A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE. 35 



and wrote in a part of the forenoon upon the question, 

 "Whether a minority can ever be justified in rebelling 

 against a majority." In the afternoon I read and wrote 

 upon the following question : " Whether the mental abilities 

 of the females are equal to those of the males," of the 

 affirmative of which I am a strenuous advocate. I believe 

 that the difference in the appearance of the sexes (as to 

 their minds) is owing entirely to neglect of the education 

 of females, which is a shame to man, and ought to be rem- 

 edied. In the evening I went to the meeting of 4>BK ; 

 returned and wrote upon the above question until half- 

 past ten. The wind is now N. W. ; I think the possibility 

 is that it will be cold. It is so late that I must retire to 

 bed, and leave my observations. 



Nov. 10. Clear and pleasant, rather cooler than yester- 

 day. I wrote all the forenoon in favor of the equality of 

 female abilities to those of the males. It was warmly con- 

 tested at the eleven o'clock recitation, arid decided in favor 

 of the females, after a debate of more than two hours. I did 

 very little in the afternoon, as the boys were bringing up 

 wood into our chamber, and kept up a continual noise. . . . 



Nov. 11. .... I rose as early as usual, and attended 

 prayers ; then returned. I wrote poetry in the greater part 

 of the forenoon with tolerable success, and the same in the 

 afternoon, and likewise in the evening, until Marsh, a grad- 

 uate, came in, and after him Tucker, Cantey, Bassett, &c., 

 &c. We drank a few glasses of wine, and the conversation 

 ran upon politics in general, and particularly upon the cor- 

 ruption of some of our great men, the state of France, of 

 England, &c. Matters ran pretty high, as is generally the 

 case in politics. Many men who in private life are of the 

 most amiable and gentle dispositions, when they come to 

 converse upon politics are ravenous wolves. The company 

 did not break up until past ten. We invited Marsh to 

 stop at our room, which he did, and I slept with Prince at 

 his room. 



