CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PART I. PAGE GENERAL VIEW OF THE POSITION AND INFLUENCE OF WOMEN ence. Importance of woman's position. - Source of woman's influ- - - PART II. VIEWS OF LIFE, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON EDUCATION - Higher view of life necessary to raise female education. — In- - - 35 CHAPTER II. POWER AND INFLUENCE OF HABIT - Nature and power of habit. Education consists in formation - CHAPTER III. ON METHOD - - - - Nature of method. — System everywhere visible in nature. - - CHAPTER IV. CONSCIENCE, AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE WILL -- - - - Conscience the moral governor of our being. — Natural rela- - - 61 76 98 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 - - - - Sect. 2.- - Use of Reason in the Pursuit of Truth. All knowl- - - - Sect. 3.-Moral Obstacles to Perception of Truth. — Influence - - - 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 Defects of character produced by the want of it. - Evil of per- Character of benevolence; the essential principle of Chris- - - - Unrequited attachment. - 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 Submission of the will to determinate Power of choosing our guiding principles. — Means Women deficient in self-control; Management of temper. - Habitual cheerfulness the sign 182 194 228 Sect. 3. - Decision of Character.—Why as necessary to women - - - as to men. Not incompatible with feminine gentleness. — Ele- Sect. 1.- General Observations. - Nature of mental training; should be the object of early education; mere instruction does not train the mind. - Forming mental habits. Effect of certain studies. Cultivation of the reason the central point of mental Sect. 2.- Observation. Its value in connection with spirit of inquiry. Different modes of observation, its value in educating - Sect. 3. Attention. - Some studies more favorable than others - - Sect. 4. - Association. — Different kinds of association. — In- fluence of habitual associations. - Influence of association on Sect. 5.- Cultivation of Reason. - Habits of reasoning depend Sect. 6.- Language as influencing the habits of reasoning. - Defects and difficulties of language. Test of our own accuracy. b |