ON FEMALE EDUCATION.

OBSERVATIONS ON FRIENDSHIP.

the Rambler, No. 28, "may be passed "A LONG life," says Dr. Johnson in without finding a friend in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and sincerity. A weak man, however honest, is not qualified to judge. A man of the world, however penetrating, is not fit to counsel. Friends are often chosen for similitude of manners, and therefore each palliates the other's failings, because they are his own. Friends are tender, and unwilling to

THE following letter was written by the Rev. Mr. Kinsman to a lady at Bristol, to whom the care of the education of his daughter was committed. Donhead St. Mary's, Jan. 12, 1824. J. G. "THE Confusion attending the change of your habitation perhaps made you forget what I told you when I first placed my daughter under your care. I shall answer your's fully, by just repeating it. I then said I did not put my daughter abroad to learn to be the fine lady, but to be the housewife, &c.; that I neither desired nor expected her station in life to be ex-give pain, or they are interested, and alted; and that her improvement in spelling, writing, and plain work, next to her better part, was all we expected while she was with you; and I am fully persuaded this will be of greater advantage to her, in future life, than to make a fine courtesy. As for dancing, I abhor and protest against it, as a Christian, and a preacher of the gospel: I see the dreadful evils in this populous town which that one thing is an inlet to. It is true, I read in the New Testament, of one dancing-match, and that ended, as Bishop Hall saith, in sending John Baptist's body to the grave, and Herod's soul | to hell. These may be unwelcome things to the mistress of a boardingschool.

"But, dear madam, you know my character in life, and I must act consistently, as I expect to give an account. You may remember, when such a matter was talked of, you said you could, without the help of such a master, undertake to teach my girl to behave decently, and we shall be quite satisfied with such a courtesy as Mrs. B. is capable of teaching her. Nay, I would quite excuse all such ceremony, if at every convenient season you would spend a few minutes in | teaching her to bow the knee to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and by thus bowing the knee together, governess and scholar, you would bid fair, however awkward you might appear before the sons of earth, to bow at last among higher company in realms of bliss. Whenever you have begun, I shall be glad to hear from you about the best of things. The hurry of business is ensnaring: guard against too much care. Watch and pray."

fearful to offend." Of this latter kind, there is a striking instance recorded, in the life of that great genius, of whom Dr. Johnson says, "Whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison." The instance referred to is recorded in Mr. Exley's Encyclopædia, under the article, Addison, and is as follows; and methinks to the honest, inquiring, and independent mind, it silently but powerfully speaks a language, the ennobling influence of which upon its faculties, freely grasping after their full energy and extent, would be pleasing almost beyond expression. To those who know not how to discover genuine friendship, or to secure it when found, this anecdote may furnish an instructive lesson :

"Addison and Mr. Temple Stanyan were very intimate, and in the familiar conversations which passed between them, they were accustomed freely to dispute each other's opinions. Upon some occasion, Mr. Addison lent Stanyan £500. After this, Mr. Stanyan behaved with a timid reserve, deference, and respect; not conversing with the same freedom as formerly, or canvassing his friend's sentiments. This gave great uneasiness to Mr. Addison. One day they happened to fall upon a subject, on which Mr. Stanyan had always been used strenuously to oppose his opinion-but, even upon this occasion, he gave way to what his friend advanced, without interposing his own view of the matter. This hurt Mr. Addison so much, that he said to Mr. Stanyan, Either contradict me, or pay me the money."

G.

THE DISGUISED COURTSHIP, OR THE
IMPORTANCE OF FEMALE EDUCATION
EXEMPLIFIED.

.....

my situation would then be altogether different from what it is now; and that, instead of being confined to a sick bed, I should enjoy a long and happy life in the midst of my grateful offspring.

(From the German of Becker.) HERE I lie, poor gouty man, forsaken by all the world, and but sparingly Such considerations were the daily nursed for hire! no countenance pastime of old Ellerback, the rich around me is altered, when, tormented counsellor; and he often imparted by pain, I cry out sometimes, and them to the clergyman of his estate. vainly attempt to ease my terrible The latter advised him to bestow his sufferings by half-smothered com-large property, in conferring upon plaints. If ever I request assistance, others, a happiness which he had negall the hands and limbs, which are in lected to enjoy himself; and he asmy pay, move as mechanically as sured him, that doing as much good clockwork. Every time that my pil- as was yet in his power, would prove low is shifted, or that some change in the most efficacious remedy for his my position is requisite, I feel but too distress. The chief aim of the old much, that I owe the service to the gentleman became, therefore, directed reward which is expected for it. At to the favouring of marriages, by the same time, I am deceived and handsome dowries, without weakenimposed upon in all quarters; and ing too much the income of his sucyet I dare not even shew my perceiv-cessor to the estate; lest the latter ing it, lest my poor limbs be made to feel the consequences. Every morning I read in the faces of my attendants the disappointed hope, of not yet being in possession of the rich legacy with which they flatter themselves; and, in spite of all their fine words, they do but seldom give me a friendly look. Oh, this is real misery! The honest clergyman is my only comfort; but the interest which he shews for me, alleviates my calamity, and makes it supportable, without removing it.

All this, however, cannot now be helped; and I would bear it with patience, if it were not for the pangs of my conscience, which reproaches me with being myself the cause of what I suffer. Had I lived well in my youth, had I not proudly disdained domestic happiness, the greatest blessing on earth; or had I, at least, overcome my prejudices so far, as to attach, whilst yet in time, the fate of a decent female to my own, through benefits, I might still have secured a grateful nurse, whose cares would be superior to those of absolute hirelings.

Of what use are now the fine estates, which I do but possess in name? Not one of my senses can claim the least enjoyment from them; I swim in abundance, and yet I am poorer than a beggar. Had I children, I should be happy in their enjoyment; and the bright prospect of their futurity would beguile my woes during the passage into a better world. Moreover, it is probable that

should be prevented from carrying on those improvements, which he himself had begun, and which had already succeeded to a great extent.

The natural heirs of the counsellor were the children of two half-brothers; of whom the elder had left a son, and the younger three daughters, who lived with their mother on a small property, and a pension to which the widow was entitled from the court. The counsellor had loved his brothers, and he had procured them many advantages; his affection had also descended to the children, although he had not seen them since their earliest youth. The families had lived at a great distance from each other, and they had but seldom met: the children had never seen each other at all.

The young ladies thought themselves but little entitled to hope much from their uncle, because he had never been very fond of their mother; and the latter allowed her tongue every possible liberty at his expensé, because she was fully confident that her family had nothing to expect from him; and, on the strength of this supposition, she thought it but fair to call him a miserly old bachelor. The nephew had received a handsome present for the extension of his tra vels; but no hopes of a rich inheritance had been held out to him.

In the mean time, the counsellor made his will; and, indeed, very differently from what had been anticipated by his relations. The nephew

Julia shewed herself but seldom, when there was company; and it so happened, that Romberg had never seen her, until his choice seemed to waver between her two sisters. The mother was sadly afraid of her com

her infancy, she had been entrusted | In the mean time, she thought it but to a nurse; and this circumstance had fair to favour Caroline, according to estranged the old lady's heart to such the rights of primogeniture; and she a degree, that she treated her eldest attempted to persuade Henrietta into and youngest daughters with marked a resignation of her claims! but the partiality; and, by way of shewing latter conceived herself fully adequate her affection, she spoiled them to a to judge of her own chance, and she far greater extent than Julia, upon felt no inclination to throw it away." whom she looked almost with the eyes of a step-mother. This foolish antipathy had been greatly to the advantage of the thus neglected young lady: because she was almost entirely abandoned to the cares of her nurse, who happened to be a very well-mitting some blunder when she should informed person; and who did more than compensate for all that her mother could have done for her. She was, therefore, only neglected in the externals; and for this she was not sorry. She bore no envy to her sisters for their superior finery, because she had no relish for the amusements which they followed; and she preferred the pleasures of a well-stored mind to the empty round of fashionable follies. In the mean time, she had often to hear the remark, that if some of the gentlemen, who paid attention to her sisters, had not already come closer to the point, it was chiefly owing to her odd manners, which were enough to frighten any body out of an alliance with her family.

be introduced to him, but the result happened to be very different from what had been expected; and the gentleman shewed himself more de1 lighted than ever, after she had increased the society by her presence.

It was just at that time that the family received a letter from young Ellerback, with which he sent the copy of his uncle's will: he gave them imperceptibly to understand, that he was willing enough to comply with the injunction of his departed rela tive, in as far as the matrimonial connexion could be made agreeable to the contracting parties.

It is easy to imagine the effect which such news was likely to produce, and how soon it spread through the town. The ladies took good care to contribute to its promulgation whatever lay in their power; and, as soon as they had provided themselves with becoming mourning dresses, the house was again open to visitors, who thronged in to pay their compliments of condolence, or rather of congratu

A few weeks before the grand news of the old uncle's death, and the consequent alterations in the circumstances of the young ladies, a gentleman had been introduced to them, who, being on his travels, had found the place of their residence so attractive, that he stopped there much longer than he had originally intend-lation. Romberg too was among the ed. His name was Romberg, and as he had been provided with recommendations to some of the most respectable houses, he was every where well received.

crowd, but rather more reserved than usual; and he found an opportunity to tell Julia that he scarcely knew whether he should rejoice or be afflicted at her change of circumstances. The other sisters were, for some time, rather prim and demure in their behaviour towards him; but when they found that it was not likely to avail them much, they altered it again into a show of friendship and confidence. They admitted that the inheritance was a very good thing in itself, but they said that the condition of the marriage was rather a tyrannical one; and each of the ladies protested that she (for her part) was not very anxious to pass in review before her much honoured cousin; and that she would

rather be excused from going through the ceremony.

and it reached its acmè, when the plenipotentiary presented him as Mr. Ellerback, and heir of the old counsellor.

He excused himself in the best manner he could, for his having hoisted false colours; and he stated, that an engagement for life was too serious an affair to be hastily formed, and that he could not have thought of contracting one, without previously ascertaining whether it was likely to suit him: he had now found, that Miss Julia was quite the person who could make him happy, and he had

The crisis was, however, fast approaching: the clergyman from the Ellerback estate had requested an audience, and every one was on the tiptoe of expectation. The old lady received the ambassador alone; but as soon as she had declared her consent to the will of the testator, the daughters were summoned into the room; and the gentleman then stated, that young Mr. Ellerback was already in possession of all the information which could direct his choice, and that it had fallen on Miss Julia.-some reasons to flatter himself that The faces of the mother and her favourite daughters became considerably lengthened on this notice; but the lady elect declared, with a warmth which she had never shewn before, that she could not think of marrying her cousin, even if he were the most amiable man in the world; and, unable to give her reasons, she burst into tears, and would have left the room, if the minister had not withheld her.

his attentions had not been disagreeable to her. Consequently, he said, nothing can now delay our union; and, in order to make it advantageous to all parties, I am willing to pay the full amount of the penalty to which my uncle's dispositions would have condemned me, if I had refused to marry any of my cousins. I do not doubt, that such an addition to the fortune of the young ladies will procure them a plentiful choice of lovers; and as to my mother-in-law, it speaks for itself, that she will not want the needful as long I shall have it myself.

This speech came home to every one, and reconciled all differences; the intended marriage took place soon after, and every one was pleased with the successful courtship. Liverpool, Jan. 5, 1824.

L. MAN.

The fact was, that she too had her reasons for not thinking herself altogether indifferent to Mr. Romberg: for he had treated her of late with marked distinction; and an accidental occurrence had established much intercourse between them. Julia had heard the gentleman mention that he wished to meet with a decent youth for a servant, and she had taken the opportunity to recommend the son of her nurse as a very eligible person. Her protégé was immediately accepted, and he gave great satisfaction: the mother of the young man was, in her turn, highly pleased with her son's situation; and, being interrogated on the subject by his master, she established, at the same time, so high a character of her young lady in his mind, that the impression became soon conspicuous in his behaviour, although he did his utmost to conceal his feelings before company. Neither the mother nor the sisters of Julia had made the remark; but she herself thought she had received unequivocal Among the inhabitants of this prinproofs of his esteem, and she was cipality, a belief very generally prethunderstruck when she understood vails, that previously to the death of that it was he who had directed her an individual, a light, resembling cousin's choice, and given him all the that of a candle, makes its appearnecessary information. The general ance, as a prognostic of that event. perplexity became still increased, This light, which in the Welch lanwhen Mr. Romberg was announced,guage is called canwill gorff, or corpse

SUPERSTITION IN WALES. MR. EDITOR. SIR,-The age in which we live is certainly more enlightened than many periods which preceded it; but with all our boasted acquirements, we cannot say that the reign of superstition is wholly abolished. Scotland has its second-sight, and water-kelpies; in Ireland, brownies and fairies still continue to visit the haunts of men; and Wales scorns to yield, either in the extent or strength of its credulity, to these neighbouring territories, the palm of superiority.