The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-16
ESPON NOE.
Female Conversation.
BY THE REV. NJ. D. HoGE, D. D.

BY THE REV. NJ. D. HoGE, D. D.
Messrs. Editors, rs,-There is probably no
reader OF your paper who has more
thorough appreciation of its editorials
than myself, or who gives them a more
cordial approval. The directness and
naturalness of their style, the freshness
and originality of their subject matter,
and the vein of spirituality with which
so many of them are imbued-constitut
ing their chief charm-all combine to
render them attractive and edifying
Your leader in the last weeks issue,
presents a subject, in its closing para
graph, especially, entitled to the con-
sideration of all Christian people who
have proper estimate of the qualities
which give to our women the influence
for good they are capable of using in the
community and in the Church.
Your structures on the frivolous con-
versation common among those whose
minds are uninformed and unrefned by
the reading of such authors as you emu
merate are no doubt true of a certain
class OF young women in our State and
city, and 1T is not my purpose to contro-
vert or question them You have pre-
sented one side of the picture, but lest
your more distant readers should infer
that the class described is representa-
tive one, beg leave to supplement your
editorial by presenting the other side of
the picture.
"The Old Virginia Matron" of former
times was one of the fairest types of all
the womanly virtues which command
the reverence and the admiration of
men. She did not possess all the edu-
catlonal advantages of our day; her
library was comparatively limited one;
but her taste was refined and her intel
ligence quickened by her reading and
study of the noblest writer's in the Eng
lish tongue-writers whose thoughts, as
Macaulay says, resembled the fruits and
flowers distinguished from the produc
tlons of other Soils not only by their
bloom and sweetness, but by their eff
ficacy to invigorate and heal-potent
not only to delight but to elevate and
purify. Such were the books, and such
were the Virginia women of the olden
time, in their character and influence.
The stream of literature has widened
IN our day, but the taste for wholesome
reading and earnest study has not been
lost. The standard in our colleges and
universities is higher than it was in the
days of our fathers, and such admirable
schools as these of Miss Baldwin, Miss
Randolph, Mr.. Powell, and Miss Daniel
have had corresponding effect upon the
attalnments of our young ladies. Here
IN Richmond we have reading clubs
among them for the study of standard
authors. Three years ago a great i'm
pulse was given in this direction by Pro-
lessor Thom, now of the Hollins Institute
whose classes were attended by single
and married ladies many of them in the
highest walks in society. There is at
this time class of some sixty ladies
organized for the critical study of
Shakespeare and there are others, not
SO large, whose members are devoting
their time to the examination of other
classic authors. In many Of our homes
there are ladies who, having long since
lett school, are now making their attain
ments there only the starting point for
Investigations In the departments. litera-
ry and scientific, which they still prose
cute with undiminished diligence. One
OF our Professors in Modern Languages
cannot find hours enough during the
day for the instruction of the female pu-
pills who require his attention. 1t so
happens that young lady recently in
making visit to my house incidentally
spoke OF having read two of the four Ger
man authors mentioned in your editorial
as among the works unfamiliar to female
eyes. Moreover, large number of our
ladies. of all ages, are devoting themselves
to patient and self-denying labors in aid
Of the churches with which they are CON
nected and to such benevolent enterprises
as have for their end the temporal and