Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-09-11
From the ~. England Palladium.
iHo2oUGH vINDIC ALTON OF THE peR.
SENT FASHIONABLE MODE OF FEMALE
EDUCATION AND DRESS.
MeRrs. EDITORS,

anu rrole, feem of late TO trouble thei
heads very much about the reigning faith
ION OF female education, dreis, and ever
reading. The Impairment remarks Ii.
your paper of a correspondent, respecting
| the reading of novels by ladies, have beer
very properly replied to by our friene
NED tARMINcToN. This however, wa
no iooner done, than remarks, no lefs i'm.
PARENT, and far raore antiquated ard puri
tanlcal, appeared in the Columbian Cent?.
mel ever the hgnature of ALEXANDER
Who or what thefe writers are know
not: but truely their obleryations and rea
ioning prove, that their minds are by nc
means fufiiciently enlightened and libera-
lized to be, at this day, entitled to any
regard from the fashionable part of the
.commnnity. They hetray fhaneful ig
norance OF the furpriing difcoveries and
improvements, which, during the glorious
eighteenth century, have been made in the
Old world, and the effects of which we are
beginning to enjoy in this country !; and
sravely talk about principles, duties and
'nttruStlons, which could fuit only in the
narrow and ioidid views of our bcnighted
!orefathers. Thank heaven, we have the
felicity to boat, that thole old Giack1es Of
Our anceitors are now broken off, s. we are
no longer to be held againa our will in
iubjettion TO the tyranny Of principle, or
deipo,ii!n Of duty. The light of philofo-
ply has difpelled the mifts of prejudice
and iuperfition, and left US to zee, 10 juage,
and to al freely and infallibly, for our
feives. Amid the efulgence of this glo-
rious light / have iometimes almolt doubt
ed whether our fathers eouH Zee at all !;
certain it is, that they could net, like
US, 4Oalk BY yEgbf, bur were obliged to
grope their way through life by felLwg
and firth.
1t would bea delightful tax gratefully
TO recount all thole luxurious benefaetors
Of mankind, whole luxurious writings and
difcoveries have led the way to this our
luxurious fuperiority. Every depart
ment Of icience and literature has been
wonderfully Illuminated by the efluIgent
beams of modern genius. ] cannot avoid
mentioning few Of the mott firiking i'm
provements, which ierve to difinpuifh
the preient above all the former ages
This, while it fhews US the fpirit which
has peryailed il the enquiries and refearch-
es of modern philosophers, will alto thew
the ipirit which ought 10 predominant in
all our plans and operations, relating to
the important buinefs of inaruetion,
Firft let us look to the fcience of Meta
phyfcs, that arid and fertile field in which
no one ever expected any thing uGeful or
refreihing would grow; even here PrieR.
ly and Berkeley together with immune
rable Others, have labored with afonifhice
fuccefs. The former, by clearly demon
ftrating the non-exitence of Ipir4i, and the
latter, by as clearly demonitratine the
non-exi&encc of matter, have kindly re.
lieved US from all apprehension of pain and
penalty, either to ./oni ar BABY. In the
icience OF moral philofophy, Vaudeville
has maintained that our vileft are the mo(t
secefary accomplishments 10 fit us for TO-
ciety, and has fully ihevn that pablc
Pr9lps'd!y is in exact proportion to privafe
We cannot think qoifb The qyyitry of
f6i' fraa, thar Be,kAey oggbt TO be roakea
zoitb Iacb curriers' as Volfaiye and Manu-
0ills. WbafTOer opmioa may be eattetaia-
ca ct b's fyeafjje on matter, 9W be is mi
Hfa 10 sny rslped and .gratnaas, FIR b;l
mary yiyiaes, far bis great fazenfs, ana
gyr0f learning, ia lang, and FL nllf11ly
1mlpleyed. NE sanaot kei9 t6mk1ng, tk0.
berkley 7oa, amoagf Tie mzR/aeesk,Jal a01
aolf defsndsys 9 natural and reDealea re.
'nSi90' Editors.