Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-07

rrav;fvs which prevails among the higher
classes Of women in Europe? May II not
be one cause why our southern ladies' begin
tolook with mingled pity and contempt up
on the comparatively pure and industrious
habits of the highest class CT women IN
Ncw.England considering them merely as
domestic drudges, who have not sp1raf
enough to be idle, useless and dissipased
We are too easily imposed upon BY spe-
cioas appearances and the principal OF an
academy, if she possess an handsome adj
dress, with requisite knowledge OF human
nature, may gain the patronage OF the most
respectable part of the community, when
IN fact she observes only one UNI torn system
of hypocrisy and thus gain an extensive
reputation at the very moment she IS tram
ing girls to be artful coquettes, unmeaning
prattlers, and disgusting pedanis.
These remarks arise, not from speoula-
ton, but from knozviedge Of facts. A
Young lady, not many years since, became
member Of a celebrated academy. She
went, as is too often the case, principally
to embrofdvr picture; literature was a Sc
condary object; but it would not have con-
tinued SO, had her teacher understood what
she ought TO have learned, or considered
mental Improvement equal to personal at
fractions.
Towards the close OF her Intended terra,
of instruction, her preceptress directed, that
she should commit TO memory certain les
son in geography, and be taught 70 parse
some select sentences in grammar, that she
might appear, at the annual exhibition, as
one among the highest classes in the lnstl.
tuition. Accordingly, though ignorant OF
the distinction between an article and SUD-
stantive, and totally unacquanted with any
country on the globe, this young lady re-
peated, 10 crowded and respectable audi
ence, her assigned task. Nor was she the
only one who was imposed uron the pubic
as an accomplished scholar, when IN reality
Ignorant OF the most necessary and common
rules of reading and spelliag. BY such ma
nagement, parents are deceived, the public
imposed upon, and the pupils learn TO rest
their hopes for reputation upon deception
and fnssse, iastead of solid improvement
and substantial virtue. It is not possible to
calculate where errors, arising from such
derelction Of principle, viii end.
1t is a trlte but true remark, that ,'as
the twig is 'ee's incIined." lhe
puress precepts and the best example some-
times fail of the desired effect bat IN &C.
neral girls future destiny depends upon
the principles she imbibes in early youth.
How pernicous then must be such prac-
tice as above mentioned VIII not the pu'
pills of school, so managed, come Into nfe
fully determined to go aud do likewise! or
with settled disgust for that knowledge,
of which they saw no good effects, either
upon the principles or practice of their IN
structress Pupils of such school will
be idle, from beliefthat they can be hne
women without tedious application to
books; and when out of school, what can
engage such weak untutored minds but how
they may excel all around them in splendor,
and how they shall retain those accomplish
ments, which procure temporary admlra-
ton.
Those who have any knowledge OF gram
mar will readily believe, that 1t is rnneces
sary, useless and ridiculous, to oblige pu-
Pill to commit the Young Ladies' Acct
dence to memory nineteen times in sacces-
sion, without teaching them the use or ap-
plication ola single rule, or explaining 70
her the philosophical distinction between
theparts of speech; yet in this and some
other institutions, where they pretend to
teach eatifcaAy, it is a practice as com
mon, as it is destructive Of every wish, to
acquire knowledge. II :,
Tt is not.eceiving medals AID rewards Tor
excelling in sciences, of which they barely
know the name; it is not repeating lessons
by rote to an applauding but deceived au-
dience; It is not observing the elegant dress