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CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PART I.

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GENERAL VIEW OF THE POSITION AND INFLUENCE OF WOMEN

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Importance of woman's position. - Source of woman's influ-
- 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.

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PART II.

VIEWS OF LIFE, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON EDUCATION

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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.

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CHAPTER II.

POWER AND INFLUENCE OF HABIT

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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.

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CHAPTER III.

ON METHOD

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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.

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CHAPTER IV.

CONSCIENCE, AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE WILL

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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.

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76

98

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Unrequited attachment.

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Women deficient in self-control;

Management of temper. - Habitual cheerfulness the sign
of a well-regulated mind.

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194

228

Sect. 3.

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Decision of Character.—Why as necessary to women

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as to men. Not incompatible with feminine gentleness. — Ele-
ments of decision of character. Its proper grounds and limits;
moral courage. Women capable of it in a high degree. — Evils
of cowardice to women. - Importance, in nursing the sick, of
presence of mind and moral courage. — Digression on economy
and household duties. Harmony of the mind with itself.

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Sect. 2.-

Observation. Its value in connection with spirit of

inquiry. Different modes of observation, its value in educating

children.

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Sect. 3. Attention. - Some studies more favorable than others
for training attention. - Reflection is attention to thought.-
Necessity of controlling thought.

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Sect. 4. - Association. — Different kinds of association. — In-

fluence of habitual associations. - Influence of association on

memory.

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Sect. 5.- Cultivation of Reason. - Habits of reasoning depend
on culture. - Process of reasoning, what; syllogism; value of
mathematics in training the reason. — - Mental and moral philoso-
phy. Different modes in which reason is exercised in their dif-
ferent subjects.

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