Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-11-10
Fran The European Magazias.
Convsuieaee Of a ltayrea W1e,
SIR,

ConOsuience Of aleayrea W1e,
SIR,
There mas been great deal of debate
aud much ih=dJing OF ink in the learned
world, fer iome Tine paH, refpetting the
rank that womsn ought 10 hold in the icsle
Of creation. Some four old bachelors
have thought, with hr Anthony Abfolute
in the play, that women may be taught
their letters, but fhould never learn thsir
mi(chieyous combinations Others, OF
fofter mould, have in manner depreifed,
while they exalted them, by burting forth
into ra2turoas ealosiunas On thei: a,niabIf
virtues, which they would at the fame
time conAne 20 the kitchen and nurGery !;
while third fort, with more libsraligy
than the other, have oontended that. lite
ratuse alone exaI,s che female character, &
that every Rep woman mounts in the
ladder oflearaing, makes her more eminent
in excellence
/" Yiao que ui,rum 4oliiare PER ovo.'
Among the votaries Of the third fea, |
beg leave to ensol my name. ! began life
With determination to run counter 80 the
eftablilhei ufage Of mankind, in ihe chsicc
of wife, for | fghed when / rejected on
the 1ayih fubiett.on in which man detains
his injured helpna;e, II, defiance Of resfon
and in conterEpt Of humanity; I burnt
with ali the zeal Of Don Quixctte, to
fight the battles Of this lait & tdirsa WORT,
of natnye, and rcfolyed 70 fhew the world
that ! felt what expreiicd, b. drawing
fome delerying female from humble life !;
by providing her with books in the learn
cd languages, experimenting her education
with fcrupalous anxiety, and, at fiji
period, leading t;sre TO The altar, crowned
with never fading flowers Of fagacisy ana
erudition. This grand fchene I inmedi-
a,ely pus III practice, in the following man
ner
You NUT know, fir, there is fnaII
fnop oppod5e my fudy window, which
profe9es to fell ginger bread, earthen-ware,
gilt paper, peg tops, and treacle. To this
houfe Of mifcellancous fame, had been &C.
cufomed to fee d little girl come two or
three times week, and generally return
with hand:a! Of ginger bread. This did
not at FRI appear very extraordinary, till
obferved the ginger bread to be decorat-
ed with the letters Of the alphabet, which
the fagacioos infant devoured more with
her eyes than her teeth. This piea!ed
me it feemed an earneR Of future litera-
ry greatness, and Immediately determined
me TO gain Tome acquaintance with the
daniel, in order to find whether at iome
fu,ure period 11e was likely to an(wer my
matrimonial Ejaculation. Ia a few days
I found CUT her abode, and waited on her
mother, an irlufrious wafherwoman in
the neishbourhood ; told Ter my tale, 20
which fhe "did f.riouay iacline;" and
ended, by requesting that nae would put
her daughter unde, my tuition. The old
woman thankfully accepted the OFF,, al
flring me that her daughter was one of
the cutef giyls IN tie qoboie freet: and
having called her in, and acquainted her
with the fnbjea of our conference, I had
the fatisfaefion TO End that lhe expTefed
al entire readiness TO fubmit to my IN
ltrutsions. We accordingly departed,
hand in hand. Little Phc lc Tor 70 lhe
was called) immediately entered upon her
courfe of letanres, with an alacrity that
both furprif:d and pleafed me. She learn
ed to read even quicker than madame de
G4alis's infant prodigies; ioon became
acquainted vii large proportion Of En-