mother used to make you kneel
down by her, and repeat the simple
petitions which she taught you. I
hope you will never forget those
infant devotions. While your little
hands were clasped in prayer, no
doubt the heart of your tender pa-
rent accompanied your supplications
with her own.

But children often cease to pray.
Alas ! that it should be so . They
become ashamed of prayer. They

VERY YOUNG LADY. 31

would feel badly, if they thought
any one knew they had gone into
their closet to pray. How dreadful,
that as we grow older we should grow
worse ! What a sign of the cor-
ruption of our nature ! I trust it is
not so yet with my dear young friend;
I trust she never fails to pray to God,
and that she loves to do so.

It is not enough, my dear, to go by
yourself and say over a prayer, how-
ever excellent the prayer may be.
God looks at the heart. Praying is
asking. When you do not ask, you
do not pray. If you do not desire
what you ask, you do not pray
aright. Such prayers are mockery
of God, like those of the Pharisees,
which our Lord Jesus Christ con-
demned. Take care not to offer
such prayers.

The very best hour of the day
should be given to prayer ; that is,
with most people, the early morning
hour Then, when all nature is

32 LETTERS TO A

sweet and inviting, when the air is
fresh, when birds are singing, when
you are refreshed by a night's rest,
and before the cares of the day have
come upon you, go and pour out
your heart before God. It is the
best way of beginning the day.
Whatever you do afterwards, you
will be likely to do better if you
have prayed for God's blessing.

Let me beg you not to neglect
this precious privilege as you grow
older. No matter where you may
be, or in what company, remember
your duty to God. I hope you will
never be thrown into the neighbour-
hood of those who are wicked
enough to laugh at you for offering
your prayers to God. But even if this
should be the case, no matter. It is
better to please God than to please
men. They laughed at prophets,
and apostles, and martyrs, yes, and
at Jesus Christ himself.

Do not hurry c ver y i>ur prayers

VERY YOUNG LADY. 33

as if fou longed to get through
them. Remember, prayer is speak-
ing to God. Think of what you
say while you pray, or else your
prayers will be a mere chattering,
senseless noise, which a parrot might
make as well as you.

If you have a room or closet
where you can be entirely alone, go
there to pray. You know our Sa-
viour's direction, Matt. vi. 6. In
summer-time you may go to an ar-
bour, a garden, or a grove. If no
such place is convenient, do not
think you are excused from praying.
Kneel down in the most retired part
of the house you can find, and there
converse with your Father who is
in heaven.

Do the same thing at night, and
never think of going prayerless to
bed. The beasts do so ; but the hea-
then do not so ; nor do the Moham-
medans. Let not a young Christian
be worse than Turks ard heathens,

34 LECTERS TO A

LETTER SEVENTH.

FAMILY WORSHIP.

My dear Mary, — There are
some families which never come
together to worship God. They
rise in the morning and go to bed at
night just like the brutes that perish,
without one word of prayer, or one
word of praise. If they have the
precious Bible in their houses, they
never read it aloud. I say there
are such families in the world ; but
you, my dear, have not been among
them. It has been your lot to be
born of pious parents. As far back
as you can remember, you have met
every morning ard every evening
for the worship of God. In this
way you have heard the Scriptures
read over a number of times. This
is a favour for which you will have

VERY YOUNG LADY. 35

reason to thank God as lon% as yon
live. All your books and all your
schools are as nothing when com
pared with this family-school, thia
school of God, where a whole house-
hold gather daily at the feet of
Christ, and learn of Him.

You ought to think very highly
of family worship. You ought ne-
ver to be absent from it. To lie in
bed, or to be only half-dressed, when
the signal is given for prayer, is a sin
and a shame. Be up in time, so as
to be fully ready to come in promptly
and take your place, with your book
m your hand.

Remember that you are in the
presence of God. You have come
to hear his holy word, and to pray
to him. Be sober. Let no light
thoughts come into your mind ; or,
if they come in, dismiss them. Do
not look about at the other children;
do not smile nor laugh. Attend
seriously to what is going on. Mind

36 LETTERS TO \

what is read out of the word of
God. It is a dreadful habit \vhicb
some people get into, of* hearing the
Scriptures read without knowing
what they have heard.

If the family sing at their daily
worship, I hope you will sing too.
It is a delightful exercise ; and it is
a good way of learning to sing. I
hope my Mary wTill never be one of
those young ladies who can sing at
play, sing at the piano-forte, sing
everywhere but in the worship of
God. There is nothing you can do
with your voice better than to praise
God with it.

Especially be on your guard when
you kneel in prayer. It is a solemn
moment ; but it is one wThich care-
less children profane very much.
You are now going to converse with
God. Be in earnest. Let not youi
eyes wander; and, if possible, le1
not your thoughts wander. Every
word of the prayer is spoken to God.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 37

and spoken to God for you ; there-
fore lose no word. Proper attention
to family worship is as likely to end
in your conversion, as any means of
grace you can use.

In the evening you will no doubt
be more weary and drowsy than in
the morning. But you must try to
keep awake. These things depend
very much on habit; and habit may
be formed by strong resolution.
Make up your mind not to fall
asleep during any religious service.

Never think the worship of God

a hardship. Never allow yourself

to feel as if family worship were an

unwelcome interruption. Go quick

[y to the place of prayer. Go joy

fully. Go as you would go to meet

your dearest friend. Go as if you

loved it. Learn to love it. Lay

down your plaything or your book

with cheerful expectation. To

praise or pray is better than play

and plavthings.

4

38 LETTERS TO A

Now, my dear young friend, if you
find that you have done wrong in
any of these things, do so no more.
Humbly pray to God, for Christ's
sake, to forgive this sin ; and beg
him for his grace, to make you
better.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 39

LETTER EIGHTH.

BEHAVIOUR AT TABLE.

My dear Mary, — The dog and
the cat do not take regular meals.
The beasts of the field devour what
they can get, wherever they find it.
The birds eat a hundred times a
day. Savages are said to take their
food a good deal in the same way,
sitting, standing, lying, or running.
Sometimes they go a whole day
without food, and sometimes they
swallow as much as would last us
several days. But civilized people
eat at particular times, and here, in
America, we commonly do so three
times in the day.

It is not merely for the sake of
eating and drinking that we meet
at the table. It is to see one another,
and to help one another, and to enjoy

40 LETTERS TO A

one another's company. We meet
as friends, as relations and as rea
sonable beings. Every thing at our
meals should be quiet, and pleasant,
and cheerful.

When a little infant is first brought
to the table, its behaviour is very odd.
It feels strangely and awkwardly. It
does not know how to handle a knife
and fork, to use a spoon, to feed it-
self, or to keep itself clean. It is
sometimes noisy and unruly, and as
soon as it has done eating, it is impa-
tient to be gone. You have ob-
served this in your little brothers
and sisters.

Now wThat I mean to say is this ;
that the conduct which is pardon-
able in a baby, would be very offen-
sive in a young lady. Yet I have
seen girls who behaved as ill at
table as the most ignorant child : yet
they were called young ladies. I
have known them to spill their tea
and coffee, scatter their food about,

\ERY YOUNG LADY 41

stuff their mouths with food, and
snatch what was upon the dishes
I have heard them cry and scream
so as to disturb all around them;
and I have seen them eat greedily,'
and then rush from the table before
the rest of the company were done.
Forgive me for mentioning these
rude ways. I am persuaded you
would be ashamed to be charged
with any of them. And I do not
give you the advice which follows
because I think you need every
word of it, but because you may
follow bad examples so as to require
some of it.

Always appear neat and fully
dressed at the table. Be there at
the moment. Take your own place,
and occupy as little room as possible!
Show a devout attention when the
blessing of God is asked, as it is by
all faithful heads of families. Wait
till you are helped, and do not ask for

any thing which is not at the table.
4*

42 LETTERS TO A

Speak kindly to those who wait upon
you ; and give as little trouble as
possible.

By all means avoid all haste in
taking your food: it looks like greedi-
ness, and is a mark of ill-breeding.
Take notice of those who are most
refined in their manners, and do as
they do, avoiding all airs and affecta-
tion. Always remember that you
are a young lady, and avoid every
thing bold and boisterous. Speak
when you are spoken to ; but as a
general rule, . be silent at table.
When you have ended your meal,
do not jump up with your mouth
full, but sit quietly till all the rest
arise. Or, if it is necessary foi vou
to retire for the sake of study or
work, ask leave to do so.

When you go abroad to visit your
friends, they will judge of you very
much by your behaviour at the
table ; and if they find you rude
and ill-mannered, they will think iY.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 43

of your parents. Indeed, children
should remember that all who see
them behaving themselves amiss,
will think worse of their parents on
this account. For the sake, then,
of those whom you love so much,
let your whole conduct be proper
and respectful.

Let me say one word more about
your meals. As you so often pray,
Give us this day our daily bread,
you should think of this prayer
when your daily bread is given you;
that is, when you sit down at table.
You should think who it is that
feeds you, and be thankful. And
vou should remember the needy
who are perishing by thousands,
while you have enough and to spare

44 LETTERS TO A.

LETTER NINTH.

SCHOOL.

My dear Mary, — When it is
time for school, be sure to be ready.
Think of it a little beforehand, so as
not to be hurried. Let your person
be neat and tidy in the highest
degree, but without finery. If the
season requires it, have your thick
shoes and umbrella, or your parasol
and fan in readiness. Let there be
no searching for books and papers
at the last moment.

Go direct to school, and be so
punctual that every one who knows
you may say, " There is Mary, who
is never too late "

Pious teachers open their school
with prayer and the reading of the
Holy Scriptures. Be serious and
devout during these exercises. Let

VERY YOUNG LADY. 45

ao smile, or light look, or whisper,
sa> that you treat the worship of
God with disrespect.

Salute your teachers and school-
mates with respect and cheerfulness,
and take your ^lace silently. Get
to work immediately. As long as
you live, make it a rule to give your
whole mind to what you are about.
You go to school in order to learn
not to talk or play ; therefore never
talk or play there, except at times
when you are permitted to do so.

If you love learning, you will get
learning. In our country, girls are
sent to school only a few years ;
therefore make the most of your
time. Study hard, my dear child,
and it will be a treasure to you as
long as you live. Do not go by the
example of those around you. In
most cases this will be wrong. Do
what you know to be right, what
your teachers direct, and what will
please \ our parents. Study for the

46 LETTERS TO A

sake of getting knowledge, rather
£han for any medals, tickets, prizes,
holidays, or other rewards. Next
to virtue and religion, knowledge is
the best thing. It requires labour,
but it is worth labouring for. Your
dear parents may lose all their pro-
perty, and you may become poor;
but this will not rob you of your,
learning. All the men on earth
cannot rob you of it. Think of
this every time you go to school,
every time you open a book.

Let your teachers see that it is a
delight to you to please them. No-
thing makes a teacher happier than
to see scholars dutiful. Never, even
for a moment, join in any plans to
vex your instructers. It is foolish,
it is unbecoming to your sex, and it
is wicked.

Treat your companions with kind-
ness and civility. Take care to fall
into no rough, boyish ways of talk-
ing and acting with them. If you

VERY YOUNG LADY. 47

do, you will be in danger of becom-
ing that hateful thing, a hoyden.
Rude salutations, pinches, nick-
names, and horse-play may win a
laugh, but they are not lady-like;
and wise and well-bred persons are
disgusted with them. They are the
things which sometimes make board-
ing-schools highly offensive. I am
sure you will despise them.

Try to perform every duty per-
fectly. Do your best. If it is read-
ing, read as well as you think pos-
sible. If it is writing, let it be neat,
careful, and without a blot. If it is
repeating from memory, never miss
a word. If it is arithmetic, give all
your thoughts to it closely, and be
sure you are right. Do nothing
hastily or carelessly. It is better to
work well than to work fast. You
Know how it is in work. You may
knit so fast as to drop your stitches ;
you may sew so fast that you must

48 LETTERS TO A

rip it all out. What is well done, is
twice done.

When the school is dismissed, go
straight home, unless otherwise di-
rected by your parents or teachers.
If you have tasks, do not put them
off' too long. Doing so leads to the
hurry and carelessness which injure
so many minds, and make half-
learned people for life. Get your
lessons off your mind, and then you
will go to your amusements with a
light and merry heart. Playing
while a lesson is unlearned, is playing
with a yoke on. Get rid of the
yoke, and you will be as gay as a
bird.

It is a good thing for children to
talk freely with their parents about
school affairs; — not to complain of
your teachers, nor to find fault with
your studies, nor to tell tales of your
companions ; all these things are
hateful : but it is useful to talk
over your studies, to show your

VEfcf YOUNG IA.DY. 49

father and your mother what you
have learned, and to ask their advice.
Last of all, do all that I have
recommended as your duty to God,
out of love to Him, and to make
yourself useful in his work, if He
spares you to grow up. Do this,
and you will find a blessing m your
school.

50 LETTERS TO A

LETTER TENTH.

COMPANIONS.

My dear Mary, — There is a
Spanish proverb which says, Tell
me your company, and I will tell you
who you are. Any person may be
known by the company he keeps.
It is as true of a young lady as
of any one. Perhaps' you have read
a little story or fable of ^Esop, en-
titled " The Farmer and the Stork."
The farmer spread a net in his
wheat-field to catch the cranes and
geese which ate the grain he had
been sowing. One day he came to
his net, and found in it several
cranes and geese, and among them
a stork. As the farmer was about
to kill them all, the stork pleaded
\rery hard, and said he was neither
a crane nor a goose, and that he was

VERY YOUNG LADY. 51

kind and dutiful to his parents. All
this may be true, said the farmer
but I judge of you by your company,
and you must suffer as they do.

The world judges in the same
way. If you are seen with evil
persons, you will be thought an evil
person. Besides this, you will grow
to be like your company. If your
companions are foolish or wicked,
they will soon make you foolish and
w7icked too. Evil communications
corrupt good manners ; this is wmat
the Bible says, and every day we
see it to be true.

Be very careful in choosing your
companions. Perhaps those whom
you like exceedingly at first, will
turn out to be very disagreeable
after a while. Very gay and enter-
taining boys and girls are sometimes
both ignorant and wicked. What a
dreadful thing it w7ould be for you
to fall into the company of such !
In order to avoid this, be slew in

52 LETTERS TO A

forming attach merits. Do not be in
haste to make friends. Never be
intimate with any person until you
have talked with your parents about
it. Remember, they know far bet-
ter than you what is right and pro-
per. They know of dangers that
are altogether unknown to you. It
ought to be quite enough to make
you break off any intimacy, to know
that it is disagreeable to your parents.
And let me say, every young lady
should make this a rule for life. It
would prevent many evils which you
cannot now comprehend.

When you have gained a real
friend, you have gained a treasure.
Stick to your friend. Think of the
Persian song that Henry Martyn
heard his muleteer sing at night.
Often have I repeated it to myself
during the last twenty years.

" O, then, forsake thy friend for naught
That evil tongues may say;
The heart that fixeth where it ought.
No power :an rend awa\."

VERY YOUNG LADY. 53

But then be sure your heart fixes
" where it ought. ' ' Those who make
friendships too quickly, are apt to
break them too quickly. Be con-
stant, be faithful, and you will be
beloved.

It will do you good to have at
least one companion a few years
older than yourself. To be of use
to you, she must be one that is sensi
ble, educated, good-natured and pi-
ous. She must be a fit example to
you in your studies, your manners,
and jour dress. She ought not to
be a tattler or a sneerer ; you will
find out soon enough what these
words mean. If you prefer her
company to that of the gay little
creatures of your own age, so much
the better. She will tell you your
faults without envy, and will save
you from many a mortification.

Keep no company with a bold
girl. A noisy romp; or a saucy,
malapert miss, who loves to show
5*

54 LETTERS TO A

that she is not afraid; or a vixen,
who is sharp as a she-fox. These are
all odious. Avoid them. If possi-
ble, let them not come near you. Go
not near them. The first improper
expression from a companion's lips
will be enough to put you on your
guard. Though you must treat her
with civility, and though you may
never say so aloud, yet you should
say to yourself, I am to avoid that
young lady.

Among your young friends it is
proper for you to be open and light-
hearted. It is a beautiful thing to
see a group of joyous girls, all en-
joying one another's happiness. Let
it never be said that you are proud
and unsociable. Your companions
will soon see it, if you hold your
head high, and think yourself better
than they. Especially never look
down on any because they are poor.
This is silly and unkind, and, what
is mere, it is offensive to God

VERY YOUNG LADY. 55

Please to take your New Testament
and learn those verses which you
will find in the second chapter of the
Epistle of St. James, and the first
nine verses.

The last thing I have to say about
your companions is this : Whoever
they may be, try to do them good,
and try to get good from them.

And let me hope that, among your
young friends, you will not altogether
forget the old one who now writes
to you.

56 LETTERS TO A

LETTER ELEVENTH.

HEADING.

My dear Mary, — When I wrote
you a letter about the book-case, I
wrote chiefly about the outside of
books. Now let us think a little
about the inside.

Mary, are you fond of reading!
I hope you will be able to answer,
Yes. For if you do not love books,
you will never know much. All
the learned people in the world were
once little children, and they all
loved reading.

It is not the children of the rich
only, who taste the sweets of read-
ing. Books are a comfort to the
poor also. They give amusement
and information, on Sundays and
leisure hours in the week, to multi-
tudes of youth among honest, Chris-

VERY YOUNG LADY. 57

dan labourers. What scene is more
beautiful than a group of happy
country children, on a summer even-
ing, seated on the green with their
new books ? There they are, cheer-
ful and loving,, under the shade of
their favourite tree.* The cottage
has no one in it, for the father is in
the hay-field, and the mother is
milking. The children have water-
ed the flowers, and tied up the vines ;
you may see the holly-hock which
Sally planted, peeping over the
fence.

There they sit, their hearts taken
up with the story of David. John
is stopping a moment to think of the
wickedness of Absalom. See how
kindly his arm is put around his
sister Ellen. Even she, little crea-
ture as she is, can understand the
delightful, sacred narrative. While
Sally, who is two years older, leans
upon her beloved brother, and catches

* See Frontispiece

58 LETTERS TO A

every word with breathless attention.
The birds in the trees are not oetter
pleased than they. And, long as
these cottage-children live, they will
remember with satisfaction their
books upon the green.

Perhaps you think it makes no
difference what books you read.
This is a great mistake. Books are
a sort of company ; and they talk to
you, even though they have no
tongues. If they tell you what is
good, they do you good. If they
tell you what is evil, they do you
evil. There are all kinds of books
in the world. Some are very good,
some are very evil ; and there are
many kinds between these two.
The same books do not suit every
body. One book is good for an old
person, and another for a young per-
son. One is proper for your mother
or your teacher, and another is pro-
per for you. The same books are
not suitable at all times. Some

VERY YOUNG LADY. 59

books are for study, and some for
amusement. The books for study
will be put into your hands by your
teachers. I am going to speak only
about the books which you read out
of school.

The Bible is the best of books ;
but this will be for a letter by itself.
And then it is not a book for amuse-
ment, but for sacred study.

Picture-books and story-books are
those which little readers love. And
if they have stories and pictures
both, they think them the finest
books in the world. I will not say
that you are not to have this sort,
and to like them too. I know how
much is to be learned from good cuts
and engravings ; and now, when
such things are so much cheaper
and better than they used to be, it
would be wrong to leave them out
of books. The cuts are really a
better sort of letters, where they are
made aright. And I also know how

60 LETTERS TO A.

much useful knowledge has been
taught by wise stories for the young.
I remember the delight and the
great profit with which I read the
Babes in the Wood, and Sandford
and Merton, and the Pilgrim's Pro-
gress. So I will not take away your
stories, or your pictures either. But
take care ! You must not be all for
pictures and stories. I will tell you
what happened to Miss Price, a young
lady whom you never saw7. Miss
Price was a sprightly girl of four-
teen. She loved stories so much,
that she borrowed all the story-books
she could, from her school-mates.
She did not care much whether
they were good or bad, so that they
wrere stories. When she went visit-
ing, she had hardly taken off her
bonnet, before she looked around to
find what she called a "pretty book."
By a pretty book Miss Price meant
a story-book. When she had found
one to her mind, she sat down and

VERY YOUNG LADY. 61

devoured it. She forgot her friends,
and was wrapt up in her book. This
was rude. She would sit on the
floor, or at the door, and never stop
till she had ended the volume. This
was foolish. It taught her to read
too fast. It taught her to read for
amusement only. It led her to read
many improper and even wicked
and false books. And though Miss
Price read so much, she never be-
came learned, -or prudent, or wise;
but grew up to be a poor, empty-
headed novel reader, which she is
to this day, though she is sixty years
old, and reads with spectacles. I
beg, then, that you will read what is
good, even when you read for your
pleasure. And to find out what is
good, the shortest way is to ask those
who know; that is, your mother,
your elder sister, or your teacher.

The Sunday-school library will
furnish you with hundreds of excel-
lent books, most of which will enter-

6

62 LETTERS TO A

tain you, and, if they are what they
ought to be,* they will do you good,
if you read them properly and at the
proper time.

By degrees you must get into the
way of reading books which are
more sober and more instructive
than those I have been speaking
about. You will go from one sort
to another, until you read biography
and history, and even more serious
and difficult subjects. Do not throw
aside a book because it tells no tale,
or because it has no pictures, or be-
cause it is dry. Perhaps it is dry
only at the beginning. If you read
a little further, perhaps you will be-
come interested in it. Young ladies
are in a very poor way to improve,
if they lay down every thing that
is dry.

* The American Sunday-School Union publish
about 500 bound volumes, (1843;) and their pub-
lications may be safely recommended to children
and youth of all classes.

VERY YOUNG tADY. 63

When you are tired, lay the book
down. I never knew much good to
come of reading when one is tired.
I mean, now, that reading which
takes place out of school. Do not
get into a slight, hasty, hurrying
way of reading. Some girls pride
themselves on getting through a
book faster than anybody else.
These are silly girls, indeed. They
read every thing at a hop-skip-and-
jump. There is no more merit in
reading fast, than in eating fast : and
reading too fast injures the mind
just as much as eating too fast in-
jures the body. Read slowly enough
to understand every thing you read.
Skip nothing. If the book is fit for
you to read, it should be read from
beginning to end. Read so that
you will remember ; and, if you are
much pleased with particular parts,
turn to them again, and read them
over. Do the same with those

64 LETTERS TO A

places which you find hard to un-
derstand.

By observing these rules, and
especially, by following the advice
of wise friends, instead of your own
ignorant little head, you will escape
many of the evils which make so
many young ladies ridiculous, even
in companies where they think they
are greatly admired.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 65

LETTER TWELFTH.

DRESS.

My dear Mary, — It is hardly
necessary for me to write to you
concerning your dress, because your
parents are too wise and too affec-
tionate to let you go wrong in this
matter. But if I went by this rule,
perhaps I should not give you advice
about any thing. It is not, then, to
teach your parents, or because they
do not teach you, that I choose these
subjects. Shall I tell you my rea-
son ? It is this : Very young people
are apt to think they are wiser than
their parents. I will not flatter you:
you may be tempted to think so your-
self. And there is nothing about
which children more commonly
differ from those who know better,
than in this very matter of dress.
6*

66 LETTERS TO A

•

Lay it down as a rule to yourself,
to be cheerfully satisfied with the
dress which your honoured parents
give you. Perhaps you think it not
fine enough, or not gay enough, or
not fashionable enough. Perhaps
you desire some article of dress like
this, or that, which your young
friends have. You will be ready
enough to make your wishes known.
Now, if your mother says No, utter
not another word. Let her will be
yours. Say to yourself, " My dear
mother has never denied me any
thing without cause ; she is wiser
than I ; she knows best what is pro-
per for me, and what she can afford."

Yes, my dear Mary, that kind
mother has often sat up late, by the
side of your little bed, toiling to pre-
pare something for you to appear in.
Parents have many an hour of
anxious labour that is unknown to
their little ones. Think of this.
It is better that you should be a

VERY YOUNG LADY. 67

little plainer than you like to be,
than that your father and mother
should lay out for you what might
be used for wiser and better ends.
You do not know the value of money
as they do , especially in these hard
times, when many, even of the rich,
have been brought to want.

It is a common sin of the young,
to set their hearts too much on dress.
Do you remember those good lines
of Dr. Watts?

" Why should our garments, (made to hide
Our parents' shame,) provoke our pride?
The art of dress did ne'er begin,
Till Eve, our mother, learned to sin."

Never think less of your com
panions because they are not so
finely dressed as yourself. It may
be, their poor parents have to work
hard to enable their children to
appear decently. Thank God that
He has given you parents who are
able to provide for you, but let not

68 LETTERS TO A

Satan tempt you to be puffed up
with a little outside show.

Did you ever see a young lady
who looked too often in the glass?
I have been told there are such.
You may remember such a one
How the young thing admires what
she sees in that mirror ! How many
changes she makes before it ! How
she admires that pretty face, those
ringlets and ribands ! How she
smiles, and with what an air she
walks away, and looks around to see
who beholds her ! O ! let me pray
you to despise all this. Be always
neat and cleanly, even to the ex-
treme ; but when you find that you
are dressed, let it go out of your mind.
Try to forget yourself a little. It is
a hard lesson, but it will do you
good to learn it. Pride and vanity
are sins against God ; and I hope
you will seek to please your Maker
and Redeemer, even in your apparel

Perhaps you think that a, lady's

VERY YOUNG LADY. 69

dress is too small a matter for me to
write about. If so, you are wrong.
The apostle Peter did not think so,
for he speaks on this very subject,
and lays down a rule for the raiment
of Christian women; saying, "Whose
adorning, let it not be that outward
adorning, of plaiting the hair, and
of wearing of gold, or of putting on
of apparel ; but let it be the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is
not corruptible, even the ornament
of a meek and quiet spirit, which is
in the sight of God of great price.' '
I have long thought it one of the
faults of young girls, in our day and
our country, that they wish to be
women too soon. Long oefore their
school-days are over, they vie with
one another in finery, and seek to ap-
pear just as fully and as expensively
dressed as those who have already
come out in company. If you wish
to be happy and useful, be modest
in this, as well as in other things.

70 INTERS TO A

Keep in the shade. Be humble
and patient. You will get into the
gay and evil world soon enough,
and you will find those roses sur-
rounded with thorns. Beauty,
whether of face oi apparel, is very
fading. " Favour u deceitful, and
beauty is vain; but a vvomin that
feareth the Lord, sfa« sh-sO b*
praised."

VERY YOUNG LAD* 71

LETTER THIRTEEN'tM

CARE OF YOUR ROOM.

My dear Mary, — Whetbei fou
nave a room all to yourself, wbr ii is
very desirable, or occupy one with, a
sister or companion, it is proper that
you should keep it in order. A place
for every thing, and every thing in its
place. This would be a very good
inscription for your table. It is a
shame for a young lady to be very
careful of her person, and very negli-
gent of her room. It looks as if she
had no real love of neatness and
order, but did every thing to be seen
of others.

Show me the inside of a lady's
private apartment, and I can learn a
great deal of her character. Sup-
pose 1 see the table covered with
oooks, papers, needles and thread,

72 LETTERS TO A

brushes, combs, unfinished work,
and half-eaten fruit. Suppose I find
half the drawers open, and chairs
covered with pieces of clothing, and
the floor strewed with a dozen dif-
ferent articles ; a ewer on the sofa, a
bandbox on the bed, and a candle-
stick on the window-seat. I say to
myself, here must be an indolent,
disorderly little body. She has no
love of order, no regularity of habits,
no neatness. Unless she changes her
ways, she will grow up to be a very
disagreeable person.

You cannot begin too soon. Ha-
bits formed in childhood and youth,
last a whole lifetime. An old habit
is as hard to change as an old tree.
Look at the oak in your father's
lawn. Its largest limb has grown
crooked and knotty. All the men
m the country could not straighten
't. But a child could have straight-
ened it when it was a twig. " Just
as the twig is bent," you know, "the

ver^ y:>ung lady. 73

tree's inclined." This is true of all
habits. Take care, says a wise man,
how you set your habits. If you set
a hedge crooked, it will be crooked.
Now, if you get into a habit of
slovenliness about your room, your
books, and your wTork-things, it will
stick by you, and you will become a
very disagreeable companion, and no
one will like to visit you, or to enter-
tain you.

The rule is good for a room, as
well as for a work-shop, or any other
place : A place for every tiling, and
every tiling in its place. This will
save many an hour of looking for
things. Why is Miss Jane so late
at family worship? — "O," replies
the maid, — " Miss Jane cannot find
her collar, or her apron, or her slip-
pers." Why is Miss Anne so late
at school? — "She is busy looking
for her Geography." Why is Miss
Lucy absent from the Bible-class? —
Answrer. " She has mislaid her

7

74 LETTERS TO A

Bible" Now, if Miss Jane, Miss
Anne, and Miss Lucy had had a
place for every thing, and every
thing was in its place, they would
not have lost a moment of time, and
would have been in much better
humour, besides. For I have ob-
served, that nothing crosses a girl's
temper more than the hurry of
searching for things which have
been mislaid. The indolent and
careless child is ready to lay the
blame on brothers, sisters, servants,
or any one but herself.

If you only form the habit, it is
as easy to do things right as wrong.
It is as easy to lay away a dress, or
a drawing, or a map, or a piece ot
work, or a riband, in a neat, proper
way, as to throw them altogether in
a heap. Shopkeepers know this,
and hence they can pack away
twice as much in a small space as
you or I could do. I dare say }rou
have often wondered at the ease with

VERY YOUNG LADY. 75

which the woman who keeps the
fancy store in Smith street will
hand down any one of a thousand
articles. She knows where she has
put every one. She never puts it
anywhere else. Therefore she never
has to look anywhere else to find it.
And, what is more, every thing in
the shop looks tidy and graceful.
Order and method produce conveni-
ence and beauty. Let it be so in
every spot you have the care of;
whether chamber, closet, cabinet,
bureau, toilet, box, or basket.

The rule in farms is, Leave things
as you would find them. That is,
Do not leave your rake in the hay-
field, or your axe in the wood; if you
do, you will have trouble in finding
them. I have often wished young
ladies would have some such rule
Write it down — embroider it on
your reticule — print it on your mind
— Leave things as you would
find them. You will then always

76 LETTERS TO A

find them easily, and find them
right. How much of life is spent
in such questions as these ? — .0 !
where is my dressing-case ? Has
anybody run off with my combs?
I dc wonder who has thrown about
my gloves in this way? Has any
one seen a pencil-case ? Pray help
me to find that bunch of keys. Do
you think I shall be in time for
church? I've had an hour's search
for my muff! — All such loss of time
and temper will be prevented, if you
will observe my directions. And
let your apartment be always in
order, so that it may never be a sur-
prise or a mortification to you, to
hear a knock at the door. So much
about the care of your room,

VERY YOUNG LADY. 77

LETTER FOURTEENTH

HOUSEHOLD WORK.

My dear Mary, — You are not a
queen or a princess, and therefore
you must expect to do some work.
Even if you were a queen or a
princess, I would advise you to use
your hands a little. They were
given to you for that purpose, and
you would soon be wretched, even
m a palace, with scores of attend-
ants and millions of money, if you
had nothing to do. I dare say Queen
Victoria finds a little employment
useful, though I have never heard
whether she rubs down furniture, or
polishes the silver.

But you are not queen, Mary, yet.
You are a little damsel of dear, free
America. You will, with the blessing

-c God, grow up to be an American

7*

78 LETTERS TO A

woman. Now, American women
have to work. One reason is,, that
the servants of this country are not
so good as those of Europe; they
are hard to be got, and they are
often changed. So that every lady
must know something about domes-
tic affairs.

Do you not know that your mother
often has a new maid-servant, who
has almost every thing to learn?
Do not you see that your mother
could not instruct her, unless she
had learned herself? Is she not
sometimes for a day or more with-
out a cook, without a chamber-maid,
or without either? And do you not
admire her for the cheerfulness,
readiness, and ability, with which
she goes about the labour herself?
All this is unavoidable in our coun-
try. You must come to it. You
had better prepare for it in time.

You should not complain of this
state of things. It is good It is

VERY YOUNG LADY. 79

good for the health and spirits.
Look at those young ladies who
have never done any thing harder
than to hem a handkerchief, dress a
flower-vase, or knit a bead-purse.
Are their cheeks red? No. Are
their teeth sound ? No. Are their
hands plump? No. Are their
spines straight? No. Are they
good walkers ? No. Do they come
to their breakfast with an appetite 1
No. Do they come from a walk
full of glee and spirit ? No. They
are pale or sallow, slender and stoop-
ing, narrow in the chest, weak in
the limbs, with sunken cheeks, bony-
arms and hands, and a look of wea-
riness and sloth which makes you
almost pity them.

How different is the case with a
young New England girl, who has
learned a little of every household
employment ! Her father is wealthy,
and has a number of domestics, but
he has no idea of letting his daughter,

80 LETTERS TO A

Grace, grow up in idleness. If
Grace could be so foolish as to think
that household work was beneath
her notice, he would look very grave
and say: My daughter! nothing that
is your duty is beneath you. It is
your duty to learn how to take care
of the family. You may some day
be poor, and then such knowledge
will be all your living. But if you
should be rich, you can never con-
duct a household, unless you know
how things are done ; and there is
no way of learning how things are
done, so good as to do them.

Miss Grace thinks with her father,
She wishes to be a comfort to him.
She keeps the daily accounts, and
here she finds the great use of the
arithmetic which sue learned at
school. She rises early, and sees to
the dairy. She trips out among the
flowers, and is not afraid of a wet
shoe, or of blistering her little hand
•vith a rake or a pruning-knife. She

VERY YOUNG LADY. 81

sees that breakfast is in time and
place ; and when she has attended
to the tea-things, knows that every
article is in order, and in its place.
She oversees the laundry-work, and
has been long acquainted with clear-
starching and ironing. She is al-
ready a good pastry-cook, and is at
no loss how to toss up a pretty dessert,
even in the worst seasons. She has
been known to mount her pony and
scour the neighbourhood for a supply
of eggs or poultry, when there was an
extraordinary demand. What is the
consequence? G**ace is the most
rosy, healthy creature of her whole
connection. Her sleep is like an
infant's. Her joyous voice tells of a
light heart and a good constitution.
She never knows the moment when
she does not know what to do next.
* Now, my dear Mary, I advise you
to begin as early as possible to be
youi mother's helper in every part

82

LETTERS TO A

of household affairs. Take as much
off her hands as you can. Make
yourself more and more useful.
You will never regret it. It will
never hinder your learning or your
accomplishment.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 83

LETTER FIFTEENTH.

NEEDLEWORK.

M * dear Mary, — Do not smile
because a man writes about needle-
work. A very great and very wise
man wrote about the same, as much
as two thousand five hundred and
forty-three years ago. This excel-
lent writer thought fit to give a
description of the true ]ady. The
picture was made for Asia, but if
you alter a few lines and colours, it
will do for America. The lady
whom he describes "seeketh wool
and flax, and worketh willingly with
her hands." She is an early riser.
Do not think she is some poor semp-
stress ; no : she is wealthy, and buys
real estate, and has vineyards of her
own. She must have a large num-
ber of dependents, for she rises

84 LETTERS TO A

before day to give out work to her
maids ; anc " her candle goeth not
out by night." " Shelayeth her hands
to the spindle, and her hands hold
the distaff." Perhaps you think she
confines herself to plain work. Not
so. " She maketh herself coverings
of tapestry ; her clothing is silk and
purple." " She looketh well to the
ways of her household, and eateth
not the bread of idleness."

Such is the picture of a lady, as
painted by King Solomon. You
will find it at length in the last
chapter of Proverbs ; and I hope
you will take your Bible, find the
passage in it, read it, and commit it
to memory.

I know there are people who
think they are wiser than Solomon ;
but I counsel you never to take their
advice. I know young people who
pretend that they are so fond of
books and studies, that they have
no time for work. But I have

VERY VOUNG LAI Y. 85

always found them idle, if not fool-
ish people. The best scholars I
know, the best instructed and ac-
complished women I have ever met,
are those who have paid great atten-
tion to the proper arts of female life.

Give some part of every day to
domestic employments. Learn in
time to sew, to knit, to cut out work,
to do every thing with your hands,
which you ought to know how to do
when you grow to be a woman. I
would have my daughters acquainted
with every sort of work which ladies
ever do. If they live in the country,
it will do them no harm to card and
spin a little now and then. And
wherever they may live, they should
know all about the use of the needle.

I do not forbid you to spend some
of your time on ornamental work in
lace, embroidery, and the like. In
every age and country this has been
the entertainment and occupation
o* your sex. It takes up many a

8

80 LETTERS TO A

spare moment, enlivens company,
enables one to gratify friends, fur-
nishes cheap presents, and prepares
for more solid and useful labours.
But, after all, it is plain, domestic
needlework, which is the grand
thing. Give yourself a good deal
to this. Try your hand at every
thing of the sort, but be sure you
try nothing without learning to do it
well. Never get the name of a
hasty, slighting, slovenly needle-
woman. What is well done, says
'.he proverb, is twice done. Learn
.o work well, and then you will
learn to work fast. Finish every
thing that you begin. I once knew
a person who would begin a hun-
dred things, and not finish ten. Be
patient. Be willing to pick out
wrong work, ever so often, and do it
over. Be resolute, and you will
conquer difficulties. Be uniform ;
that is, be always the same, and not.
like some I ha re seen, very active

VERY TOUNG LADY. 87

at one time and very slow and
slothful at another. Be obliging;
always ready to assist others in their
work, and to teach them what they
do not know.

You are growing rather too large
to spend all your time in working
for your doll. Perhaps you are
ashamed at my even naming such a
thing as a doll to you. Very wTell
You will find enough to do in work-
ing for the sweet infant that prattles
about the house. And, besides this,
you cannot begin too soon to employ
yourself in working a little for the
poor. The ancient Hebrew lady
did so, as the wise man tells us.
"■She stretcheth out her hands to
the poor; yea, she reacheth forth
tier hands to the needy." Find out
some poor person for whom you may
make a garment. Help to fit out
some child to come to Sunday-school.
Alter some old affair, so as to have a
resent ready, when the poor womai

88 LETTERS TO A

next comes to your door to ask alms
for her sick daughter. It is better
to work for those who cannot work,
than to give them money.

But my best advice on this subject
is not so good as that which you
will get from your mother and your
teacher. Follow their advice. When
your own notions about work disa-
gree with theirs, you may be sute
your notions are wrong. The true
rule for children is to do as they are
bidden. And if I should ever hear
of your contending with your pa-
rents, or being slow and sullen in
yielding to their will, I should grieve
very much, and conclude that all my
letters had been in vain.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 89

LETTER SIXTEENTH.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

My dear Mary, — A young lady
is truly acomplished when her mind
is cultivated, when her manners are
gentle, and her heart renewed
These are the true accomplishments.
But when we use this word in con-
versation, we commonly mean some-
thing much less valuable ; some-
thing which is outward, showy, and
meant to gain admiration. I am not
going to quarrel with a word ; so we
may talk about the things them-
selves, which are thought to make a
young lady accomplished. I have
already said something about needle-
work, perhaps as much as a man
ought to say on such a subject.
School-girls usually have a variety
of little performances in this line,
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90 LETTERS TO A

which iiey teach one another. Do
not waste time on them, but do not
despise them. They will cheer long
winter evenings. They will employ
your fingers, while you listen to the
book which your brother or your
uncles read. They will afford you
the means of showing your attach-
ment to dear friends, by nice little
presents. They will enable you to
contribute to benevolent objects from
your own earnings.

Drawing is reckoned one of the
ornamental branches. It is such,
but it is more. I consider it one of
the useful ones. There is a great
error in regard to this, among grown
people as wTell as children. They
look on drawing and painting as
mere play. They may be so, for
they are very entertaining : I know
nothing more so. But they are im
proving and valuable also. I would
have every child of mine to learn
how to draw and paint. I hope

VERY YOUNG LADY. 91

you will begin early, indeed, as soon
as you can get a good instructor.
For what is drawing but a sort of
writing ? It is the writing of things,
not of words. You may carry it
too far, but so you may reading or
writing. Your parents will see to
this, and you will obey them.

Ask your mother and friends to give
you their advice about the different
sorts of fancy-work which are taught
in schools. Some of these are in
paper, others in wax, in wire, in
crystals, in shells, in mosaic, in gyp-
sum, and in gold-leaf and feathers.
I have seen some very tasteful, and
others very absurd. Remember al-
ways, that such prettinesses are for
odd moments, not for the serious
hours of life.

What shall I say of dancing? It
was once a religious service, and was
practised by the best of people. It
is now a frivolous and tempting in-
dulgenc e, and is excelled in by some

92 LETTERS TO A

of the most abandoned characters
In itself, to dance is as innocent as
to hop. But, if hopping ever brings
my daughters to such company, such
exposure, and such boldness, as are
encouraged at balls and assemblies,
I shall think it right for them to hop
no more. I have observed that when
people are converted, they very
generally give up these things ; and
that those who frequent them most,
are least interested in religion.

But, my dear child, you will be
ready enough to run after what is
ornamental and amusing, without
any letters from me about it. They
are good in their place, but you may
be good and happy without them.
They may be compared to the des-
sert at table, or to flowers in a garden,
or to jewels in a dress ; you can do
without them. As long as you live,
try to think most of what is most
important. Get the solids, and .ef
the others come if they choose.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 93

But never affect any sourness
about these things. If you dislike
any pursuit yourself, do not dislike
your neighbour for enjoying it. Ne-
ver pretend to be so very wise as to
look down on the plays or employ-
ments of your companions, unless
they are really foolish, or injurious.
I know few things more ridiculous
and disgusting than a fastidious,
fault-finding, dissatisfied, sneering
girl. These are the faults of peevish
age; they sit badly on youth. Learn
of those who know better than you ;
but never envy them, and never
despise them. Humility and love
are great accomplishments.

94 LETTERS TO A

LETTER SEVENTEENTH.

MUSIC.

My dear Mary, — When I wrote
to you about what are called accom-
plishments, I said nothing of Music,
though it is the chief of them. The
reason was, I intended to devote a
little letter to this subject ; which I
now proceed to do. When I was a
little boy, I think there was more
singing of hymns and less learning
of music than there is now. It was
not common to see a piano-forte, ex-
cept in the houses of the wealthy.
A guitar was a great rarity ; and as
to a harp, I do not remember to have
seen one in a private dwelling, until
I was in college. I need not tell
you what a change has taken place
since then. A parlour is hardly
thought to be furnished now, without

VERY YOUNG LADY, r)6

a piano-forte. Many young ladies
have both guitar and piano. And
even the harp, a most expensive
instrument, is becoming common
among rich people. No boarding-
school can gain pupils without a
music-teacher : and the thrumming
of beginners is the noise one oftenest
hears in passing by such institutions.
In some countries, such as Italy
and Germany, music is the delight of
the common people. In America it is
cultivated more for display. Young
people who have no genius for it,
beseech their parents to let them
learn ; and hence there are hundreds
of wretched bunglers, who murder
the tunes they pretend to play, and
annoy whole neighbourhoods by their
noise. I am a great admirer of music,
especially of vocal music, which all
judges consider the best. But I see
no reason why every girl in the land
should be dragged to the piano. I
have had great delight fiom hearing

96 LETTERS TO A

fine music, but I sometimes think I
have had as much pain, from hear-
ing what was bad ; and there is ten
times as much bad as good.

Your parents will judge whether
it is best that you should take les-
sons. Do what they say. There
are reasons known to them, which
cannot be known to you. But if
you learn music, learn it thoroughly.
It is impossible to do this, unless you
give great attention to the principles.
Begin wrong, and you will be wrong
for life.

Many of the songs which I see
on the music-stands of young ladies,
are not lit to be sung by a rational
and immortal being. Many of them
are foolish, and some of them are
wicked.

Cultivate your voice. Take every
occasion which is offered to you, to
learn to sing. I hope you will be
ashamed to sing entirely " by ear,"
as it is commonly called. Learn to

VERY YOUNG LADY. 9?

read music with ease. Even little
children in Germany do so. It is as
easy as any other reading, if you
only begin in time, and pay proper
attention to it. Just consider, what
a pleasant thing it is, to take up a
piece of vocal music, and sing it off
at sight, without the help of an in-
strument. Take good care not to
be one of those young ladies who
can never sing, unless they are seated
at the piano.

Get as many of your brothers,
sisters, and friends, as you can, to
join you. In this way you will learn
what is meant by Harmony. You
will improve much faster in this
way and with much more pleasure.
How delightful it is, to see a group
of happy children gathered on some
holiday, and to hear their clear
voices all joining in concord ! I wish
it was as common in our country as
it is in some others.

If your parents find that yo*a have
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98 LETTERS TO A

no love for music, and are unwilling
to entertain your friends by prac-
tising what you have been learning
I hope they will lock up your instru-
ment, and cause your lessons in this
art to cease. But I expect better
things than this. It is a pleasing
recreation, and it softens the heart
and prepares it for good impressions.
Music is a kind of language in
which we express what could not be
expressed by mere speaking. For
this reason God has chosen to make
it a part of his worship : and this is
the best use we can make of it.
Begin, as soon as you sing at all, to
sing the praises of God. How
shameful, how ungodly is the con-
duct of some persons, who willingly
sing worldly songs, but who are
silent when God's praises are sung !
Yet I know young ladies of this
sort. At family worship, or in
church, they cannot raise a note*
you might think they were dumb.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 99

tf the world was what it ought to
be, most of our singing would be
religious. We should be constantly
using our voices to glorify our Cre-
ator, and to celebrate the love of our
Redeemer. Our morning voice
would be heard, like the birds', and
we should join our evening song
with those of the robin and the
dove. The day is corning when it
will be so; when the glory of the
Lord shall cover the earth.

Even now, the very best music
of the masters is sacred music.
And if your young companions de-
spise psalms and anthems, and pre-
fer the airs of the play-house, it only
shows how little they know of the
music of Handel, Haydn, and Bee-
thoven. Of these you will learn
more hereafter.

100 LETTERS TO A

LETTER EIGHTEENTH.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

My dear Mary, — Children are
among God's kindest gifts. The
Bible always represents it so. They
are olive branches around the good
man's table. What sight can be
more delightful for a father and
mother, as they sit at their door on a
summer evening, than to behold
their sons and daughters playing on
the green! Even the passer-by en-
joys such a scene, and stops in his
walks to witness the game, and to
hear the joyous laugh. There are
brothers and sisters, children of the
same parents, hand-in-hand, cheek-
by-cheek, following the same sports,
and listening to the same instruc-
tions. If any persons in the world
ought to ove one another, brothers

VERY YOUNG L\DY. 1J)J

and sisters are the persons. And
the sister, especially, should grow
up, even from childhood, with a
tender attachment to her brothers.
Next to your father, your elcfer bro-
ther is your natural protector. His
arm is stronger than yours. When
you lean upon it you art, not afraid.
He feels more like a man, when you
are under his care. No doubt he
would risk his life to defend you.
In return, you ought to be affection-
ate and dutiful, ready to gratify him,
and to yield your own notions to his.
Even if he is sometimes cross, learn
to put up with it, and it will pass
away. Always remember that he
is older than you, and respect him
accordingly.

Your younger brothers look up to
you. Take care what sort of an
example you set them. They will
be very apt to do as you do. Be
always ready to hear their little
wants and sorrows; for they will
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102 LETTERS TO A

come to you with things which they
would not dare to say to your pa-
rents.

Sisters have been known to quar-
rel witft one another ; to chide and
scold, and blame one another; and, I
have been told, even to pinch and
slap one another. Though I am
sure you will never be so wicked
and unnatural as this, yet I think it
my duty to warn you against some
other evils which may spring up,
even among affectionate girls. I
mean sour looks, short answers,
peevish complaints, sullenness, teas-
ing, impatience, and the like. O, let
not these clouds come over the clear
face of youth ! Love, and you will
be loved. Seek humility and charity,
and you will avoid many an outbreak
of passion. If you are crossed, or
even wronged, bear with it. That
is the safest and the best way ; it is
Christ's way. Yield something every
day, ir necessary, to your sisters and

VERY YOUNG LADY. 103

Brothers. They will learn of you.
and catch your spirit. Give up
your own will in matters of mere
pleasure. You cannot be too firm
in matters of duty. Sweetness of
behaviour will make you beloved,
and promote that peace which is the
greatest ornament of a family.

There is a great difference in the
behaviour of brothers and sisters to
one another; and these differences
begin very early. In some families
the brother and the sister are almost
always together. You can see in a
moment how much they love one
another. Every look and every
word are full of kindness. In other
families the children are seldom to-
gether when they can avoid it. Each
one likes the company of other young
people better. When they are to-
gether, they are constantly fretting
and squabbling. Children who begin
m this way are very likely to go on
r*& when they grow larger. The

104 LETTERS TO A

way to avoid such habits is to be
always considerate and forgiving.
As far as possible, never give offence
and never take offence. Love your
brother or your sister as yourself.
Rejoice when you can do them a
favour. Be often thinking how you
may give them some unexpected
pleasure. As I said before, there is
nothing more lovely than a loving
household. So David thought: Be-
hold how good and how pleasant it
is for brethren to dwell together in
unit)^ ! It is like the precious oint-
ment upon the head, that ran down
upon the beard, even Aaron's beard;
that went down to the skirts of his
garments. As the dew of Hermon,
and as the dew that descended upon
the mountains of Zion : for there
the Lord commanded the blessing,
even life for evermore.

VERY YOUVG LADY. 105

LETTER NINETEENTH.

TEMPER.

My tjear Mary, — If you wish
to know a young lady's temper, you
must live with her. Some people
look very pleasant abroad, v/ho are
very ill-tempered at home. It is
easy to look smiling, and to speak
gently for a little while, even if you
feel discontented or spiteful ; but, to
seem kind and pleasant for a long
time together, you must be so in
reality. Nobody can wear a mask
always. However agreeable and
polite you may try to be, it will be
all in vain, unless you have a good
feeling within After all your try-
ing, some little sharpness or rudeness
will break out and betray you.

Think over your young friends
and school-companions. Some of

106 LETTERS TO A

them are more agreeable than the
rest. Everybody loves thern. They
have more friends than the rest.
Why is this? Is it because they
are richer ? No. Because they are
more beautiful ? O, no ! for some
who are great beauties are disliked.
Then, is it because they are the most
intelligent or accomplished? No.
Why, then, does every one love to
be near them ? I will tell you. It
is because they are gentle, sweet-
tempered, and obliging. They think
more of others than of themselves.
They are not easily made angry.
They are not proud, nor selfish, nor
sullen, nor peevish. Their smile is
not put on ; it rises from their in-
ward kindness : they cannot help
looking happy, because they feel
happy, and this makes all around
them happy.

You see what a blessing a good
temper is. Try to cultivate it. Try
to check every rising of unkind

VERY YOUNG LADY 107

feeling. Such feelings will rise now
and then : but crust them at once, if
possible. Indulge them, and they
will grow; resist them, and they
will die. Look on every one near
you as a person whom you are to
make as happy as you can. Let it
be your business to be doing this, or
trying to do it, all the day long.
You cannot get so much pleasure in
any way as by giving pleasure to
others. If it is only a child, or a
servant, or a stranger, or a beggar —
no matter; endeavour to do them
some good. If you have nothing to
give, if there is nothing you can do,
you can at least give them kind
words and kind looks. Nothing
costs less ; but, in some cases, v
thing is worth more.

True religion is the thing ro
sweeten the temper. It can turn
the lion into the lamb. Behold the
meek and loving Jesus, and you will
see the perfection of temper Be-

108 LETTERS TO A

lieve in him, and you will be like
him. Charity or love is the grace
wnich makes happiness. If all the
people in the world loved one an-
other, "with a pure heart, fervently,"
*yhat a happy world it would be !

When you are tempted to fee)
angry with any one, ask yourself if
this temper is pleasing to God. Ask
yourself if you are not, after all, in
he wrong. " Let not the sun gc
down upon your wrath." Forgive,
or you will not be forgiven. Do
not let hard thoughts of any ons
remain in your mind. They will
be like festering sores there. Get rid
of them at once. Never allow your
self to think you are slighted 01
treated amiss. Half the time such
thoughts arise from foolish pride and
sinful jealousy. You will not be
troubled so much with these suspi-
cions, if you follow the gospel rule, and
esteem others better than yourself.
Some people will tell vou that a

VERY YOUNG LADY.

109

good temper comes entirely from
nature. Some tempers are naturally
more pleasant than others ; but I am
more apt to think that a good temper
comes from grace. Pray to God to
take away all your bad dispositions,
and to give you good ones, by his
Holy Spirit; and ask
name of Jesus Christ,
tenderness, love, and
who went about doin^
who died for his enemies, persecu-
tors, and murderers.

this in the
who was all
compassion ;
I good ; and

10

110 LETTERS TO A

LETTER TWENTIETH.

BEHAVIOUR TO SERVANTS.

My dear Mary, — Children and
servants make up a large part of
many families. They have to be
much together, and the quiet of the
house depends very much on their
oehaviour to one another. A good
servant is the very next thing to a
good child. Where they have been
long in a family, they are often es-
teemed and beloved, and should be
treated with kindness and considera-
tion. You need never be afraid nor
ashamed to own that you look upon
a faithful old domestic as one of your
friends.

The comfort and usefulness of all
who do the work of a family are
connected with the way in which
the children behave themselves

VERY YOING LADY. Ill

The young ladies of a household
have usually more to do with the
domestics than their brothers. So
that if the girls are not kind, the
servants must be unhappy. Often,
very often, good servants leave their
places on account of one pettish, ill-
natured child.

My first advice is, Never keep
company with domestics, except
when -directed by your parents. If
your parent sees that any one of her
female attendants is a fit companion
for you, she will tell you so.

My second advice is, Always use
kind and respectful language to the
servants. There is no case in which
you should do otherwise. They are
generally older than you, and some-
times wiser and better. Do not take
any airs of superiority. Surely you
will not despise any of them because
they are poor ! Your Redeemer
was poor, and " took upon him the
form of a servant," when he was on

112 LETTERS TO A

earth. Above all, do not use harsh,
disrespectful words to those who are
aged.

My third advice is, Avoid all dif-
ferences with servants. Children
are too apt to fall out with those
who wait on them. It is sometimes
the servant's fault; but, even sup-
pose you have been treated amiss by
a domestic, the proper way is to
make it known in the gentlest man-
ner to your mother, who will in-
stantly set all right. What can be
more unlovely than to see a young
lady, who should be all sweetness
and tranquillity, flying into a passion,
quarrelling with the maids, and
making the house ring with the
tones of anger !

Never interrupt servants in their
work. Mind your own business, and
iet them mind theirs. This is the
way to keep the peace with all sorts
of people, all your life long, but espe-
cially with servants. Do not meddle

VERY YC UNG LADY. 113

with their employments. If you
find them doing any little thing, by
no means take it out of their hands,
as if you could do it better. There
is a good proverb which says : Fools
and children should never see half-done
work. You may know, by your own
feelings, how very unpleasant it is
to be helped when you do not need
it. We all like to be let alone ; and
some of the best servants I ever
knew, would get a little out of hu-
mour from the vexatious whims of
little meddlers. Let it never be
said that your mother lost such or
such a domestic, because she could
not live in the same house with
Miss Mary.

Be considerate in what you direct
servants to do. Their time is pre-
cious. They have feelings as well
as you. They can be weary as well
as you. They cannot do two things
at once, or be in two places at the
same moment, any more than you
10*

1 14 LETTERS TO A

Think of this when you ask them
to do any thing for you ; as, for ex-
ample, when you send one on an
errand, or when you wish their
services late at night, or while they
are at their meals, or when they are
indisposed. Try to ask thetn with-
out seeming to command. They
would rather be requested than
ordered ; and you will always be
better served in the end.

Lastly, Do all you can to make
every one near you wiser and better.
Could you not teach that young girl
to read? Could you not give her
some good tract or little book now and
then? Could you not help her in
her Sunday-school lesson? Could
you not talk with her about the
Bible? In all these ways, and in
many others, you may be useful and
beloved, long before the days of
your girlhood are over.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 115

LETTER TWENTY-FIRST.

ALMSGIVING.

My dear Mary,— Can you begin
to do good too soon? Ortainly not.
I dare say your busy hands were
employed, long ago, to convey money
or food to the poor. And your
parents will, no doubt, continue to
give you trifling sums from time to
time, to be bestowed on the needy. I
think this a matter of vastly more im-
portance than is generally thought.
Habits are formed very early, and
there is no habit which it is
better to form at once, than that
of doing good. Learn to relieve
misery. Look at it, even though
the sight is painful. Look at the
lame, the sick, the blind, the wan-
derer, and the orphan, and be thank-
ful for your own favours. Sin?

116 LETTERS TO A

that precious little hymn of good
Dr. Watts,

" Whene'er I take my walks abroad,
How many poor I see !
"What shall I render to my God,
For all his gifts to me !"

If you do not know it already, I beg
you to get it by heart at once.
Every word of it is wTorthy of your
recollection.

You sometimes have money given
to you for your own. Would it not
be a good rule for life, to lay aside a
little portion of all such money, for
charitable purposes. The Jews used
to give at least a tenth to the Lord :
and he that hath pity upon the poor,
lendeth unto the Lord ; and that
which he hath given, will He pay
him again. I think this little alms-
portion of your pocket-money would
sweeten all the rest. Suppose you
lay all out in cake, or confections, o»
picture-books, or ornaments ; these
are -soon gone, and do no real good

VERY YOUNG LADY. 117

to anybody. But the sixpence that
buys a loaf for a poor woman, does
more good to you than to her. You
remember it with satisfaction.

It will never be hard to find some
one to bless with a charitable gift.
You know what our Lord said : "Ye
have the poor always with you."
Begin early to find them out. Some
of the most deserving and the most
needy require to be sought for. It
is not the beggars who come to our
doors, that are the most worthy;
though these are not to be thrust
away without inquiry.

One of the best things you can do
for poor people, is to give them work.
Then they earn what they get, and
we always enjoy most what we work
for. My dear Mary, you were not
placed in this world to live for your-
self It is a great error to think so.
Never let it go out of your mind,
that your grand business in life is to
make as many people happy as. you

118 LETTERS rlO A

can. It is chiefly for the sake of
fixing this in youi mind, that I ad
vise you to save some of your money
for alms. It is but little you can
give, I know; but that little will
constantly make you think of your
fellow-creatures, and you will grow
up in the habit of doing them good
and you will learn the happiness ot
living for others rather than yourself
and, by grace, will become every day
more and more like Him who went
about doing good.

The soul is worth more than the
body, and it is better to do good to
men's souls than to their bodies.
You do good to their souls when you
help them to become true believers
in Christ. There are many millions
whc do not know Christ. What
can you do, to help them to this
precious knowledge? You cannot
go to them, for most of them ar«
thousands of miles off; but you can
send A tew cents every month

VJUIY YOUNG LADY. 119

from every little girl in America,
would make a great sum at the
year's end. If this sum were given
to send the Bible, and missionaries,
and teachers to the ignorant and
wicked heathen, or good libraries to
children and youth in our own coun-
try, who have no books, it would
probably lead many of them to the
Knowledge of the blessed Saviour.
How much happier it would make
you, to think that you were helping
to do this, than to remember laying
out the same money upon trifles to
eat or to put on !

When you grow older, I am afraid
you will meet with foolish and un-
godly people, who will laugh at you
for giving to the ignorant and the
unconverted ; but when you listen to
them, think of Him who, "though
he was rich, yet for your sake be-
came poor, that you, through his
poverty, might be rich."

120 LETTERS TO A

LETTER TWENTY-SECOND.

MONEY.

My dear Mary, — It is not mone> ,
but the love of it, which the BibH
tells us is the root of all evil. Lik<n
fire and water, money is a good thin^
in its place. Yet it is dreadful
to think of the multitudes who
abuse it, and ruin themselves by it.
There are many who are as really
worshippers of gold, as any idolaters
in the East Indies. There are mil
lions of people who are servants of
Mammon. Riches is a curse to great
numbers ; for, certainly, that is a
curse which makes it hard to be
saved ; and we know who has said,
How hardly shall they that have
riches enter into the kingdom of
God ! It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle, than

VERY YOUNG LADY 121

for a rich man to enter into the king-
dom of God.

Even a very young lady, then,
ought to learn something about this
thing which occasions such evils.
Perhaps you say, I will do without
money. No, this cannot be, unless
you go out of the world. The true
way is, to learn how to use it.

Perhaps you have a little purse
of your own. At any rate, you have
had a little money, and you expect
to have some again. It is very well
for children to have small sums
given them, that they may know
how to use them ; and they should
be required to give an account of the
way in which they spend their
money. They are too* ready to
fancy that because it is their own,
they may do what they please with
it. They are impatient to lay it out.
Every moment you will hear them
saying, What shall I buy with this ?
They have no idea of saving. In
11

122 LETTERS TO A

deed, a saving or hoarding child
would be an unnatural creature.

But, young as you are, and
small as your purse is, you must
give an account of the way you
empty it. Vou are forming habits.
If you are wasteful now, you will
probably be wasteful hereafter. If
you lay out your penny foolishly
when you are young, you will lay
out your pound foolishly when you
are old; unless, like Dr. Franklin,
you learn wisdom by your losses :
for, I suppose, you have read his
famous story of the Whistle.

Learn nowr, not to lay out a penny
for what is worth nothing. Most of
the small change which is given to
children goes for cake, candy, and
the like. Now, I have scarcely ever
been in a family where the children
did not get enough of that sort of
things without the trouble of buy-
'ng them.

Try, my dear, if you cannot be

VERY YOUNG LADY. 123

wise enough, young as you are, tc
lay out a little money for something
useful. To do so requires a little
saving. It will do you no harm to
let a shilling lie a week or two ip
your purse, without burning its wTay
out. Try this. I think you are not
in danger of being a miser. And,
after all, I mean that you should
spend it for yourself. I only wish
you to wait a little, and exercise
your judgment by buying what is
not worthless.

Could you not purchase for your-
self some pretty, convenient article
of furniture, or something for your
writing-table, or your toilette? It
would be better than to eat and
drink your little fortune up. Could
yjpu not think of some pleasant, use-
ful book, which you have long
wished to have? Is there no pre-
sent you would like to make to one
of your dear relations or friends, on
his birthday? Or, suppose you buy

124 LETTERS TO A

the materials, and make up some-
thing pretty with your own hands,
for that friend. All these are ways
of spending money which would
give far more pleasure than those
which children commonly follow.

I have sometimes thought that a
great deal would be saved, if people
were brought up from their youth to
keep a regular account of all that
they spend. Ladies who are house-
keepers find the importance of this
when it is too late. Begin now. It
will be entertaining to you to have a
book, and to set down what you
have paid out. It will teach you
accounts. It will show you how
much has gone foolishly, and so will
teach you to be wiser in time to
come.

The duty of giving something to
the poor and to other good objects, is
very plain. Indeed, my last letter
to you was on this subject. It is
mst as true of you now, as it will be

VERY YOUNG LADY.

125

when you come to have thousands,
if you ever should, that you are a
steward of God's property, and that
you must give account to Him.

IV

126 LETTERS TO A

LETTER TWENTY-THIRD.

VISITS.

My dear Mary, — Did you ever
take notice that some children be-
have themselves worst when they
are abroad? Like little eye-ser-
vants, they are dutiful enough while
their parents are looking on, but
very rude and disobedient when
they are with other people. This
should make you very careful to be
as thoughtful about your conduct in
the absence of your parents as in
their presence.

It will be very long, I hope, before
your mother will allow you to make
fashionable calls, or to go into com-
pany. Much of what is so called,
is part of that worldly vanity which
true Christians ought not to counte-
nance. But, eT en if conducted in a

VERY YOUNG LADY. 127

religious manner, visiting is not the
thing for young girls. I do not
mean that you should not go some-
times to see your young acquaint-
ances. Do so, by all means. Nei-
ther do I mean that you should not
accompany your dear parents when
they think it right to take you. But
what I earnestly wish you may
avoid is, beginning too soon to dress
for gay visits, or coming out in
mixed company. Alas ! how many
weak parents have followed the
wishes of their inexperienced chil-
dren, in regard to this ! And how
many vain girls have been utterly
spoiled, by being adorned like wo-
men, and brought into fashionable
circles a* an age when they ought to
have been sitting at their samplers,
or running about in their sun-bon
aets !

What I have to say, therefore,
does not relate to these follies of
fashionable peonle, but to the little,

128 LETTERS TO A

plain, sociable, every-day visits,
which friends, whether great or
small, all the world over, are ac-
customed to make to one another.

When your school-hours are over,
you sometimes snatch up your bon-
net, and run over the way, or round
the corner, or across the fields, to see
a young acquaintance. Perhaps
you are invited to spend the even-
ing. If you have leave, you do so :
and these are often improving as
well as agreeable hours. At such
times, fix it in your mind that your
behaviour is observed by many eyes.
These friends know your parents ;
they are looking to see how their
daughter behaves herself. A single
rude word, or bold act, 01 neglect of
civility, will be charged against
those whom you love best. The
faults of young people, away from
home, arise very much from heed-
lessness. They are so animated and
excited by the new scenes and good

VERY YOUNG LADY. 129

company, that they forget them-
serves, and become rude and boister-
ous ; or else they think they are
slighted, and pout or grow sullen.
I mention these most disagreeable
things, in the hope you will shun
them. To do so, remember every
moment what I have said elsewhere,
that your business is to make all
around you happy. If this is fixed
in your mind, you will be truly
courteous and respectful, and every
one will love your company.

The very best rules for every
thing, are the Bible-rules. Be hum-
ble, be meek, think less of yourself
than of others, love your neighbour,
and be mindful of the presence of
God, observe these rules, and you
will go aright in any company.
You will then appear to be only
what you really are ; modest and
affectionate. You will not do things
merely to be gazed at. You will
not take on airs, as if you were

130 LETTERS TO A

better than others. You will not
make sport of any one, nor look
down on any thing because it is odd,
nor boast that such and such things
are so much nicer and finer at youi
house. You will not find fault, and
tease, and chide. You will not
grow sulky, and bridle your little
neck, and declare that you wTill
never visit there again. You will
not selfishly want the first of every
thing and the best of every thing
for yourself. All these shameful
and sinful practices you will escape,
by simply following the rules of
God's holy word ; which should be
your guide from infancy to old age.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 13'

LETTER TWENTY-FOURTH.

RECEIVING VISITS.

My dear Mary, — When I come
to see you, I shall look carefully to
see whether you observe my little
directions. It will give me great
mortification, if you are shy and
cold; if you run into corners, or
hide behind your mother's chair.
Be as modest and retiring as you
please, but remember it is no part
of modest reserve to be inhospitable,
Give every one a welcome look. I
will pardon you for blushing a little,
or for a little fearful shake in your
voice ; but, in your father's house,
you must learn to receive your
friends as if you were glad to see
them.

If you should chance to be at
home when no older member of the

132 BETTERS TO A

family is present, you may have to
entertain company for a few minutes
or, indeed, if they have come far,
for some hours. Do this as kindly,
quietly, and modestly as you can;
these friends will esteem you for it,
and forgive any little blunders you
may commit.

When visitors come in to see
your mother, be quick in helping
them in every thing they really
need ; but do not bustle about un-
necessarily : this is what is called
being officious, and it is very dis-
gusting. Let your whole manner
be quiet, simple, and respectful.
Speak when you are spoken to. When
a lady or a gentleman asks you a
question, do not look down, simper,
stammer, mutter, bite your nails, nor
play any of the tricks of bashful
girls. Do not you know that all
these things only draw more atten
tion to you ? If you had answered
"\t once, it would all have been over,

VERY YOUNG LADY. 133

and you would have been forgotten
the next minute ; but now, that you
have reddened, and coughed, and,
perhaps, shed two or three tears,
everybody is looking at you, and the
matter gets worse and worse. But,
pray, do not run to the other extreme,
and join in the conversation when
you are not desired to do so.

Sometimes your own young friends
will come to see you ; it may be to
drink tea, or even to spend a few
days. O, how delightful this is to
young persons who are well-bred,
and love one another ! Well do I
remember days and weeks of this
kind, which I spent, almost thirty
years ago, with young friends in the
country. Some of them are grow-
ing gray, like myself, and others are
no more in this world. If there is
any time when you ought to be par-
ticularly obliging, it is when your
friends come to see you. Now is
the time to make them happy. Do.
12

134 LETTERS TO A

•

all in your power to make them feel
at home. Anticipate their wants.
Bear with their disagreeable ways.
If any of them are rude and diso-
bliging, do not imitate them in this,
but pity them, and set them right.
Never utter a single word to give
them a moment's pain, unless it is
something which you cannot, in
conscience, avoid saying. Show
them all that you think will please
them, but do this without ostenta-
tion. Bear in mind that you are to
please them, and not they to please
you. They are your guests ; there-
fore, let them have the choice of
amusements, and do not urge them
to do what they do not wish.

If you can do something to make
these visits profitable as well as plea-
sant, you will be all the happier for
t. Such visits will leave their
sweetness in your memory, long
after they have passed by. The
instructive book which you and

VERY YOUNG LADF. 135

your friends r«-.ad together under the
shady maple, will be remembered
by you many, many years hence.

The best way to avoid unpleasant
visitors, is to make it a rule to in-
'vite no one to your house, unless
with your parents' leave. At your
age, it is impossible for you to judge
who are good and who are bad com-
panions, without some help from
your father and mother. And when
they have .decided this point, never
say another word. Let their will
be your law. They know a hun-
dred-fold more about these things
than you ; and they are as desirous
as you can be, that all your visits
?hould give you pleasure.

136 LETTERS TO A

LETTER TWENTY-FIFTH,

LETTER-WRITING.

My dear Mary, — Though I have
written you twenty-four letters, yet
I have not had a single one in reply.
' Very well," I seem to hear you say;
" this is just as it should be : it is time
enough for me to begin to be a letter-
writer." That will depend, Miss
Mary, very much on the kind of
letters you write. I know that some
young girls make themselves very
ridiculous by a sort of rage for cor-
responding with their acquaintances.
But nothing is more proper than for
a young lady, even of the most ten-
der years, to write a little letter to
her mother, her brother, or her
teacher, or to such an elderly friend
as myself, for example. Such epis-
tles give great pleasure. When your
brother goes to college, there are

VERY YOUNG L&.DY. i37

few things which he will value more
than a letter from his sister Mary.

What I wish you to consider is,
that whatever is worth doing at all,
is worth doing well. There is a
right and a wrong, even in letter
writing; and, if you wish to write
well when you are grown up, begin
to write well now.

Be sure that you have something
to say. It is poor work to seat your-
self at your desk, and bite your nails,
and dip your pen in the ink fifty times,
before you can come at a thought.
Young people mistake, also,, as to
what should be put in a letter. You
need not try to write fine sentences
and big words. If you try to do so,
you will learn to write affectedly,
and the habit may stick by you all
your life. Think of what you would
say to your brother, if he were sit-
ting by you, and holding your hand.
That is just the thing he will like to
read. Is it a pleasant little piece of
12*

138 LETTERS TO A.

news ? — Put it down ; it is the very
thing. Is it a kind wish that he
were by you ? — DowTn with it ; it will
oe better still. Is it some little pro-
ject you have, of surprising your
dear parents with a Christmas pre-
sent?— Write it down. Writing a let-
ter is only talking with a pen. Be
simple, natural, unaffected, and affec-
tionate, and your letter will be sure
to please. I know of nothing which
injures a letter so much as effort.
By this I mean, trying to do bettei
than you can. The pleasantest let-
ters I ever received, were from la-
dies; and the best of these were
those which seemed to trickle out
of the pen, as if the writer neve)
thought wrhat was to come next
Remember what I say, Effort spoils
letter-writing.

I do not mean that you should be
careless in writing. By no means.
Be careless in nothing. All your
life, make it a rule to do every thing

VERY YOUNG LADY. 139

as well as you can. Take a fair
sheet of purely white paper. Be
sure you have a perfectly good pen,
md the very blackest ink. Get
your mother to show you where to
begin, where the date is to be, and
now far from the top you should
write the little opening salutation.
Leave a sufficient blank margin.
Take pains to spell every word right,
and to place your commas and other
stops exactly ; to dot every i, and cross
every t. Learn to close and sign your
name in a becoming way. Do not
delay to find out the neatest and most
elegant mode of folding and sealing
your letter, and direct it on the out-
ride in a fair, legible hand. Do every
Dart of this with your own hands.

It is good to practise what we
learn ; so, pray, begin at once ; get
your pen and paper, write your
letter, fold, and seal it, and then
write on the back the name of your
friend and well-wisher,

!40 LETTERS TO a

LETTER TWENTY-SIXTH.

THE FORMATION OF HABITS.

My dear Mary, — What a serious
thing it is to consider, that you are
now forming habits for life ! Ought
you not to take care to form none
but good ones ?

Perhaps you only half-believe me
When you hear older people say,
that the habits the)r formed when
they were young have never left
them, perhaps you say within your-
self, " But it shall not be so with me;
for, even if I do fall into some bad
ways, I will take good care to get
out of them when I grow older."
My dear child, this is just the snare
which Satan is always laying for the
young. There is no safety but in
beginning aright. If you wish a
grape-vine to grow in a certain direc-

VERY YOUNG LADY. 14J

tion, you bend it in that direction
while it is young. If you wish to
have a green hedge in your garden,
you set it as you would have it to
grow. If you wish to have apricots,
you never think of planting a plum
tree, in the hope of exchanging it
after a year or two. If you wish to
have health when you are a woman,
you must try to be a healthy child.
If you wish to have a good memory
when you are grown, you must
cultivate your memory now. And,
if you wish to be every thing that is
good and lovely hereafter, you must
begin to be such at present.

When I speak of evil habits, I do
not mean habits of vice or open
transgression. I trust Divine Grace,
given in answer to the prayers of
your parents, will ever keep you from
these. But I mean those habits in
common life which are formed by
repeated practice. For example : 1
once wrote you a letter about the

142 LETTERS TO A

habit of early rising. I might write
to you about the habit of punctuality,
or frugality, or civility, or diligence ;
they are good habits; they should
be cultivated. The sooner you be-
gin, and the more you practise them>
the stronger they will become, till,
at length, no one will think of you,
without thinking of these habits.
Habit, says the proverb, is a second
nature. Then I might say much
about the habit of procrastination,
or putting things off till to-morrow ;
the habit of slovenliness ; of loqua-
city, or talkativeness ; of levity ; or
of impudence. These are evil ha-
bits, which should not be allowed
for a moment.

It is wonderful how soon an evil
habit is formed, and how hard it is
to get rid of it. We see it, even in
little things ; in very little things.
There is a young lady, whose name
I will not mention, lest I wound her
feelings, who has a habit or trick of

VERY YOUNG LADY. J 43

biting her nails. It is a disgusting
practice, which ought to make her
blush, whenever she is detected in
it. Yet it has become so strong,
that, I dare say, she will go on gnaw-
ing her finger-nails to the quick, for
years to come. Another little friend
of mine has a habit of cracking the
ioints of her fingers. Though her
father, mother, and brothers have
told her how foolish and how ill-bred
it is, she has done it so long, that
she declares it is impossible for her
to desist. You see how hard it is
to break off an evil habit. Beware
how you contract any such. If you
wish to keep weeds out of your
flower-bed, you pull them up when
they are young, as soon as you can
seize them. Do the same with ill
habits. Make war upon them the
moment you see them. Crush
them, as you would the eggs of a
viper

Education is intended to form

144 LETTERS TO A.

^ood habits, and destroy bad ones
You know the golden lines :

" 'Tis education forms the youthful mind^
Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined.

Act upon it. Every day, every hour,
you are doing something to form a
habit. How important, then, is this
spring-time of your life, and how
careful should you be to use it, so
that vou may not lament it hereafter !

VERY YOUNG LADY. 145

LETTER TWENTY-SEVENTH.

AIR AND EXERCISE.

My dear Mary, — When Doctoi
Smith goes to your house, you are
ready to wonder why he talks so
much to your mother about air and
exercise. The doctor is wise, and
he is kind. He knows what is good
for young people, and what evils
arise from keeping too much within
doors. He has had hundreds of
patients whose diseases have arisen
from this very cause. The habit of
taking abundant exercise in the
open air is one which you must not
fail to form.

Very little children need no direc-
tions on this subject. They are
taking exercise all day long, running,
skipping and leaping. But when
girls are growing up to be young
13

146 LETTERS TO A

ladies, they are apt to change their
habits. They sit for hours moping
over a book, or a piece of work.
They dislike to move. Walking
makes them weary. They grow
pale, lose their appetite, get a stoop
in the shoulders, and look peevish
and miserable. The indolence and
the gloom increase upon them, till,
at last, unless they take warning in
time, they go off in a consumption,
or some other wasting disease.

There are a hundred different
ways of taking exercise, and some of
these you will certainly find pleasant.
You may walk; you may ride ; you
may take an airing in a carriage or a
boat; you may swing; you may skip
the rope; you may trundle a hoop over
the garden-walks ; you may work
in the flower-beds ; you may play
battledore. I have no doubt you
could teach me, on this point, more
than I can teach you. But, pray,
Miss Mary, dc you practise what

VERY YOUNG LADY. 147

ycu know? Come, now, answei
me a few questions. How long is it
since you walked four miles in a
day ? How many long walks do
you take in a week? How far can
you walk at a good pace without
weariness? Do you make it a point
of sitting down to no meal without
having gained a relish for it by exer-
cise ? Are your cheeks red ? iVre
your arms firm ? These are ques-
tions which you must be able to
answer satisfactorily.

It is said that the ladies of Eng-
land are more healthy than those of
America, and that they take more
exercise. I . can testify, that of all
my acquaintances, the most health-
ful, blooming and cheerful are those
who are most active out of doors.

The best exercise is that which is
taken in the open air. There is
every thing to invite you out. If
you are in town, there are a thousand
interesting sights and engagements.

148 LETTERS TO A

[f you are in the country, you can
scarce] v open your eyes without
finding what is worth looking after.
Go out into the fields and woods.
Strike out new paths. Learn the
names and characters of all the
forest trees. Make collections of
plants and flowers. If you have a
gentle horse and good attendants,
ride about before breakfast, and you
will soon find your advantage in it.

In winter, or in rainy weather, set
your wits to work to invent agreeable
exercises. Pace up and down the
long piazza or gallery ; run up and
down stairs : learn how a broom
feels in one's hand : polish the
furniture: do any thing rather than
loll on a sofa or lounge in a rocking-
chair.

If you lose your health, you will
probably lose your spirits. If you
lose your spirits, yon will become a
st urce of anxiety to all your affec-
tionate friends; and will be worth

VERY YOUNG LADY. 149

very little to those you wish to
gratify and assist. There is *no
earthly talent for which we are more
accountable than our health.

I have long been convinced that a
habit of bodily sloth is a principal
cause of ill health. Fight against
this habit. Never be afraid to move
about. Be quick, sprightly, and
prompt in your motions. If youi
thimble is left up two pair of stairs,
go for it instantly. Do not linger,
and say, "I will wait a little," — go
at once. Form this habit in every
thing. And, when the clock strikes
the hour for a walk, close your book,
put up your needle, get your bonnet
and shawl, and away to healthful
motion.

13'

150 LETTERS TO A

LETTER TWENTY-EIGHTH.

CONVERSATION.

My dear Mary, — When I was
a child, I used to be told that, as I
had two ears, but only one tongue, I
ought to hear much and speak little.
Afterwards, my Latin lessons used
to say, " He is a wise man whose
words are few." Then I read the
words of Solomon; "In the multi-
tude of words there wanteth not
sin ; but he that restraineth his lips
is wise." " He that keepeth his
mouth, keepeth his life ; but he that
openeth wide his lips, shall have
destruction." Also the words of
the apostle James : "Let every
man be swift to hear, slow to
speak;" and again, "If any man
offend not in word, the same is a
perfect man, arid able also to bridle

VERY YOUNG LADY. 151

the whole body." All this taught
me, that it is a dangerous thing to
let the tongue run without govern
ment. I wish I had practised more
what I learned.

The world cannot go on without
some talking, and speech is one of
the most blessed gifts of God. But
there is more evil spoken than good,
and, if we get the habit of foolish
talking when we are young, it is
likely we shall talk foolishly all our
days.

Childhood and youth are the sea-
son for listening and learning. The
innocent prattle of a child is agree-
able to every kind heart, if it is not
carried too far ; but it must be in the
right time and place. You know
how much some little girls offend
by perpetual talking and giggling,
and, I hope, you are determined to
avoid it. Your parents and teachers
will tell .you when you talk too
much, or too loud, or at improper

152 LETTERS TO A

times. Yield to them instantly, for
they are wiser than you. You will
often think you are talking very agree-
ably, when it is quite the reverse ;
and you should be thankful for
being told so.

When older persons are convers-
ing, never put in a word unless it is
absolutely necessary. It is so, when
you are spoken too. Always look
the person in the face to whom you
are speaking ; not with boldness,
but firmly and modestly. Do not
hang your head, or turn away your
person, as if you had been detected
in a fault. When you are with any
of your friends or relations, talk as
much as you see is pleasing to them.

Never interrupt another who is
speaking. Begin now, and practise
on this rule, even with your young
companions. If any one interrupts
you, be silent at once, and begin
again, if necessary, when no one is
talking. Two or three little ladies

VERY YOUNG LADY. 153

together, sometimes make as much
noise as a dozen grown persons. It
is very disagreeable, when a young
lady breaks out into boisterous
laughter, or giggles foolishly at
trifles, or at some thought in her
own head. Moderate laughter is
innocent and healthful, but you
should leave what is called the
"horse-laugh" for sailors and tip-
plers.

When I advise you not to be too
fond of talking, you must not sup-
pose that I recommend a sullen
silence. This is even worse than
loquacity, or talkativeness. But be
sure you have something to say, and
"think twice before you speak once."
Neither do I wish you to be so bash-
ful as not to answer when you are
spoken to. This is foolish and con-
temptible. One may be self-pos-
sessed and distinct in talking, and
yet be ttuly modest. This embar
rassment and hesitation, and all

154 LETTERS TO A

these tricks of ill-bred misses, arise
from a silly little pride.

There is nothing more instructive
than good conversation. It teaches
ns more than books. But, then, yon
must talk with those who can teach
you something. Solomon says, "He
that walketh with wise men shall be
wise." Take heed with whom you
talk. It is a good sign for a child
to love the conversation of her pa-
rents. They love you best, and are
most desirous to do you good. They
know you best, and can say exactly
what you need to hear.

Be careful not to repeat in one
company what you hear in another.
Those who dc so, get the ugly name
of tattlers. Especially, never re-
peat what you have said at home or
in school. There are women whose
greatest entertainment and business
it is, to go from house to house, day
after day, hearing news, and telling
it again. Beware of having an itch-

VERY YOUNG LADY

155

mg ear to learn news, and an itching
tongue to retail it. Beware of gos-
sipping and scandal.

And, remember, " that every idle
word that men shall speak, they
shall give account thereof in the day
of judgment."

i&$ LETTERS TO A

LETTER TWENTY-NINTH

TRUTH.

My dear Mary, — The word hm
is a dreadful word, and is considered
one of the greatest reproaches. But
the sin itself is worse than its name-,
and you know who hath said that
" all liars shall have their part in
the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone, which is the second
death."

I have sometimes thought that
great evil arises from giving trifling
names to heavy offences. If we
give a little name to a great sin, we
may learn to think it a little sin.
Thus, drunkenness has many funny
names, which serve to make people
familiar with it, and so conceal its
oaseness. Lying, also, is called
story -telling ; a lie is called a story,

VERY YOUNG LA^Y. 157

or a fib, or a flam. But all the time
the lie is nothing but a lie, hateful
to God, and injurious to our fellow
creatures.

It is my hope, dear Mary, that
you will grow up without having
ever told a wilful falsehood. But,
the more you hate it, the more you
will shun it.

Some persons are famous for ly-
ing. Scarcely any thing is believed
because of their saying it. They
have a habit of falsehood. Do you
wish to know how they acquired
this habit ? By neglecting to speak
the simple truth when they were
young. A lying child generally be-
comes a lying man or woman.

The evil begins in what we think
very little offences, if they are
offences at all. By practising ex-
aggeration, one learns to practise false-
hood. Exaggeration means talking
largely ; using great words for little
things, and making a thing seem
14

158 LETTERS TO A

larger, or worse than it really is.
Thus, if a voung lady feels weary,
she declares that she is tired to death.
Or, if she tells of something very
amusing, she says she almost died of
laughing. A warm day is the " hot-
test day she ever felt in her life."
A plain woman is said to be the
most horrid ugly creature she ever
laid her eyes on. All this is very
common, and seems very harmless ;
but it is against the truth. These
expressions arise from a lively
imagination, and strong feelings ;
but falsehood arises from the same.
And, therefore, we should take care
not to let our imagination or our
feelings run away with us.

Whenever you undertake to give
an account of any thing, be thought-
ful Take care to state every par-
ticular precisely as it is. Say no
more than you know. Avoid all
very large and very strong expres-
sions. I once heard a young lady

VERY YOUNG LADY. 159

say there were about two thousand
birds on a certain tree ; I suppose
there might have been fifty. She did
not think she was speaking an un-
truth, but she showed that sort ot
carelessness which leads to exag
geration.

A character for truth is an excel
lent thing. It is soon found out
whether a young person is conscien-
tious or not, in this particular. You
perceive this in the case of servants;
for your parents will at once dismiss
a domestic who is given to falsehood.
Such domestics are a curse to a
household. They often mislead the
children of the family, and tempt
them to speak untruths. A habit
of making many excuses, leads to
falsehood. Confess what you have
done amiss instantly, and fully, and
without waiting to be charged with
it. You will fare all the better for
it, even in this world.

Humility and modesty nelp us to

160 LETTERS TO A

avoid falsehood. Thousands of the
lies which are told every day, are
ies of vanity. A person wishes for
admiration : so he says something
that is not quite true, in order to be
applauded. Miss Bell is fond of
saying how rich her father is. She
tells her school-mates of his ♦fine
carriages ; when, really, the good
gentleman has but one. She tells
of her wealthy uncle in England ;
she has no uncle in the world. Miss
Frances wishes people to think that
she is a genius : so she declares
she has not looked at that lesson,
though she knows she has studied it
for half an hour. But both Miss
Bell and Miss Frances will be de-
fected in a very short time.

The best way to avoid this dread-

ul evil, is to remember the presence

uf God at all times. Thou God

seest me. This will keep you from

foob'.sh and false words.

VERY YOUNG L U)Y. 161

LETTER THIRTIETH.

THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL.

My dear Mary, — It is now more
than thirty years since I went to a
little school, kept by an excellent old
lady. In those days we used to call
it a " madam's school," and in Eng-
land it would now be called a " dame-
school." Our good school-mistress
lived to a great age, and died only-
last year, in Easton, on the Dela-
ware. Well do I remember the
childish sports and childish fears of
those days.

There were then no Sunday-
schools in America. Shortly after,
they were introduced into Phila-
delphia, and elderly persons will
tell you how much interest was
taken in them by good old Father
Eastburn, and other servants of
14*

162 LETTERS TO A

Christ. The case is very different
now. These religious mercies have
spread themselves, not only over
Philadelphia and America, but, I
might almost say, over the Christian
world.

I have often heard parents say,
that their children learned more in
a few hours at the Sunday-school,
than they did all the week besides.
It is not always the case, indeed,
but there are some reasons why it
may often be so.

In the Sunday-school the teacher
bears no rod. The little folks are
led by cords of love. If the teacher
does his duty, he gains the affection
of his class ; because they see that
he longs for their improvement;
they hear his pleasant words, and
are soothed by his benevolent smile.
He explains to them what they have
been studying through the week,
and gives encouragement and com-
mendation to such as are diligent

VERY YOUNG LADY. 163

All this keeps up the attention and
engages the heart.

Then it is the Lord's-day on
which the school is taught ; and it
often meets in the place of worship,
or near it. All are clean and in
their best clothes ; all are enjoying
the sweet influences of the Sabbath.
Besides, they have had something
to do with their lessons for six days
before ; and, if they are diligent, the
scholars are almost prepared when
they enter the school-room.

Again, the Sunday-school lessons
are out of the Bible ; the best of
books, and the most interesting of
books. There are no histories so
delightful as those of the Scripture ;
and a few years at the Sunday-
school will take you over them all.
What can be more awakening o?
instructive to a company of sensible,
inquisitive children, than to be con-
stantly becoming acquainted with
A anam, and Joseph, and Samuel,

164 LETTERS TO A

and David, and Daniel; or, better
still, with our adorable Redeemer,
and his twelve apostles? No wonder
they learn fast, when all they have
to learn is better than the best story-
book in the world.

The Sunday-school has a library.,
too. If you are dutiful and atten-
tive, you will carry home one of the
many books which have been made
on purpose for Sunday-schools. This
does not often take place in common
schools ; but every Sunday-school
library is furnished with books for
every age and character. This is a
great blessing to many a poor child,
and to many a parent also. To buy
the same number of books for your-
self, would take, perhaps, a hundred
lollars. Each of these you can take
and read, just as if you had bought
them with your own money. But
how could you get these, if there
were no Sunday-schools ?

Common schools are of the greats

VERY YOUNG LADY. 165

est advantage. We cannot do with-
out them. We should honour them
and bless God for them. But toe
many of our common schools take
no care of the principal thing — the
salvation of the soul. Pious teach-
ers, like those whom I knew in my
childhood, used always to pray with
their scholars, and make them say
religious lessons. But there are
many schools, where, alas ! the book
of God is never read. You Know
how different it is in the Sunday
school. There, the salvation of the
soul is the great object : it is for this
that the school was set up. This
gives a serious air to every child that
thinks about it; and the divine
truth which is learned, and explain-
ed, and talked about; and the
prayers, and the exhortations, and the
sweet hymns, make all the attentive
scholars feel very peaceful, and very
much in earnest.

Remember th >se things, my dear

166 LETTERS TO A

child, when the Lord's-day morning
comes. Have your lessons perfectly
learned, early in the week. Go
early to the school ; and, while you
are there, be solemn, still, and mind-
ful of your duty. Never forget that
every lesson and every word is in
tended to do your soul good ; and
often ask yourself whether you are
any nearer to heaven, for being a
Sunday-scholar. In time, if your
life be spared, you will be able to
teach others also; and I wish you
no higher honour than that of
being a faithful Sunday-schooi
teacher.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 167

LETTER THIRTY-FIRST.

BEHAVIOUR IN CHURCH.

My dear Mary, — There is no
sound in a great city more pleasant
to people in general than that of the
church-bells. And there is no sight
more agreeable than that of hun-
dreds and thousands of well-dressed
and orderly persons, going to their
several places of worship. When I
meet these groups or processions, on
a fine spring morning, my heart
rejoices that I am in a gospel land ;
and, as I see parents and children
going up to the house of God in com-
pany, I do not stop to ask whether
they are Methodists, or Lutherans,
or Episcopalians, or Presbyterians,
or Baptists, or Friends ; for I rejoice
that they are all at liberty to worship
God according to their own belief.

IBS LETTERS TO A

But, how many enter the place
of worship without any thought of
God ! Some go to see and be seen ;
some to gain the good-will of men ;
some to gratify their curiosity ; some
from mere habit ; and some because
they do not know what else to do
with themselves. And, when they
have entered the house of prayer,
how different is the conduct of
individuals ! Those who fear God
are silent, serious, and quiet. Those
who fear him not, are restless, or
even noisy ; some smile and whis-
per ; others gaze about as if they
were in a play-house.

" Even a child is known by his
doings, whether his work be pure,
and whether it be right." This
proverb of Solomon applies to the
conduct of young persons in church;
and I often make up my mind about
the children of my friends, from
their behaviour in this place. There-

VERY YOUNG LADY. 169

fore remember that the eyes of many
are upon you, and, especially, that
the eye of God searches your very
thoughts.

Be early at public worship. It
you go late, you disturb others, and
unfit yourself for duty. Nothing
can be well done in a hurry. Some
persons have the discredit of being
always late at church. Some do this
on purpose to attract notice. But,
you will remember, that the begin-
ning of divine exercises is as pre-
cious as the end.

When you have taken your seat,
be still. You have come to worship.
Let your thoughts be serious, and
about divine things. Do not look
around, as if you wished to examine
every dress and bonnet in the house.
Especially, avoid the vulgar habit
of turning round to stare at those
behind you, or at such as enter the
house after you. Speak not one
15

170 LETTERS TO A

word, unless it be absolutely neces-
sary ; and, if young companions try
to catch your eye, or tempt you to a
smile, turn away your looks, and
they will know that you reverence
the worship of God.

The prayers which are offered
are for you, as much as for others.
Your heart should join in them;
and you should always place your-
self in that posture which is most
devotional. If you are thinking
about other things, while the people
of God are praying, )^ou are guilty
of pretending to worship, while you
do not.

The praises which are sung, are
tor you also. Join in the psalms
and hymns. Let your youthful
voice be trained, from the very ear-
iest years, to glorify God. No
Christian soul will forbid )^ou. I
know, indeed, that the chief-priests
and scribes were offended, when the

VERY YOUNG LADY. 171

children uttered hosannas to the Son
of David; but what was the reply
of Jesus ? " Yea, have ye never
read, Out of the mouths of babes
and sucklings thou hast perfectec
praise ?" The blessed Saviour loves
to receive the praises of children.

When the Scriptures are read, be
all attention. It is an excellent prac-
tice to find the place, and read it in
your own Bible ; and it is much to
be regretted that this custom, which
is universal in some countries, is un-
common in our own.

When the minister of Christ
preaches the gospel, I need scarcely
say, you ought to listen to every
word. Take notice of what he says.
Remember the subject of the dis-
course. As far as possible, avoid
uneasiness, restlessness, and drowsi-
ness. I sincerely hope you will
never go to sleep in church.

Many persons seem to think, that

172 LETTERS TO A

as soon as the public worship is at
an end, they may do as they please
You will see boys and girls rushing
out, as if they were going to a play-
ground, and making the gallery-stairs
clatter with the noise of their feet.
It is still the Lord's-day. You
ought still to be thinking of what
you have been doing. Go out, there-
fore, as quietly as you came in ; and
go home with your dear parents
silently, or listening to what they
say. It is no time to be making re-
marks about who was there, and
who was not there ; about Mrs. A.'s
shawl, or Miss B.'s bonnet. Much
Sunday-talk is of this nature ; and
the way home from church is care-
fully watched by the wicked one,
who is busy with the hearer after
the seed is sown, that "he may
catch away that which was sown in
his heart." Matt. xiii. 19.

When you have returned from

VERY YOUNG LADY.

173

public worship, it will be a useful
practice for you to go to your room
for a few moments, and pray foi
God's blessing on these means of
grace.

lb*

174 LETTERS TO A.

LETTER THIRTY-SECOND.

THE BIBLE.

My dear Mary, — Your pious pa
rents have long since taught you to
reverence the Holy Scriptures. You
have been led to read that blessed
book ; you have learned the meaning
of various parts ; and you have com-
mitted many passages to memory.
You are, I trust, in the habit of read-
ing a chapter or two every day.

All this is well : but I wish you
to do more than this — to go further,
and become still better acquainted
with God's inspired volume. It is
to be the study of your life. The
day will never come, I hope, when
you will close the book, and say, " 1
have done with it." You may do so
with other books, when you have got
fr/>m them all they can give you;

VERY YOUNG LADY. 175

but this is the book of heavenly truth,
and it can never be exhausted. You
may draw all the water out of a cis-
tern or a pool ; but a living fountain
will pour out its stream faster than
you can receive it. The Bible is
such a fountain : and as you need
water every day, as long as you live,
so you need this water of life, until
you are removed to another world.
Every time, therefore, that you take
up your Bible, say within yourself,
"This is to be my study, as long as
I live."

If you are ever saved, Mary, it
will be by believing God's message,
contained in this volume. Does not
this make it the most important of all
volumes ? Is it not worth more to
you than all the books of all the libra-
ries on earth ? Do not wonder, then,
that I beseech you to look on it, and
think of it, and follow it, as you do
no other book.

Remember what the apostle Paul

176 LETTERS TO A

says to Timothy; for the same thing
may hereafter be said of you : " that
from a child tbou hast known the
Holy Scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation,
through faith wThich is in Christ
Jesus." 2 Tim. iii. 15. O ! what a
privilege ; and how much you have
to be thankful for ! Millions there
are, who never heard of the Scrip-
tares; millions there are, of people
called Christians, who are not al-
lowed to read the Scriptures in their
own language. But whenever you
choose, you may go to the sacred
volume. When you do so, remem-
ber it is God who there speaks to
you ; for, as you may see in the very
next verse to the one I just now
wrote, " All Scripture is given by in-
spiration of God."

Besides the lessons which are set
you by your parents and teachers, I
advise you to make a point of learn-
ing something out of the Bible every

VERY YOUNG LADY. 177

day. There are many places too
difficult for you at present ; there are
places which are difficult even for
the oldest and wisest men ; but
there are places enough where even
a child may find comfort and instruc-
tion. Learn all about the histories
of the Bible, especially the history
of our blessed Lord and Saviour.
Let this be printed on your youthful
heart. Do not fail to commit a
verse or two to memory every day
It is a good plan to learn a little por-
tion every night. You can then think
it over as you go to sleep, and fix it
in your mind early the next morn-
ing. It is another good plan, to go
to your Bible in the morning, before
you go to any other book. How
often have I known young people
keep a book under their pillow, to
read as soon as it was day : but it
was not the Bible. I should rejoice
to know that my dear Mary had such
a love for the best of books, that she

178 LETTERS TO A.

would rise early, and take delight in
its pages, before others were up in
the house. On a fine summer morn-
ing, take the volume in your hands,
open your window, and seat yourself
to read, where you can catch a
glimpse of the green fields, the
waving woods, and the freshness of
nature. Then, when you read of the
goodness and the grace of God, you
can raise your eyes and behold signs
of it all around you. Every bird
that sings, every flower that opens to
the rising sun, every breath of odours
from the meadows and gardens, will
be more lovely, when you think of
them as coming from the hand of
God. The Bible says much about
these things. Get up early, and read
the 103d and 104th Psalms, and you
will know what I mean.

There is another thing which I.
feel it to be my duty to say to you.
You are young, and youth is the time
of gayety and hope. You fee_ as if

VERY YOUNG LADY. 179

vour whole life was to be full of
pleasure. Do not mistake here, my
dear child. Do not think to go
through life without trouble. Man
is born to trouble as the sparks fly
upward. Sooner or later, affliction
will come upon you. Now, what I
have to tell you is, that the only book
which can fully comfort you in the
time of trial, is the Bible. Learn to
understand it, love it, and believe it,
and you will be prepared for the day
of affliction, and even for the day of
death :

The best relief that mourners have,

It makes our sorrows blest ;
Our fairest hope beyond the grave,

And our eternal rest.

It is necessary for you to consider,
that the God who inspired the writers
of the Scripture, can make you un-
derstand what they have written.
Therefore, when you read, pray. Ask
the help of God's Holy Spirit, that
vou may not mistake the meaning

180

LETTERS TO A

of his word. The reading of a por
tion of Scripture is a proper part of
daily devotion; but even at other
times, whenever the Bible is in your
hand, lift up your heart to God in
silent prayer, and beg for that light
which he is so ready to give to those
who ask him. And there can be no
better prayer for you than that of the
Psalmist : Open thou mine eyes, that
I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law.

VERY YOUNG LADY. ISi

LETTER THIRTY-THIRD.

EARLY PIETY.

My dear Mary, — I have a very
important question to ask you. It is
one which you must consider with
all possible attention. Your greatest
interests depend on it. It is this .
Are you prepared for heaven ?

Now, my dear young friend, do not
lay this letter aside, in fear or disgust.
Thoughts of God and of heaven
should never be disagreeable. Do
not say that you mean to be prepared
at some future day, and there is time
enough yet. To think so, is to yield
to a dreadful temptation, and do
exactly what Satan desires. If he
can persuade you to put off religious
consideration now, he will persuade
you to do so again ; and so on, time
16

182 LETTERS TO A

after time, till this habit of putting
off — the worst of evil habits — shall
have grown upon you, and fixed it-
self, Why do so many thousands,
in a gospel land, die unconverted?
Because they have put off returning
to God until it is too late. You do
not intend to put it off forever : nei-
ther did they. You think a day will
come when you will repent : so did
they. You know much about the
way of salvation : so did they. And
yet they are lost ! Therefore do not
refuse to consider what I am saying
to you.

If the blessed Saviour were now
on earth, and were in your neigh-
bourhood, and were to stand and sa>
again, " Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden — take my
yoke upon you," I trust there are
many who would go to him. Would
you go to him? Children are not
excluded. Christ did not forbid

VERY YOUNG LADY. 183

them of old ; he does not forbid
them now. Divine Wisdom still
says: "I love them that love me,
and they that seek me early shall
find me." Prov. viii. 17. U is a joy-
ful sight to God, to angels, and to
saints, when children come to Christ,
and thus become ready for heaven.

Why should not you be a true
Christian now, at this very moment?
Why should you wait longer ? Is it
ever too soon to be holy, to be happy ?
Is it ever too soon to have the best
of friends, and to be united to all
holy beings ? Can it be too soon to
return to your offended Father and
be reconciled to God? You can
answer these questions for yourself.

My child, we are travellers in a
strange land. This world is not our
home. We are only passing through
it. The journey is short. All the
people in the world are making their
way across this plain, and all are in

184 LETTERS TO A

one or the other road : for the roads
are but two. While the great multi-
tude are in that broad road that leads
to destruction, there are some in the
narrow road that leads to life. When
1 look at these two ways, I see that
the further the)' go, the wider apart
they are. In the beginning of the
journey, where the roads are near
together, and almost in sight, it is
easy to go from the broad to the nar-
row way. As the travellers advance,
fewer go from the path of destruc-
tion.

Now you are near the begin-
ning of the pilgrimage. It will be
more difficult, every day you live, to
go from the beaten track. 0, my
little friend, go from it now ! Seize
the precious moment ! God can
snatch you fiom the broad way, even
in*the midst of it : but you will make
sure )f safety, if you step into it
now Behold ! Jesus stands in it.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 185

and spreading his bleeding hands,
with tears of compassion, cries
to you, and such as you, — " Now,
therefore, hearken unto me, O ye
children, for blessed are they that
keep my ways." Blessed be God, 1
can see many little ones in his train ;
youthful Christians who are in the
narrow way of life, journeying to
heaven. Beautiful sight! blessed
company ! O that it may be said of
you : " Mary hath chosen that good
part, which shall not be taken away
from her?" Luke x. 42.

Consider, that if you ought to
serve Christ at all, you ought to serve
him always. Consider how delight-
ful it is to give a whole lifetime to
him who died for you. Be ashamed,
as well as afraid to act the ungrateful
part of those who serve Satan as
long as they can, in the hope of be-
coming religious at the last hour

It is a great mistake to think that

16*

• 86 LETTERS TO A

you will lessen your happiness by
giving your heart to God, even in
childhood. You will have to give
up nothing but sin ; and sin works
misery. Religion is true happiness,
and those enjoy most of this, who
begin to enjoy it earliest. Even af-
flictions for Christ's sake become
sweet : " Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake."
Matt, v. 10.

It is also a great mistake to think
that the mind of a child is unfit for
religion. No, my dear Mary. As
surely as you love your father and
your mother, so surely you may love
vour Saviour.

True, there are deep things in re-
ligion ; too deep for your youthful
mind. But there are also things too
deep for the wisest of mortals, m this
world. And, moreover, there are a
thousand things in the book of God
which are fitted for the youngest as

VERY YOUNG LADY. 187

well as the oldest. For, as Jesus
said, " Whosoever shall not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child,
he shall not enter therein." Mark
x. 15.

All other thoughts may well be
laid aside, until this greatest concern
is settled. Until you are joined to
Christ, yon are in continual danger.
The moment you have saving faith,
you are justified and delivered from
the wrath of God.

188 LETTERS TO A

LETTER THIRTY-FOURTH

PREPARATION FOR DEATH.

My dear Mary, — When I wrote
to you about your conversion to God,
I kept back some things which I now
wish to say, in a letter by itself. In
particular, I beg you to consider that
you may die. This is a painful sub-
ject. Without divine grace, none
of us like to think of death. But
if you will attend to what I am say-
ing, you will see that it is of the
greatest importance for us to think
much about it, and to be prepared
for it.

If all persons lived to be old, it
might be safer for you to put off pre-
paration. But do you know that by
far the greater part of the human
race die before they are as old as

VERY YOUNG LADY 189

you ? Do you know that the burial-
grounds are full of little graves? Do
you know that this very moment
children are passing into eternity ?

No man can tell you what day or
hour you will die. It may be this
year. It may be this month. It may
be this day. God knoweth. You
see, therefore, as plainly as you see
any thing, that it is unsafe and un-
wise to live in a state in which you
are unprepared to meet God. When
you lie down at night in sin and un-
belief, you cannot be sure that you
will ever awake in this world. I
trust your soul already rises in prayer
to God, that he wTould deliver you
from so wretched and dangerous a
state.

I hope you wTill immediately seek
this preparation. You will then be
able to look death in the face. The
terror of this enemy will be gone.
You will lie down in peace, knowing

190 LETTERS TO A

thai, if vou die, you will awake in
heaven. Is not this a great blessing ?
Would it not add to your happiness,
by curing your worst fears ? Yet it
is a blessing which many are enjoy-
ing at this moment : it is a blessing
which may be yours. Yes, my child,
once get the full assurance of hope
in your soul, and you need be no
more afraid of dying than of going
home. Instead of thinking of death
as a monster, a ghastly skeleton, that
makes your blood run cold, you will
think of it as the end of all pain and
all sin, or as of one who opens the
door which admits you in your Fa-
ther's house.

What is it to be prepared for
death? This is the very thing
wmich I wish to teach you. Give me
your attention. Believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be pre-
pared for death. It is true, gospel
faith, which unites to the Lord Jesus

VERY YOUNG LADY 19]

Christ, that removes all danger
from dying. You know it is punish-
ment that we fear : the punishment
of our sins. Now, if the sin be par-
doned, there is no fear of punish-
ment. Believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and your sin is pardoned ;
for at that moment you are "justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus."
" Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved." The mo-
ment you receive Christ as a Saviour,
that moment you are received to
his love. You are in no more dan-
ger than an angel in heaven. If a
stroke of lightning should that in-
stant take away your life, it would
mly release your soul and bear you
upward to glory.

This is good news indeed, full of
grace and peace to sinners, full of
the love of God our Saviour. So
that, though I am writing about the
most dreadful of our trials, even

192 LETTERS TC A

death itself, you see I have blessed
things to ttll you ; and I hope you
will taste the sweetness of* this gos-
pel, in your own experience.

Truly converted persons may in-
deed fear death, but they have no
reason to do so. No pardoned soul
is in danger. Death can do no harm
to such a one. Unbelief and fear
may keep them from thinking so ;
Satan may tempt them to doubt ;
but if they are believers they shall
escape this enemy. And, sooner 01
later, God generally frees all his chil
dren from these fears.

Books have been written, which
give an account of the happy death
of many children, even younger than
you. When the hour of their de-
parture was come, they were so com-
forted by the Spirit of God, and had
such a sight of the heavenly glory,
tiiat they could calmly bid farewell
to their friends, and resign them

VERY YOUNG LADY.

193

selves to the arms of Jesus O,
that divine grace may give you
and me the blessedness of such a
death !

IT

194 LETTERS TO A

LETTER THIRTY-FIFTH.

DUTY OF CHILDREN TO PIOUS PARENTS.

My dear Mary, — You can nevei
be thankful enough to God for having
given you pious parents, and for hav
ing preserved their lives thus far.
You have some things to answer for,
therefore, more than the children of
irreligious persons ; and you have
reasons for seeking the conversion
of your soul, in addition to the rea-
sons which such children have.

Think of the Hindoos, and the Chi-
nese, and many such heathen people,
who put their female children to
death, by thousands? You might
have been born among them. Or if
it had been your lot to be among
those who were suffered to live, you
would have been taught from your

VERY YOUNG LADY. 195

infancy to join in the abominable
worship of idols. Think of the Hot-
tentots, the Greenlanders and the
Esquimaux ; of whom you read a*
school. You might have been born
among them. Your parents might
have been snatched from you by the
slave-trade; and you would, in any
case, have grown up in ignorance,
vice and idolatry. Think of the
countries where children, even of
parents professing Christianity, are
not allowed to read the Scriptures,
and are taught to bow down before
images, the work of men's hands.
Think of the millions of children,
in Christian lands, whose parents are
profane, unjust, cruel and ungodly.
You might have been one of these.
Think of all this, and give thanks to
God, who has chosen to give you
your birth in a family devoted to his
fear Ought you not to love him
with all your heart ? Ought you not
to say

196 LETTERS TO A

Aie these thy favours, day by day,

To me above the rest1?
Then let me love thee more than they,

And try to serve thee best.

Though you may die very young
yourself, yet you may live to be de-
prived of these beloved parents. You
may stand by their dying-bed, or fol-
low their bodies to the grave. The
very thought of this fills you with
grief; but it is wise to consider it.
Suppose this mournful event to have
taken place : how will you look back
on your conduct towards them ? How
will you wish you had treated them ?
What will you wish you had done
to please them? Act now as you
will then wish you had acted. Espe-
cially fulfil their desires for your
own good. They wish you every
good, but above all they long for the
salvation of your soul. 1 hey have
daily prayed for this. They have
repeatedly offered you to God, to be

VERY YOUNG LADY 197

his forever. Can you bear the thought
of letting them leave the world, with-
out accomplishing this their most
earnest desire ?

I need not tell you what an un
speakable joy the conversion of a
child gives to a loving parent. It
will add to their comfort in old age ;
it will perhaps add to their lives.
You will then be able to help them
by your prayers, and to join with
them in every Christian act. You
will unite with them at the Lord's
table, in the hope of meeting them,
after a little time, in the kingdom of
heaven. For when they are carried to
the tomb, and you are left an orphan,
you will feel a joyful hope amidst
your tears, of meeting them at the
right hand of Christ, at the last day.
Or/ if it should please God to take
you away before them, which I have
told you is very possible, the differ-
ence will be great between your
17*

198 LETTERS TO A

dying the death of the righteous and
the death of the ungodly. What
agony does the pious mother feel,
whose child dies without hope!
What comfort does she enjoy, when
she knows that her beloved one has
fallen asleep in Jesus ? It is a duty
which children owe to their parents,
as well as to their God and Saviour,
to become early followers of Christ.
You have the hope, that when
your parents die they will go to hea-
ven. But this will not save your
soul, unless you believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And dreadful will be
the separation of ungodly children
from their godly parents, at the bar
of God. For though this is not the
great reason why you should return
to God, it is one of the reasons
which is very touching, and which
God approves.*

* Proverbs x. 1 ; xv. 20 ; xxiii. 15, 16 ; xxix. .5.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 199

LETTER THIRTY-SIXTH.

FASHIONABLE AMUSEMENTS.

M i dear Mary, — You cannot go
entirely out of the world, and will
always have young people around
3^ou who have not been brought up
in the same principles as yourself.
Even among your own relations
there may be gay and worldly per-
sons, who love you, but who will
nevertheless lead you into evil. It
will require great resolution and
much grace to enable you to say No
to their entreaties. Yet you must
"earn to say No : and now is the very
time to begin. Avoid the first wrong
step; for if you take that, it will be
harder to avoid the rest.

The advice of your parents will
*w your best guide* but I wTish to

200

LETTERS TO A

help them, by giving you the same,
that you may see how reasonable
their wishes are. If yon are wise
and dutiful, you wTill never enter
into any company or entertainment,
until you have found out what they
think of it.

You know that Dancing is a fa-
vourite amusement of young people.
I have already written a few lines
about it, but it may be well to say a
little more; especially as at your age
you need line upon line and precept
upon precept. I have not said that it
is a sin to move the body and limbs in
the way that we call dancing. But
I do say, and I beg you to remem-
ber, that most of the dancing-parties
I have ever known have led to very
great evils. They are places of sin-
ful levity, imprudence and tempta-
tion, unfit for the children of a house
where God is feared. They bring to-
gether company who meet nowhere

VERY YOUNG I ADY. 201

else, and who ought not to meet at
all. They are usually continued till
an hour of the night when health
and good order require young persons
to be in their chambers. They al-
ways lead to the spending of money,
which might be laid out in a better
way. And they unfit the soul for that
devotion for which we ought to be
always prepared, and which ought
to close every day.

Look at those who are known to
be most fond of balls and assemblies.
Are they the wisest and holiest peo-
ple ? Are they those who are most
punctual in attending religious meet-
ings ? Are they those who love the
Bible most? Are they those who
are most active in visiting the sick
and the poor ? Are they those whom
you would send for if you were dy-
ing ? No ! They are the gay and
thoughtless; either ungodly persons
or fashionable professors of religion.

202 LETTERS TO A

Listen to what the best Christians
of every age have said about such
pleasures. With one voice they have
declared them to be dangerous. And
it is a sign that religion is decaying,
in any country, city or congregation,
when the same persons go to the
Lord's table and to the dance.

You have never been in a theatre ;
neither have I. Though I have seen
the outside of many, and passed some
of them hundreds of times, I never
entered the doors. It is enough for
me to say, that the theatre is a place
which no Christian lady should ever
enter. There are good reasons for
this, which your excellent mother
knows, and which she will tell you
may be better explained when you
are older. Thousands of young men
are ruined by going to the theatre,
which is cause enough why no young
woman should encourage them. I
say the same of he circus, and of

VERY YOUNG LADY. 203

all exhibitions of c.owns, jugglers,
mountebanks and comic singers
They are crowded with the lowest
and vilest characters. If you should
go to them, you would be amidst lan-
guage such as would frighten you,
and would hear the awful names of
God taken in vain. The opera,
though more elegant, is sometimes
even more wicked ; so that I can only
say, of one and all, they are Satan's
snares, to lead young and old to per-
dition.

Your companions will tell you of
the paintings, the scenery, the music,
the dresses, the acting, and will as-
sure you they are enchanting. So
they are ; so is the wine which makes
the drunkard ; so was the fruit which
tempted Eve; but they will injure
your soul's peace; and you daily
pray, Lead us not into temptation.

^oung persons are very inquisi-
tive, and very curious to see and

204 LETTERS TO A

hear what is new. You wTill feel a
natural desire to go where others
have so much entertainment. But
do not give way to this desire. There
are many things which you ought
not to know. "But may I not go
once'? only a single time, to find out
what it is?" No, my dear child,
not even once. My honoured parents
never allowed me to enter such
places, and I have followed their
wise and affectionate counsels, since
I became a man. And, looking back
over many years, I do not see that I
have lost any thing for having never
been at the theatre, the circus, or the
opera.

The truth is, Christians are a pe-
culiar people. There ought to be a
great difference between them and
the world. They are commanded
to come out of the world, and to be
separate. They ought not to follow
the fashions of a world that ieth in

VERY YOUNG LADY. 205

wickedness. They are not to go by
the notions and example of light, and
trilling sinners, but to set such an
example that these sinners may fol-
low it and be saved. And the chil-
dren of true Christians are bound to
do the same. If you go where your
parents think it wrong to go, you dis-
honour your parents. To honour
your father and mother, is to do what
they desire and approve. And where
you see the children of professing
Christians engaging in pleasures
which are offensive to devout per-
sons, you may be sure that the
parents have lost their authority,
that the young people themselves
have lost their reverence for their
parents.

There is no gloom or sourness in
religion ; but there is much strict-
ness, modesty and sobriety. You
may be as cheerful and happy as the
thrush or the mocking-bird, and yet
18

206 LETTERS TO A

go to no more plays or balls than
they. And your joy v/ill be infinite-
ly greater than that of the gay world,
if it is the joy of real religion.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 207

LETTER THIRTY-SEVENTH.

THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE.

My dear Mary, — Have you never
sat at sunset, or in the evening twi-
light, and imagined yourself in situa-
tions where you had never been?
You need not answer me. I was once
young, and youth is very much the
same with all. You also have yield-
ed to these pleasant dreams. You
thought perhaps of what would hap-
pen when you should be a little older.
You even supposed yourself a young
lady, free from school, free from care,
with money at command, and with,
every one admiring you. You fan-
cied scenes in which the heroine was
always successful, always fortunate;
and this heroine was always your-
self. Confess to yourself, Mary

208 LETTERS TO a

Have you not caught yourself in
such day-dreams? I do not say
the)r are very wise, but they are very
common. This is the way that youth
looks forward to life. All is to be
bright, like a summer morning.
There are to be no storms and no
clouds. The birds are to sing and
the flowers to bloom on every side.
The paths are to be always smooth,
the company always kind, and the
prospects always delightful. It is as
easy to fancy pleasure as pain, and
the childish heart predicts only plea-
sure. To build such edifices gives
less trouble than to make a house of
cards ; no wonder so many are built.
The English call them castles-in-the-
air, and the French chateaux-en-Es-
pagne.

I am sorry to tell you, my dear,
that all these castles must come
down. I wish you a happy life; but
the happiest life is full of troubles.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 209

H you live a little longer, cares will
thicken around you. Friends will
die. Weakness and pain will come
Anxieties which you never dreamed
of will visit you. Like all other
human beings, you will taste the cup
of suffering. And those fairy tales,
which fancy and hope have whis-
pered in your ear, will not make your
trials less annoying.

But I can tell you what will do so :
trust in the providence of God. Our
kind Creator and Redeemer has not
placed us in a world of sorrow, with-
out furnishing us with consolation.
If an angel were to show you a his-
tory of all the cares and pains which
shall come upon you, it would fill
you with dismay. So great a bur-
den would crush your soul. But
God, in his mercy, divides the bur-
den into portions ; a little on one day
and a little on another. And we are
not to be thinking of the troubles
18*

210 LETTERS TO A

winch are to come, but are to do our
duty, and strive to bear up under
those which are present.

Have faith in God, and commit all
your future life to Him. He will
direct you. It is impossible for us
to know what a day may bring forth ;
but the Lord knows, and the Lord
will provide. " Commit thy way
unto the Lord, trust also in him,
and he shall bring it to pass." Ps.
xxxvii. 5.

It is in this way that some of the
most afflicted of the human race
have been supported in their trials.
God tempers the wind to the shorn
lamb. When his children suffer,
he comes to them and helps them.
Even children are the objects of his
care. " Take heed," said our blessed
Lord, " that ye despise not one ot
these little ones : for I say unto you,
that in heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which

VERY YOUNG LADY. 2 LI

is in heaven." How many have
found it true, when they have been
left orphans! Just at that time of
want and anguish God has shown
himself ready to help them. " A
father of the fatherless, and a judge
of the widows, is God in his holy
habitation."* And the pious child
may say with confidence, " When
my father and my mother forsake
me, then the Lord will take me up "f

You need not, therefore, tremble
for what is to come. Nothing can
happen to you without the permission
of God. Ask him to take you by
the hand and lead you. He will
guide you, as the shepherd does his
flock ; he will carry the lambs in his
bosom. He will make you to lie
down in green pastures, beside the
still waters. He will never leave
you nor forsake you.

There was once a storm at sea,

* Ps. Ixiiii. 5. f Ps. xxvii. 10.

212 LETTERS TO A

and the ship was in danger of being
lost. Most of the passengers were
in great terror ; but there was a little
boy among them, who was perfectly
calm. They asked him if he was
not afraid. No, said he, my father is
at the helm. It was a beautiful an-
swer. Our Father is at the helm
Our heavenly Father directs the
storm. It cannot hurt us, without his
order. Feel this to be true, and you
will be composed in the greatest dan-
gers. Sudden or violent illness may
seize you, but you will not be alarm-
ed, because you will trust in Him
who has all diseases at his command.
Such is the happiness of a mind
which rests on the providence of
God.

We live in a time of great changes.
Even now, while I write, hundreds
of families which were living in
wealth a few months ago, are brought
down to poverty. If your parents

VERIr YOUNG LADY. 213

are still enjoying a sufficiency, it is
of the Lord's mercies, and you
should be thankful that it is so. But
"riches certainly make themselves
wings; they fly away as an eagle to-
wards heaven." 1'rov. xviii. 5. The
breaking of one bank, or a fire in
one street, might make your father a
poor man to-morrow. Do not trust
in riches, therefore, but trust in God.
Christ would have his followers to
be without anxiety for the future:
and he teaches them a lesson from
the birds and the flowers : " Behold
the fowls of the air : for they sow
not, neither do they reap nor gather
into barns ; yet your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are ye not much bet-
ter than they ? — Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow ; they toil
not, neither do they spin; and yet I
say unto you, that Solomon, in all
his glory, was not arrayed like one
of these. Wherefore, ;f God so

214

LETTERS TO A

clothe the grass of the field, which
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into
the oven, shall he not much more
clothe you, O ye of little faith?'
Matt. vi. 26, 28, 29, 30.

s

VERY YOUNG LADY. 215

LETTER THIRTY-EIGHTH.

USEFULNESS.

My dear Mary, — You must not
grow weary of hearing me repeat, that
the great rule of life is to try to make
every one happy around you. You
were not sent into the world to live
only for yourself, but to care for
others and to be useful. Some-
times it will cost you a sacrifice to
do so, but you will be all the happier
for making this sacrifice. It is the
privilege of your sex to forget self,
and scatter blessings upon others. In
all countries, the stranger, the travel-
ler and the slave turn for relief to
the gentle hand of woman. And as
Providence has bestowed on you a
more tender heart than on us, so it
has placed you in circumstances

216 LETTERS TO A

where your pity and kindness can
oftener make your fellow-creatures
happy.

Begin now, my little friend, to put
these rules into practice. Begin with
the purpose of continuing to do good
all your life. Begin with those who
are nearest to you, those who live in
the same house with you. It will
soon be found out, by all around you,
that you like to be employed in their
service. If a little piece of work
will oblige any one, do it at once ,
even if it be not your peculiar busi-
ness. If a needle or a book or an
article of dress is needed, be on the
alert to bring it. If there is no one
to go on a trifling errand, and there
is no impropriety in it, offer your ser-
vices. The motion will do you good ,
and you will acquire prompt and
sprightly habits. And in every such
case let your manner be cheerful and
from the heart. Such conduct sheds

VERY YOUNG LAI/Y. 217

h sort of sunshine over a whole com-
pany Such little services, instead
of being a burden to you, will soon
become your chief pleasure. An in-
dividual who pursues this course is
a blessing to all the household. Her
example is followed by others ; and
even the peevishness and moroseness
of those who act otherwise will at
length give way before the power of
love. I can never forget the saying
of a young lady, whose sweetness
of temper was such as I recom-
mend, and who often used to ex-
claim, when conferring such favours,
Trouble is pleasure !

When you go abroad, do not forget
your maxim. You are still to make
others happy. Let it shine in your
countenance; not by putting on a
hypocritical smile, but by feeling the
glow of real benevolence. At school
or on visits, at work or play, be kind,
be watchful for cases where vou can
19

218 LETTERS TO A

do a favour, plan what will be agree-
able to others, and forget yourself.
This is the secret of going pleasantly
through the world ; and if you act
thus from Christian principles, you
will enjoy all the happiness which
this life can afford

The case mav occur where you
will have to give a fellow-creature a
momentary pain, in order to do him
good. If you shrink from this, it
shows that your good- will is not
pure. The giving of such pain, in
such circumstances, is the greatest
act of friendship. Do you not re-
member that when the surgeon set
your broken arm, it gave you great
pain : yet you love him for it now,
and it was an act of kindness in him.
If your younger brother or sister, or
friends, do what is wrong, it will
sometimes be your duty to reprove
them ; even if, in doing so, you offend
them for the instant. But where there

VERY YOUNG LADY. 219

is love in the heart, such acts wiL
almost always be taken as favours.

Times when your friends are ill
will give opportunities of much use
fulness. Diseases and pains enter
every family ; and the iemale hand
is that which gives the greatest relief.
No man can ever be so waited on by
others in illness, as most of us have
been by a mother or a sister or a
wife. And the wife is most useful
^o her husband, who has learned the
arts ot gentleness and kindness when
she was a little girl. Do not, how-
ever, confine your good services to
your own relations. When your lit-
tle friend is confined to a bed of pain,
ask whether it is proper for you to
see her ; and go, with a cheerful air,
to help in nursing her, and entertain-
ing her. Such attentions are often
worth more than medicine. But
especially take a pleasure in relieving
the wants of the poor. I have al-

22l> LETTERS TO A

ready advised you in regard to alms-
giving ; but the poor need many
things beside money. You may
carry a bowl of warm drink to the
bedside of the afflicted widow. You
may go, after school, and read to her
out of the Scriptures. You may
stir her fire and smooth her pillow,
as she lies helpless, without son or
daughter to comfort her.

I say again, Live to be useful, and
begin now. Do not say, I am but a
little girl, there is nothing that I can
do. It is not so. Though you are
but a little girl, there are a thousand
ways in which you can do some-
thing to make others happy ; and
some of these are occurring every
day. A cup of cold water, given to
a thirsty traveller, is something. For
what does Christ say of such a fa-
vour to his disciples ? " Whosoever
shall give you a cup of wrater to
drink in my name, because ye belong

VERY YOUNG LADY. 221

to Christ, verily I say unto you, he
shall not lose his reward."* And this
reminds me of the following verses,
which are worth remembering:

'Tis a little thing
To give a cup of water; yet its draught
Of cool refreshment, drained by fevered lips,
May give a thrill of pleasure to the frame
More exquisite than when nectareous juice
Renews the life of joy in happiest hours.
It is a little thing to speak a phrase
Of common comfort, which by daily use
Has almost lost its sense; yet on the ear
Of him who thought to die unmourned 'twill fall
liike choicest music.

There is a passage which you have
often read in the New Testament,
but which you should read once
more, and lay it up in your heart ; for
it shows what our Lord Jesus Christ
thinks of kindness to his afflicted
people. It represents him on his
throne of judgment, with all nations
gathered before him. It tells us

* Mark ix. 41.
19*

LETTERS TO A

what he will say both to the righteous
and the wicked. And, as you and I
must meet there, may God grant that
the Judge may say to us, Inasmuch
as ye did it unto the least of these, ye
di-4 it unto me /*

* Matt. xxv. 31—46.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 223

LETTER THIRTY-NINTH.

ENTERTAINMENT OUT OF DOORS,

My dear Mary, — The beautiful
autumn has now come It is, above
all seasons, the one for healthful ex-
ercise. The woods have not yet lost
their verdure. The air is cool and
bracing. The earth is dry and fit for
walking ; and the flowers, if not so
delicate as those of spring, are more
numerous and more easily found.
You will take advantage of these
things, and will lose no chance of
gaining that profit and pleasure
which is to be found in walks and
rides and excursions.

There is much to be learned out
of doors. All nature opens its book
before you. It is written by the
same Almighty hand which wrote

224 LETTERS TO A.

the Law ; and it would be folly not
to read in it. Now is the time to
.ay in a stock of health and spirits
for the winter. Without strength
and cheerfulness you cannot be very
useful, and witnout enjoying the air
and exercise of the country you can
scarcely avoid being weak.

Now is the time to enjoy the fruits
of your early rising. What is more
enlivening than the freshness of a
morning in September, after the
days have become shorter than the
nights? You can surely rise at six;
and then you will behold one of the
most glorious sights which the Cre-
ator has afforded us — the entrance
of the sun on our region of the earth.
Gaze and wonder, and praise Him
"that made the sun to rule by
day."

If you have the happiness to be in
the country at this season, on an ex-
pensive farm, your pleasures will be

VERY FOUNG LADY. 225

much increased. Every step (you
take will bring you near some object
of interest. The lowing herd going
from milking to their meadow ; the
flocks of sheep nibbling the short
grass over the hilly field ; the chirp
and carol of birds among the witch-
hazel, along the little stream that runs
from the milk-house ; and the voice
of labourers at their early work. All
these are the morning sights and
sounds of a farm, in autumn. Let
sour folks despise such entertain-
ments, if they know of any better ;
but they are just such as the word
of God teaches us to remark and to
love. They lead our minds to medi-
tation and praise. David took great
notice of them, perhaps even from the
time when he tended his sheep in the
fieldsof Bethlehem. He looks upward
and praises the Creator: saying, " He
sendeth the springs into the valleys,
which ran among the hills. By them

226 LETTERS TO A

shall the fowls of heaven huve their
habitation, which sing among the
branches. — Thou makest darkness
and it is night, wherein all the beasts
of the field do creep forth. The
young lions roar after their prey, and
seek their meat from God. The sun
ariseth, they gather themselves to-
gether, and lay them down in their
dens. Man goeth forth unto his
work and to his labour, until the
evening. O Lord ! how manifold
are thy works ! in wisdom hast thou
made them all : the earth is full of
thy riches."

Join your young friends and go
abroad into the woods and orchards.
The later peaches are not yet gone ;
in some of our states you may have
them through all October. See the
men heaping up piles of apples, and
barrelling them for market. Former-
ly I used to see far greater piles, bu*
for a deadly purpose. Thousands

VERY YOUNG LADY. 227

of wagon-loads were brought toge-
ther, pressed and distilled ; and thus
one of the most wholesome and deli-
cious gifts of God was turned into a
destructive liquor, ruinous to soul
and body. Hear the cheerful sound
of the flail in yonder barn ! It is
music to the farmer's ear. The
rising heaps of wheat tell him of the
goodness of the Creator. Listen to
the strokes of the axe in the wood !
There the sturdy woodman is felling
the tall hickory for the winter's fuel.

As you return, rosy-cheeked and
bright-eyed, to your breakfast, per-
haps the quail will whistle Bob While
n the stubble-field, or the hare start
up in your path and bound away be-
fore the dogs. These are common
matters in the country, but they are
iull of interest to one who has been
long confined to school.

I am sure you will need no persua-
sion \» ben your good father invites

2*28 LETTERS TO A

you to a jaunt among the huls. You
will be ready long before the carriage
is at the door. You will scarcely be
able to make your breakfast, for agi-
tation and hope. Then, when the
brisk horses set off, the wheels will
hardly go round fast enough for you.
And as fences and hedges and fields
slip away behind you, your little
heart will seem to lose all its cares.
O how joyful is the group of boys
and girls on a journey of pleasure!
O how many a joy reaches the pa-
rents' heart, at the enjoyments of
fheir little ones ! These are inno-
cent, useful entertainments. You
drink in health at every breath. You
learn more in an hour than could be
written down in a week. It is as
instructive as it is agreeable, to see
new places, visit water-falls, caves
and other curiosities, or get a glimpse
of blue mountains or of the ocean.
Such sights are remembered as long

VERY YOUNG LADY. 229

as we live, and you will love your
parents more for laying up in your
memory such a store of delightful
recollections.

The study of natural history, in
some of its branches, may be pur-
sued to advantage at such a time. It
is pleasing to children, it leads them
to take notice of what is around them,
it affords the finest exercise, and it
teaches much of the greatness and
goodness of God. In your rambles
you will learn to know all the trees of
the wood, and the differences of their
leaves, limbs and fruit. You will
gather hundreds of plants, which
you may easily press and preserve
in what is called an herbarium. You
will get the art of knowing the
birds of the country, by their plu-
mage, their voice and their nests.
You will find beautiful minerals,
which may be arranged when you
return home. And if you go near ihe
20

230

LETTERS TO A

sea, there will be no end to the shells,
which will give you amusement in
the long winter evenings.

These are rational and innocent
amusements. Those who enjoy such
will never need the dice-box, the
card-table, the assembly, or the play-
house.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 23 1

LETTER FORTIETH.

HOME.

My dear Mary, — Since I iast
wrote to you, there has heen a great
change in the season. The woods
are bare and leafless. The garden
shows nothing but a few evergreens.
Except the plump snow-bird, all the
feathered tribe have disappeared.
When I look out of my study- win-
dow, and survey the prospect where
I lately saw green fields and orchards,
[ now behold a waste of snow. There
is not a bare spot of earth to be found,
and the icy surface reflects the sun
with dazzling brilliance. You may
run out in the snow for a little while ;
but you are soon glad to come back,
glowing with colour, tc the heated
room.

232 LETTERS TO A

Bu : has winter no delights ? Yes,
many of them. I never knew a
child who did not take pleasure in a
gentle fall of snow, in sliding upon
the smooth ice, in hearing the merry
sleigh-bells, in seeing the boys skating
on the pond, or driving their sledges
down the hill. But, besides these
out-of-door amusements, winter has
its pleasures within. What is more
pleasing than for an affectionate fami-
ly to be gathered around a blazing,
crackling fire ! Now the delight of
home is felt. Now the father raises
his spectacles, calls the little ones
around him, takes the infants on his
knee, and keeps them all awake with
stories of his childhood. He tells
them of the war, when he used to
tremble at the sound of British can-
non ; of the Indians, who used to
hunt among his native mountains ;
of the voyages which he made to
foreign countries. Now the motuer

VERY YOUNG LADY. 233

lays down her knitting, to pat some
good boy on the head, to send some
little sleeper to rest, or to teach a new
stitch to the young marker, whose
sampler is just begun. Now the
happy voices join in music, or the
entertaining volume is read aloud by
the elder brother. The bell rings
and good neighbours enter. The
younger children retire. The elder
ones keep silence and listen to useful
and lively conversation. The salver
of fruits and cakes is brought in, and
the evening closes with the worship
of God.

These are home-pleasures. O how
sweet a word is Home. Children
who love home and seek their plea-
sures there very seldom go astray.
It is Christianity that has made home
v\ hat it is ; and without religion half
its charm is absent.

No matter how dark and cold it is
withe ut, all is light and warmth with-
20*

234 LETTERS TO A

in. The storm may rage, and sleet
rattle against the walls, but Provi-
dence shelters you in the bosom of
your very best earthly friends. What
cause for thankfulness is here ! As
you enjoy each favour, think of the
blessed Saviour, through whose grace
Khey are continued to you.

Before I was as old as you now
are, I had begun to look at books of
poetry. Well do I remember the old
volume of Cowper's Task and the
pictures of the lace-knitters and of
poor Kate. Even then I enjoyed,
as you now may, what this Christian
poet says of winter evening plea-
sures. And a thousand times have
I felt these pleasures increased by
the recollection of his lines :

Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast;
Let fall the curtains ; wheel the sofa round ;
And while the bubbling and loud hissing urn
Throws up a steamy column, and the cups.
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each,
So let us welcome peaceful evening in.

VERY YOUNG LADY 235

If you learn to love such evenings,
and to think the company of pa-
rents, brothers and sisters the best
company in the world, you will have
every day an amount of real pleasure
which is unknown to those who go
to operas, play-houses and crowded
parties. You will not, indeed, be-
come a fashionable young lady ; but
you will be wiser and happier than
any one was ever made by fashion.
The study of good books, and espe-
cially of God's inspired word, will
lay a foundation for joys which will
last ail your lifetime, and which will
not grow less when wealth and youth
and beauty and friends have de-
parted.

Winter pleasures are not, however,
confined to the evening. They be-
long to morning, noon and night. In
warmer seasons we go out and learn
more of nature and things abroad :
n winter we convert with dear

236 LETTERS TO \

friends, with books and with our-
selves. Winter is the time for study
Try to make it your entertainment.
Determine to improve your mind,
and to be constantly learning some-
thing that you never knew before.
Study with alacrity and cheerfulness,
and you will find it less injurious to
your health than to fret over your
books. You will learn faster and be
more agreeable to all around vou.

Your brothers will teach you many
a healthful, innocent play, which
will give you exercise in bad weather,
without going out. But you must
not become so delicate as to house
yourself merely because it is cold.
There is nothing better for a young
lady than a rapid walk on the frozen
ground, when the air is cold and
bracing. When she returns from it
she feels lighter and brighter all the
rest of the day.

Make it one of your pleasures to

VERY YOUNG LADY. 237

remember the pool in this cold sea-
son. It is the time of their greatest
want and suffering. Think of the
half-naked children who might be
clothed with what you often waste.
Your fingers cannot be better em-
ployed than in working for them.
They will remember you for it, per-
haps even after you have left the
world. Do not forget the case of that
good Christian, named Dorcas, who
lived and died at Joppa. " She was
full of good wrorks and alms-deeds
which she did." And when the apos-
tle Peter approached her lifeless body,
laid out in an upper chamber, it was
surrounded by widows, who "stood
by, weeping and showing the coats
and garments which Dorcas made
while she was with them." Be
ready to join in every charitable
work of this kind which may be
going on in your neighbourhood.
Print it or vour mind, to be al-

238

LETTERS TO A

ways remembered, that one child
may make home wretched, and that
one child may do wonders towards
making home happy. Every thing
you do to make your father's house
a house of order and peace and com-
fort, is so much done for your pa-
rents, your brothers and sisters, and
vour friends.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 239

LETTER FORTY-FIRST.

HUMILITY AND MEEKNESS.

My dear Mary, — Beware of pride.
All through life you will be the bet-
ter for remembering this rule. Pride
is a deceitful thing, and lives and
reigns in many a heart which does
not suspect it. It opens the way for
other passions, such as anger, re-
venge, envy, jealousy and malice. It
produces most of the quarrels, bat-
tles and murders which fill the earth
with blood.

Beware of pride. It is the think-
ing of ourselves more highly than
we ought to think ; and it generally
makes us wish others to think more
highly of us than we deserve. It is
altogether evil ; and all the ungodly
world says about a decent pride, and
a noble prid?, is against the holy

240 LETTERS TO A

Scriptures. The noblest being that
ever was born had no pride : I mean
the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought
to strive to be like him ; and the
more we copy his example, the hap-
pier shall we be.

If you wish to get through the
world with peace of mind, be hum-
ble. That is, think little of your-
self. Do your duty to the utmost
of your power, and then do not be
careful about the opinion of your
fellow-creatures. Never do any
thing merely for the purpose of being
admired and praised. The world
admires and praises much that is
hateful to God. Too much thought
about what people think of them, is
a common snare of young people. It
leads to mortification and pain and
many tears.

When your faults are pointed out
to you, I know it wTill give you pain.
But remember, this pain is often
very useful. It is like medicine,

VERY YOUNG LADY. 241

whicn may be very nauseous, and
yet do you good. If you think truly
about yourself, you will be humble
when you are reproved. You will
think thus with yourself: "Am I
guilty of this fault? Let me exa-
mine. " And you will see more
faults in yourself than any one else
can see in you, and wril try to correct
them.

Take a low place in the world, and
you will always find it the place of
peace. Emulation and envy will be
shut out, and you will cheerfully
say, " I have more than I deserve,
and I am better thought of than I
deserve." Then you will be quite
contented, even though others are
put above you ; and will have no
hard thoughts if you are unnoticed.

Humility is a beautiful ornament ;
therefore the Bible says, "Be ye
clothed with humility V It is lovely
even in the eyes of men, but still
more so ii\ the eyes of God. Your
21

242 LETTERS TO A

clothes, your ornaments, your money,
will tempt you to think highly of
yourself. As surely as you do, you
will fall into sin and trouble. The
way to keep the heart humble is, to
think much of God's holy law, and
the perfection which it requires, and
much of your own imperfection.
And if you also keep your thoughts
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and consi-
der how rich he was, and how poor
he became, it will do a great deal to
cure your pride.

Meekness and humility are like
two sisters. They almost always
are in company. If a person is given
to anger, you wrill generally find him
proud. But one who is meek is
tlways humble. The child that flies
into a passion and uses harsh words,
or perhaps blows, and falls out with
every companion, is a very disagree-
able creature. What is it that such
a child needs ? I can tell you in a
single word : Meekness.

VERY YOUNG LADY. 243

If you are meek, I will tell you
now you may know it. You will
not be soon angry. You will never
use unkind language to a relation, an
acquaintance, or a servant. You will
never do evil to others, because they
have done evil to you. Meekness
is the very opposite of all this, and
of every thing like spite and ill will
and resentment.

It is pleasing to Christ, when
young persons forgive those who in-
jure them. Christ did so himself.
Never was any one so injured as he ;
but he was perfect in meekness.
When he was reviled, he reviled not
again. He was oppressed and he
was afflicted ; yet he opened not his
mouth : he was brought as a lamb to
the slaughter ; and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so he opened
not his mouth. Even when his
bloodthirsty enemies were putting
him to death, he prayed for them,
saying, " Father, forgive them, for

244 LETTERS TO A

they know not what they do."
Whenever you feel anger or resent-
ment rising in your bosom, think of
this, and you will be ashamed of the
feeling.

You will often be treated in a way
that you dislike, and sometimes you
will be affronted or injured. But do
not hate those who offend you thus.
No matter how often it happens ; be
meek and forgiving. The apostle
Peter once came to our Saviour and
asked, " Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive
him? till seven times ?" He no
doubt thought this would be a great
stretch of meekness. But what was
Christ's answer? "I say not unto
thee, until seven times, but until
seventy times seven."

Remember that you are beginning
life, and that you ought to begin as
you mean to continue. If 3^ou be-
gin wrong, as I often tell you, it will
be hard to get right If you follow

VERY YOUNG LaDY. 245

the ways of the world, and take
their rules, you will be sure to go
wrong. The people of this world
are opposed to Christ and to his rules
They will tell you that when any
one offends you, it is right to show
some spirit, to be angry, to return
evil for evil. But Christ will tell
you : " Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you and per-
secute you : that ye may be the chil-
dren of your Father which is in
heaven : for he maketh his sun tc
rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust. For if ye love them which
love you, wdiat reward have ye ? Do
not even the publicans the same?"

Other young ladies may have gold
and gems, and even diamonds, and
they will be proud of these; they
will be praised and envied by a blind
world. But if you have humility
21

246 LETTERS TO A

and meekness, you will have jewels
which are approved by your Father
in heaven. And I cannot help quot-
ing again what the apostle Peter says
of Christian women and their dres& :
" Whose adorning, let it not be that
outward adorning of plaiting the
hair and of wearing of gold, or of
putting on of apparel ; but let it be
the hidden man of the heart, in that
which is not corruptible, even the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great
■price."

You are ready to say that I have
given you a sermon. So I have ;
but it is the last, and I bid you good
night, saying again, Be humble; be
meek

VERY YOUNG LADY. 247

LETTER FORTY-SECOND.

CONCLUSION.

My dear MAry, — I have taken
the pen to close our correspond-
ence. It has been pleasant work to
me. I hope it has not been disagree-
able to you. But other duties call
for my attention, and I must now
leave you to the care of your parents
and instructors. If you attend to
what I have written, you will be
more ready than ever to learn of
those whom Providence has made
your teachers.

When all these forty-two letters
are put together, perhaps you will
take the trouble to read them over
again. You will find that I have
endeavoured to instruct you about
a great variety of subjects. 1 have
written to vou about vour plavs

248 LETTERS TO A

and amusements, your friends and
visits, your "books and work, your
tempers and habits, your joys and
surrows ; about this world and the
next. Sometimes my letters have
been gay, and sometimes serious ;
but they have all been written with
a sincere desire to do you good.

Time flies very fast, and if your
life is spared you will soon be a
woman. You will wonder how soon
you have passed through childhood
and youth. When I look back, it
seems only the other day that I was
about your age ; and yet it was almost
thirty years ago. You should, there-
fore, lose no time in being all that you
ought to be. If you learn what is use-
less, waste your youth, and form evL
habits, you cannot go back and correct
your error. If you sow wheat, you
will reap wheat : if you sow tares, you
will reap tares. If you are a care-
less, thoughtless girl, you will pro-
bably be as careless and thoughtless

VERY YOUNG LADY. 249

a woman. And I am sure, if yon
allow yourself to he an ignorant girl,
you will be an ignorant woman.
Now is the time ; every word you
say, and every thing you do, wil.
help to make you better or worse for
life.

If I should live twenty years
longer, which is not likely, and in
travelling through the country should
come to your house, I have no doubt
you would treat your old friend
kindly. You would take his hat and
staff, and find him an easy seat near
the fire, and give his aged frame
every refreshment. You would re-
spect his gray hairs and wrinkles, and
would be sorry to grieve, or offend
him. Suppose I should find you
very ignorant, very boisterous, and
very worldly ; fond of noise and idle
company and finery and admiration.
Suppose I should find that you had
ceased to pray ; that you had neglect-
ed the Scriptures; and that you

£50 LETTERS TO A

were altogether careless about the
things of God. This would be
dreadful. Yet such is the history of
many a young lady. I should have
to say, with a trembling voice,

11 Twenty years ago you were my
little Mary. You then had dear
parents who are now in heaven.
They longed and prayed for your
salvation. But you neglected their
counsels and their prayers. You
were instructed and warned by them
and by me ; but you have grown
worse instead of better, and my fear
is that vou will die as you have
lived."

It would be painful to say and
hear such a speech. My prayer to
God is that your case may be a very
different one; that you may give
vourself away to Christ now, with-
out delay ; and that whether you
live or die, you may follow the foot-
*eps of God's people.

Therefore, whatsoever things are

VERY YOUNG LADY. 251

true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatso-
ever things are pure, whatsoevei
things are lovely, whatsoever things
are of good report ; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things !"

And now, my dear Mary, I trust
vou will believe me to be, your affec-
tionate friend and wTell-wisher,

— < < C

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