CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PART I.

PAGE

1

GENERAL VIEW OF THE POSITION AND INFLUENCE OF WOMEN

Importance of woman's position. — Source of woman's influ-
ence. — Beneficial or pernicious, according to the moral and po-
litical condition of the period. — Responsibility entailed by such
influence. - What are the effects of female influence in our own
day. – What causes tend to lower it. — Defective education, and
inactive life of women. — - Mental activity a remedy to many evils
in woman's lot. Narrow views of life. — Advantages of mar-
riage over-estimated as a social position. — Nature of true self-
dependence. - Narrow views of duty. — Duties of the wife,
mother, single woman. - What kind of preparation they require.

PART II.

35

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VIEWS OF LIFE, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON EDUCATION

Higher view of life necessary to raise female education. — In-
fluence of belief in immortality. – Law of progress in our nature.
– Views of happiness. — Twofold purpose seen in God's moral
government as regards the individual and society. — Social duty
and self-improvement cannot be severed. - Higher views of life
will alone improve the tone of female education. — Early educa-
tion necessarily imperfect. — Mental education of women more
defective than the moral. - Defects arising from deficient mental
training Objection to better female education answered.
Frivolity. — Importance of impressing these views upon young
girls. — Youth the season for arduous exertions and noble aspi-
rations.

CHAPTER II.

POWER AND INFLUENCE OF HABIT

61

Nature and power of habit. Education consists in formation

of habits. — Theory of formation of habit. - Influence of atten-
tion on passive impressions. — Quotation from Dr. Butler. -
Practical consequences of Dr. Butler's theory. — Connection be-
tween our feelings as motives, and our acts. — Correction of bad
habits.— Bearing of the law of habit upon happiness.

CHAPTER III.

ON METHOD

76

Nature of method. - System everywhere visible in nature.

Necessary to carry out any plan, above all, the general plan of

life. - Individual system of life must harmonize with the social

system we belong to. - Absence of method in views of life and

education. Remedy lies in higher motives. Influence of

method on study; preserves proportion and balance of the mind,

and teaches the real value of time. Evil of breaking resolu-

tions. – Difference between punctuality and method. — Influence

on the occupations of women of unmethodical habits. — Econo-

my, its social influence. — Necessity of method in education of

children. - Formation of a habit of method.

CHAPTER IV.

98

CONSCIENCE, AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE WILL .

Conscience the moral governor of our being. — Natural rela-

tions of our several faculties and affections. - Different offices of
conscience and reason. - Evil of conscience being unenlightened
by reason. — Use of revelation as a standard of right and wrong.
Importance of love of truth in inquiries concerning duty. - Pos-
itive and relative duty. – Moral evil of thoughtlessness. — Appli-
cation of general principles. Imperative obligation of duty
sometimes opposed to desire of enjoyment. — True nature of
happiness. — Force of habit in training a sense of duty. — Dan-
ger of self-deception. — Error of wishing for a different sphere of
duty. - Influence of method.

CHAPTER V.

LOVE AND PURSUIT OF TRUTH

118

Sect. 1. — Value of Truth. — Attainment of truth the highest

aim of man. — Society requires veracity and honesty; discour-

ages love of truth. — Truth alone constitutes real knowledge.

Our knowledge of it mostly relative. — Value of truth recognized

in physical science; why less fully on other questions. -- Influ-

ence of opinion, and consequent duty of forming sound opinions.

— Christians especially bound to love and seek truth. — Beauty

of truth.

Sect. 2. - Use of Reason in the Pursuit of Truth. All knowl.
edge not intuitive gained by reasoning. — Propositions. — Differ-
ence between facts and general laws.- Error of rejecting the use
of reason. - Common sense. - Nature of proof. – Demonstra-
tive evidence; why not attainable in moral questions. — Proba-
bility. – Different subjects require different kinds of proof.
Moral certainty the ground of principles. — Opinion rests on
lower evidence. - Difficulty in forming sound opinion.

Sect. 3. — Moral Obstacles to Perception of Truth. — Influence
of passion. — Influence of prejudice. — Proper deference to au-
thority. — Independence of opinion not presumption. - Incon-
sistency of borrowed opinions. — Defect of education with regard
to formation of opinion. — Impatience of doubt; doubt, a neces-
sary condition of our existence. - Narrowness of mind. - Moral
merit or demerit attached to opinions. — Right view of opinion
leads to toleration. – Objection and answer. — Intolerance injures
truth. — Power of truth. — Freedom of inquiry not leading to
indifference. Caution in expressing opinions. — Deference to
public opinions necessary in women.

Sect. 4. — Practical Habits flowing from the Love of Truth.

Veracity, honesty, and justice; honesty to be tested by the stand-

ard of our position and education. — Corrupting influence of

vanity. Dissimulation, plausibility. — Bribery. — Exaggera-

tion; inaccuracy common in writing and speaking. — Confusion

of facts and inferences. - Women wanting in justice. — Parti-

sanship ; its evils. — Justice between ourselves and others.

Thoughtlessness one cause of injustice. — Integrity the guar-

anty for right use of influence. Excuse for want of justice in

CHAPTER VI.

LOVE OF MORAL EXCELLENCE

182

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Love of the Beautiful a distinctive attribute of man ; its influ-

ence on intellect and character. — Humility. Reverence.
Defects of character produced by the want of it. — Evil of per-
sonal ridicule. - Respect for children and inferiors. — Mirth. —
Reverence preserves from unworthy attachments.

CHAPTER VII.

BENEVOLENCE

194

Character of benevolence; the essential principle of Chris.

tianity, and bond of social intercourse. — Sympathy. - Want of
benevolence in social intercourse. Commercial spirit of society.
Charity to the poor; more to be done by moral influence than
by money.— Want of benevolence in family intercourse. — Com-
passion to the erring. Digression on Love and Friendship. —
Character of true friendship. — Love ; false notions on the sub-
ject. — Grounds of a right choice in marriage. — Happiness of
real conjugal affection. — Comparison between married and sin-
gle life. — Unrequited attachment.

CHAPTER VIII.

INSTRUMENTS OF MORAL DISCIPLINE

228

Sect. 1. — Self-knowledge. — The key to self-improvement; not

difficult to attain when honestly sought. — Self-correction impos-

sible without it; causes of self-delusions. Self-examination

must be habitual. - Method of self-examination. Errors to be

avoided.

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Sect. 2. Self-control. — Submission of the will to determinate

principles. — Power of choosing our guiding principles. — Means

of acquiring self-control. — Self-command in danger. — Power

of the will over the intellect. Women deficient in self-control;

why. – Management of temper. - Habitual cheerfulness the sign

of a well-regulated mind.

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