179'- SOPtllA ON FEMALE ED'JC.VTIOW. 3Ijt 



hope you will not take it amifs, if I tL'll you, that I think, 

 giving young ladies a learned education very prepofte- 

 rous, and may hereafter give you and my brother much 

 u'neafinets. After ail you can do for them in this way, 

 you will never be able to raife your girls above the at- 

 tainnicnts of a young fchool-boy ; and filling their mind 

 with a Imauering of learning, you will render them 

 pedantic, troublt^fome, pretieufes, difagreeable to the 

 women, and troublefome to the men, by their pretenfions 

 to fuperior knowledge. My brotiier has a handfome 

 eftate ; and the world will expetl that his daughters 

 fhould either have an acconipliihed French governefs, or 

 be fent to an eminent boarding Ichool at London, that 

 they maybe mltrucled in all the falhionable accompliili- 

 ments, and learn t\\a.t?7tamere which is indilpeniibly ne- 

 cefl'ary for their proper introdu6l;on into our polite cir- 

 cles, and for their eftablilhrnent in marriage. Madam, 

 laid I, your brother approves of my plan of education , 

 and though I allow, that a fmattering of learning would 

 be injurious to my daughters, I do nut torefee the fame 

 confequence from the mode'l have adopted of carrying 

 them forward as far as their genius or the other engage- 

 ments of their fex will permit. Mrs. Grizzel lliook 

 her head, and with great deliberation and politenefs 

 ended the converlation, by frying, fhe had done what 

 fhe thought her duty, and fhould remain filent for the 

 future on the fubject of female education. 



This converfation had hardly clofed, when my excel- 

 lent Eugenius entered the room, and feeing my counte- 

 nance a little clouded, he took me by the hand, and pro- 

 pofed to us a walk, which Mrs. Grizzel declined on ac- 

 count of an obftinate rheumatifm, with which Ihe had 

 been long nioft grievoufly afflifted. Away we failied 

 to the garden, with the children, theparfon, and an ac- 

 compliflicd gentleman in the neighbourhood who h'ad 

 come to play duets ,on the German flute with the par- 

 fon, which they performed in a little caffirio in the 

 Ihrubbery. Eugenius and I repaired to a feat adjoiii- 

 VoL. III. I Q^f. 



