Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-03-27

not supply the want OF LABOR ana eHpe"
rience Farmers and artisans cannot be
made in the schoohouse or college. Most
of the studies cultivated in our semnaries
of learning, however useful to professional
men, are not applicable at all to the COM
mon occupations of life. This the writer
knows by experience.
1t is with females as with males; they
desire to live without labor; and thousands
of them fail in obtaining a good settlement
in life, by aiming at what cannot be OBJ
tanned. Hence, the high schools often be-
come the nurseries of old maids The
daughters of wealthy men, who are sure of
the means of living without labor, and such
as are fortunate enough to marry men of
affluence, may be justified in devoting
many years to languages and sciences
,chich they nerer use: but how small compar-
atively is this number!
Most of the people of this country pos
sess small estates, which, when divided,
will not support their children. Hence it
often happens that Children whom the
father can support in a genteel style, fail
at his death Of the means of subsistence.
Hence probably no country presents so
many instances of young persons of both
sexes, educated ADORE their condition. as the
United States Many persons and fami-
lies, within the knowledge of the writer,
have been ruined or doomed to struggle
with adversely all their lives, from this mis-
take. They begin wrong; they expect to
be gentlemen and ladies without the means
of supporting themselves in such a style.
Equally mistaken are many of the daugh-
ters of poor families Some of them enter
manufactures, where they get good wages,
and dress in rich attire; neglecting to gain
thorough knowledge Of housekeeping,
the very knowledge which they most want
to insure them good settlement. Young
men of industry want wives that are good
house keepers.-They do not seek females
for their dexterity in tending spools; but
for those who are accustomed to all the
work of family, and to an economical
use of money. Such wives are useful aux
iliaries in supporting family; such as are
not accustomed to house-work often check
or prevent the prosperity of their hus-
bands; sometimes they ruin them.
Much less do men, in the ordinary occu-
pations of life, seek for females who have
studied geometry, algebra, rhetoric, zoology
and the higher mathematics. Such sciences
are of no use to them in discharging their
duties as wives, mothers, or house-kecpcrs;
they are soon forgotten, and if not, never
used; nor do they ever become subjects
of conversation. In the course of thirty
years observation, the writer has never
known female thus educated 10 make the
least use of such sciences; not even in the
families of the affluent Books on such
subjects, read in after life, for the purpose
of gratifying curiosity or charging the
knowledge of the works of Nature, NAV
be useful for these purposes among those
who have leisure; but not being necessary
to qualify females for their duties, should
not be part Of school education.
In no particular is the folly Of females
more remarkable than in their estimation
of labor. They seem to think it disgracing
to labor in the family as domestics, when
they will labor in manufactures, without
objection. They do not consider that the |
proper sphere of females is in the family,
and that they cannot fill that sphere, with
out serving an apprenticeship, and that they
should no more disdain it, than young men
should disdain to be apprentices to me-
chanics. The young Of both sexes must
be subordinate to those who are Older for
it is from the experience of older persons
that they are to qualify themselves to be
masters and mistresses them
selves. Girls who have no property should
seek to be domestics for two or three
years, in respectable, well-orderod families;
or it is in these they are to learn, not only
o do all kinds of work, but to improve
heir minds and their manners. 1t is the
pest, if not the only chance which many
IF them can have, thus to improve, and
become respectable mistresscs of families.
All young persons should have compc-
ent English education, and for this purpose
hey should have access, not only to the
Bible, but the best writings of Watts, Ad-
lison, Cowper and Hannah Moore. In
wealthy and well conducted families the
poorest girls have this advantage. By
wedding domestic service, they deprive
themselves of advantages which they can
never have in any other business. The
bride of females often condemns them to
poverty and single life. Many and many
| female fails to gain a comfortable settle
nent in life merely because she is too proud
o submit to the apprenticeship Of learning
he duties of house-keeper in the charac-
er Of hired domestic.
IL