-L. I 
 
 THE 
 
 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 
 
 -BIT— 
 
 
 Gr. ^W, HOEISrSHEX.. 
 
 HOENSHEL & CO., 
 
 HARRISOJTBURG, VA. 
 
M 
 
THE 
 
 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 
 
 -B^ST— 
 
 Gr. ^W. HOENSHEL. 
 
 HOENSHEL & CO., 
 
 HARRISONBURG, VA. 
 
 
 Copyrighted 1888, by G. W. Hoetishel. N^ 
 
.\\^ 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 No apology is made for the appearance of this book. 
 Much has been written upon the subject of education. 
 Many theories have been advanced. The author endeavors to 
 point out some mistakes that he thinks have been made, and 
 how they may be corrected. He who writes simply to find 
 fault and to destroy does but little good. Honest criti- 
 cism can never do harm. The author makes no claim to 
 originality. These views have been impressed upon his 
 mind in his work as a teacher. He expects no commenda- 
 tions. He is well aware of the imperfections of his work. 
 In the fond hope that it may be the means of encouraging 
 s^me mother in her work and inspiring some girl to 
 nobler deeds of virtue, this little book is sent forth upon 
 its mission. G. W. HOENSHEL. 
 
 Shenanboah Normal College. 
 March 1, 1888. 
 
THE EDUCATION OP GIRLS. 
 
 The old theor}^ that a woman is an inferior being and 
 Meeds but little education is no longer tenable. Bat some 
 still hold to the proposition that woman is the 'Hyeaker 
 vessel," both physically and intellectually, and not capa- 
 ble of receiving the same instruction as her brother. The 
 logic of events has proven the falsity of this proposition. 
 When woman was a slave to social customs, and but few 
 opportunities of improvement were afforded to her, she 
 accomplished but little. But even then her history may 
 be read without a blush. Though in the classic nations 
 of antiipiity theie are but few instances of her heroism 
 and worth, yet their bright lustre but adds to the dark 
 gloom of the customs and civilization of that time. 
 
 Where w^oman is free she proves herself a fit compan- 
 ion for man. In science, in art, in literature, and even 
 in mathematics, she is not unknown. The magazines are 
 tilled with the productions of her pen. Publishers an- 
 nounce in glaring head-lines the appearance of her latest 
 story, of fact or fancy. ]S"o history of literature or art 
 (tan be written that does not contain the names of women 
 who have become noted. The achievements of the past 
 quarter century have proven to the world that there is 
 
DO sex ID miDd. Ooly a short time since and tlie illus- 
 trions daughter of an honored father resigned her posi- 
 tion as professor of astronomy in one of the most noted 
 Eastern colleges. In no intellectual pursuit has woman 
 proven weaker than man. The record of all colleges 
 where both sexes are educ ited together, show conclu- 
 sively that she can think and reason. Frequently do wo- 
 men win many of the honors bestow e.l for faithful work. 
 It is too late to talk about the inferiority of woman. It 
 would be just as wise to endeavor to pro re the impossi- 
 bility of steamships crossing the sea. One lact is better 
 than a thousand theories. 
 
 But granting her intellectual ability, many contend 
 that woman has no need of the higher education. Her 
 position|^in life, they say, does not require that knowl 
 edge and training so essential to every business man. 
 That may be true to a certain extent, but everywhere, 
 knowledeje is power and ignorance is weakness. If wo- 
 man is to be fitted for a life of usefulness, she needs that 
 training that will give her strength and knowledge. Each 
 year the field of woman's work is becoming more exten- 
 sive. Each year she enters new fields to win renown, or 
 to ignobly fail. There is no impassable barrier that keeps 
 her from any useful employment. 
 
 But is it true that the occupation of woman is such 
 that she needs but little kuowledge ? The eye was made 
 for the light, and the mind was formed to perceive truth. 
 Every fact that the mind acquires adds something to the 
 happiness and the usefulness of the individual. As the 
 eye without light is blind, so the mind uncultivated, is 
 an unsafe guide. Man mingles with the world. He finds 
 many things to attract his attention. He is both amused 
 
and instructed hy the people and things with winch he 
 comes in contact. With woman it is different. She is 
 the creature of home. Her ambition is centered in her 
 own fireside. Much of her time is spent alone. She is 
 thrown upon her own resources for company and enter- 
 tainment. How important it is that she shonld have a 
 well-trained mind, so that when alone she may nave for 
 her company the great and good of all ages. Nature 
 si:)eaks with a thousand voices to him who will but hear. 
 Education adds new beautv to the scenes of every day 
 life. Everything administers to the happiness of him 
 who proves himself a master. Give to a girl hei birth 
 right, a well-trained mind, an education equal to that of 
 her brother, and she will have no occasion to spend her 
 time discussing the affairs of her neighbors. Fill her 
 mind full ot noble thoughts and there will be no occasion 
 for the ''light*' society talk that means so little and yet 
 does so much harm. 
 
 The object of all education is to fit the individual for 
 the duties of life. Without entering into the theological 
 discussion of the question, we may consider that the ob- 
 ject of life IS to be happy and to make others happy. To 
 be happy it is necessary to be useful. So then, girls 
 should receive that education and training thafi will make 
 them useful. The position a girl expects to occupy in 
 life must determine to a great extent what instruction 
 she should receive. All boys do not need the same train- 
 ing. The instruction that will fit a boy for the farm will 
 not prepare him for the school room. Of the diversified 
 occupations of industrial life, each one demands special 
 preparation. But it is not the technical training, but the 
 practical education of women that is most needed. No 
 
6 
 
 one was created tor ornament. The world is full of 
 beaut.v. The highest duty of man is to work, to be use- 
 ful, and to develoi) his talents and not bury them m n 
 u<\])k\u. Edncatioii is not for society, nor for tl'e giddy 
 pleasures of the moment j but for lite, — for usefulness. 
 That knowledge that does not make a girl more sell-re- 
 liant and give lier a nobler idea of life, noes her no good. 
 
 Much of the education that is intended for girls does 
 not tit them for life. Many institiition> of learning are 
 conducted upon incorrect principles. Many girls are S(Mit 
 off to school to receive culture, to become refined, to be 
 fitted to attract attention in the ])arlor and ball-room, 
 but not to be prepared for the duties ol life. There are 
 many woithy colleges for the education of women, biit 
 there are still some schools, ''ladies' seminaries," that are 
 almost a curs« to society. When man thwarts nature lie 
 makes a latal mistake, and must, in the end, acknowl- 
 edge defeat. Tiiat system of education that would change 
 the i>hin of nature, must be disastrous. Usefulness is 
 righteousness. When the chiet object in the education 
 of aiiirl is to train her to seem and not to be, to make 
 her ornamental rather than useful, the result can 
 never be an exalted type fff womanhood. 
 
 Girls are sent to school to become "accomplished." 
 They want to attract attention. They select studies that 
 will never be of any i)ractical use to them in after life. 
 They lose all sight of the object and end of life. They 
 live in an ideal world. They do not care to be useful. 
 They think more ot the silly flattery of the ball-room, 
 than of the rewards of a life of virtue. They receive cul- 
 ture, but it is not refinement. Culture is of the manner, 
 refinement is of the heart. The true lady is a lady every 
 
where. Her refioemeut is part of herself. The cultured 
 lad}' is a "lady" in the parlor, but elsewhere is nothing- 
 better than a hoiden. Her culture is not the manifes- 
 tation of the inner life, but is used as a cloak to conceal 
 the utter lack of noble thoughts and worthy ambitions. 
 Is the above not true of many "accomplished" ladies ? 
 
 Life is not a dream. It is a reality. Girls should not 
 lose sight of their importance in the world. They can no 
 longer be considered as something higher than a rose, 
 and a little lower than an angel. That training that 
 would make of a noble minded girl a mere toy, a giddy 
 butterfly of fashion, cannot be too liarshly condemned. 
 Yet how many boarding schools tlnu^e are that boast of 
 the "accomplishments" that girls receive at their hands. 
 That is the trouble. Thf^re is too much time spent upon 
 the accomplishments and too little attention given to 
 training. It is better for a girl to be useful at home 
 than to to be ornamental in society. 
 
 Music should be an important part of the education 
 of every girl. There should be music in every home. 
 What is more pleasing than the evening songs of devo- 
 tion. The mellow tones of theeorgan blend sweetly witli 
 the clearer notes of the human voice. The cares and 
 disappointments of the day are forgotten. The wearieil 
 limbs are soothed and the mind prepared for refreshing- 
 sleep. But why should the girl who has but little talent 
 for muLic, attempt the difficult operatic airs? She only 
 succeeds in annoying her neighbors. How much better 
 for such a girl to receive that instruction that will enable 
 her to comprehend more simple music and thus make 
 home pleasant. No study is useless that adds anything 
 to the pleasures of homo. But too often the instruction 
 
8 
 
 lias no reference to the duties of life. 
 
 During tbe first years of life there should be no differ- 
 ence lu the education of boys and girls. The studies 
 suited to one will help the other. At what age then 
 should the girls be sent off and locked up in a boarding 
 school that they may be fitted for life? To fit a girl for 
 life she is taken from the active duties of life, to fit her 
 for society she is secluded from society. It is this uu- 
 natural method that betrays the boarding school miss 
 wherever she is seen. This is not strange. The system 
 of boarding schools for girls is false in theory and disas 
 trous in practice. 
 
 No one obiects to girls being educated. Give them a 
 knowledge of all sciences and languages. Teach them 
 music aud i)ainting, and all the ennobling and elevating 
 arts if you will, but let all this be done by natural meth- 
 ods. It is not so much what is taught as how it is tanghc, 
 that makes a girl learned and useful. It is not a rare 
 occurrence for a girl, and, sometimes, eveu a boy, to be 
 sent off to school and receive an accomplished education 
 and return to her parents less fitted for the duties of life 
 than when she entered the school. Such is always the 
 case when education is for show. The fault is not so 
 much with the studies she pursues, as the manner in 
 which she is taught and the object in view. It is a 
 principle of all teaching that tlie student will never be 
 any better than the ideal of the teacher. When the high- 
 est ambition is to develop a fashionable lady, you should 
 not expect a model woman. 
 
 To accomplish the best results both sexes should at- 
 tend the same schools. The evils of co-education are 
 only imaginary. Much is gained by ladies and gentle- 
 
irieii meeting togetlier in the elass rooiu. Tlie ladies are 
 aiioie courteous and dignitied, the geutleiuen are luoie 
 gentle and refined. Each gains by associatinu" with the 
 ^>ther. It is tiHl»natnrai system \)f living. They are be- 
 ing prepared for life as it is, and not as it miglit be. The 
 noblest traits of charaeter are always "developed when 
 lK)th sexes are thrown together and expected to conduet 
 themselves as ladies and gentlemen. It succeeds because 
 it IS the method of nature. 
 
 Both sexes should be educated together, and, to a very 
 great extent, both simuld i)ursue the same studies. It is 
 not necessary to pursue any study simply for culture. 
 Utility and culture go hand in hand. The same studies 
 that tit for the duties of life will enable the girl to be an 
 ornament to society. There is no use in a girl's studying 
 languages and ologies that, she cares nothing about 
 and will never have occasion to use outside of the school 
 room. Too much learning makes girls foolish, but knowl- 
 edge always makes them wise and useful. 
 
 The common branches. Mathematics, Science, an d 
 Language, are suitable studies for both sexes. Music, 
 painting, and drawing, are refining and elevating, but it 
 is better for a girl to have a thorough knowledge of the 
 common branches than to be only able to daub paint and 
 to throw a piano into contortions. All cannot be musi- 
 cians, and but few can excel in painting. First give a 
 girl a practical education, and there will be time enough 
 for the ornamental part. It is better to be able to talk 
 common sense in English than to talk nonsense in half a 
 dozen languages. But because it is fashionable for a girl 
 to study Erench, she wastes her time and accomplishes 
 but little. It woidd be much better to become familiar 
 
10 
 
 with tlie master-pieces ol English literature. It is no 
 disgrace to be ignorant of either the ancient or modern 
 languages but each should be familiar vvith his mother 
 tongue. 
 
 The mistakes in school education are not the only 
 ones that are made in the education of girls. The home 
 training has much to do with a girl's usefulness in life. 
 The mother's influence is stronger than all else. Her 
 ideas of life determine the character of her daughter. 
 The home is a more important factor m the civilization 
 of the world than the school. Society at large is but the 
 reflection of the home life of the community. 
 
 Labor is a blessing, idleness is a curse. To make a 
 girl useful, she should be trained to work. It is no dis- 
 grace for a girl to soil her hands b}^ honest toil. It is 
 not kindness to relieve her of all cares and home duties. 
 No one can perform an act of kindness without becoming 
 better. Every hour spent in faithful work is an element 
 of strength. Every hour spent in day dreaming is an ele 
 ment of weakness. She who would be strong, must im- 
 prove every opportunity of doing good. 
 
 However wealthy a girl may be, though her every 
 wish may be gratified, yet she should be trained to work. 
 It is a part of her education. It is as ennobling as any 
 study she pursues at school. It is far more important 
 that a girl should know how to bake good bread than 
 that she should have a knowledge of the French lan- 
 guage. To know how to make home pleasant and to 
 perform the domestic duties of every day life is an im 
 portanc part of the education of every girl. Though she 
 may never be required to use this knowledge, yet it is an 
 element of strength, and will shield her in many trjing 
 
11 
 
 hours. 
 
 Idleness and aimlessoess is the cause of many ruiued 
 homes and blasted lives. Usefulness is the safe guard 
 against many evils. Velvet cushions and reclining chairs 
 are conducive to neither health nor morality. Vice and 
 luxury too often go hand in hand. Unless otherwise 
 employed, the mind preys upon itself and the girl be- 
 comes a victim of ennui. Life is real only to those who 
 make it so. Whatever adds to the happiness of others 
 is ennobling. Nothing is more degrading than idleness. 
 It is no longer an indication of nobility for a girl to be 
 ignorant of household work. There is no aristocracy 
 like the aristocracy of true worth. Blood may become 
 corrupt, mone> may be lost, but integrity endures forever. 
 
 The world was made for workers, not for loafers. 
 Idleness in a girl is no less excusable than m a boy. Eve- 
 ry girl should be self-reliant and able to support herself 
 in the world. She should receive that practical educa- 
 tion that gives her command of herself. Unless she is 
 able to do something when she leaves school she is poor- 
 ly fitted for life, however ornamental she may be. ¥,o 
 girl should be contented to be a burden upon others. 
 Honest work is the friend of virtue, idleness is the mother 
 of vice. Nothing is more helpless than a girl who has 
 received a fashionable education. When thrown upon 
 her own resources, she has nothing to shield her from 
 temptation. Having never been trained to work, there 
 is nothing that she can do. Virtue and truth, the crown- 
 ing glories of woman, are too oiten bartered for bread- 
 The gilded palaces of sin receive the homeless girl, and 
 she is lost to all that is good and true. 
 
 A mother can do her daughter no greater wrong thac 
 
11? 
 
 to roar her iii idleness aii'l thus unlit \)i)v for a life ot'rf;^e- 
 fuliiess. A i;irl sliould be as indepeiideDt and self-reli- 
 ant as a 1)<>\\ >T(> one should depend upon tortune. 
 Those wiic feast in j>ala(.'-es to-day may want for biead 
 toinoriow. They oidy are safe who prepare for all 
 einergeneies. In every town and vdlage there is some 
 Ijopeie.ss wreck, the result of a false system of edueation 
 and liome trainni;;'- Jletter tar would it be for humanity 
 if there were no ^homeless wail's. Sin ])reys upon tln^ 
 necessities ot the poor. No one is safe who depends 
 n[)on the cold charities of others. Indei>endence and 
 self-reliance is streui;'th. Age brings with it m^vny chang- 
 es, and the witty rei>ly, the rosy cheeks, and the langli- 
 ing" eye tiiat called forth so )nai?y compliments i)j the 
 ball room, soon lose their attraction. Society is no long- 
 er kind. Jt is then that every woman realizes how im- 
 iportantit is to be useful. 
 
 Education should lit for life. As sovirty now exists, 
 no girl is fitte<l lor life until she is i)repared to make some 
 man a .good wile and be the center of attraction of some 
 family <:ircle. Nine-tenths of all the girls that arrive at 
 the age of fnaturity, marry. Vet how many there are 
 who never leceive any instruction or ])repanition for the 
 new duties devolving upon them. Is It any wonder that 
 <livorce cases have bec(>meso frequent in many sections 
 of the cotintiv 'i Theri^ are skeletons in a thousand 
 closets, and discord and contention in a thousand liomes, 
 simply because girls are educated to be ornamental u\\\i\ 
 attractive, and not fitted for the duties of life. 
 
 Doubtless many a fond mother and her charming daugh- 
 ter would throw up their heads in holy horror at the above 
 proposition, and yet that same mother and daughter will 
 
13 
 
 spend many a long night and weary day in scheming and 
 planning to form au alliance with some foreign lord or 
 pampered child of fortune, that it would be sacrilege to call 
 marriage. And yet to train a girl so chat she may secure a 
 happy home is ignoble ! It is this blindness and disregard 
 of the future that causes so much misery.' If a girl wishes ' 
 to engage in any occupation she prepares herself for the 
 work. Why then should she not receive that training and 
 instruction that will fit her for marriage ? It is the most 
 important step she can ever take. She determines not only 
 her own destinv, but, to a great extent, that of her husband. 
 
 When men marry they don't want a toy. They want 
 a companion,— a iielpmeet. Ornaments lor the home 
 can be [)urchased in open market. So long as home is 
 pleasant, it is man's refuge from the cares of life. Bad 
 management and poor cooking is a friutfal source of di- 
 voTces. Woman is held by her affections, man by his 
 appetite. Sour bread and poorly cooked meat never 
 make a man ha})py and contented. 
 
 While it may never be necessary for her to perform 
 any of the so-called menial duties of domestic life, yet 
 everx woman should be able to control her own bouse. 
 Home IS the holiest place upon earth. How then can any 
 act be menial that adds anything to the comforts and 
 pleasures of home ? God never intended that any of his 
 creatures should be degraded. If it is ignoble or men- 
 ial to prepare food to sustain life, man would have been 
 created to live without eating. The Divine Master 
 taught the lesson, that they are greatest who do most 
 for others. There is nothing low or mean but vice and 
 crime. 
 
 Should a girl never marry, this common-sense training 
 
14 
 
 would fit lier for u life of usefulness. How rnan3' acts of 
 cluinty are perfornied b.v niaideu ladies. Ilavin"' no 
 family cares, the.v cairv i)eace and happiness to many 
 homes. Every worthy enterprise always receives their as- 
 sistance. When a ^irl is self-reliant, she does not worry 
 about ,2:etting nnirried. She knows slie can make hei' 
 own way in t!ie world, and whatever may be her fortune, 
 she makes the world better. The girls who have been 
 tau^^ht to expect flattery, and to do nothing", are the ones 
 that beconie silly and foolish should the lon;^ expected 
 knight never come to claim his own. 
 
 Health is necessary to success or usefulness in any 
 vocation of life. Yet health is not always fasional)le, 
 Many girls do not want to be robust, and strong". But few 
 of tliem care to taKe any exercise. They cat but little, 
 and are quite fastidious. Social customs are not condu- 
 cive to health. Everything must be sai.Tificed so that 
 the girl may be attractive. Even when quite younggirls 
 are rei)roved for rom])ing. That is what they need. 
 There are no cosmetics like plenty of exercise in the open 
 air. Girls should never be too dignified to run and play. 
 Anything is lady-like that i)roduces health. 
 
 Girlhood is almost unknown. At the age of eight or 
 ten years the girl becomes quite dignified. She is no longer 
 Mary, or Jane, but Miss Smith, or Miss Brown. She is in- 
 troduced to visitors, not as a girl, but as a young lady. Her 
 restrained manners and self-conscious air seem to indicate 
 that the honor of the whole family is resting upon her. 
 From babyhood to womanhood is too great a transition. 
 Nothing can take the place of girlhood. It is a time when 
 there are but few cares. Life is then most sweet. Too 
 soon will girls become familiar with the cares of life. Let 
 
15 
 
 them be girls as Ions' as they can, and grow strong and beau- 
 tifnl. 
 
 Nothing- is more attractive to men than lioalth and 
 natural beauty. Whiie it is true that men do not admire 
 masculine women, ocitlier do they love excessive weaii- 
 ness. ^en do not marry a girl because she can talk 
 Inench, sing- Iiahan, and understand the mysteries of sci- 
 ence. It is a law of nature that men should be attracted 
 by strong-, healthy women. Mrs. Partington's advice to 
 lier son Ike, when she told him not to marry a girl from a 
 ladies' "Cemetery," means something. That training that 
 destroys the simplicity of a girl and ruins her health, un- 
 tits her for a life of usefulness. There is no education or 
 knowledge that is more important than good healtli. 
 
 Many object to this practical view of the subject. They 
 claim that education is for culture, that it is not for utility. 
 Which is the most ennobling view of the subject I Which 
 is in harmony with the teachings of nature ? How fool- 
 ish the man who builds a house upon an insecure founda- 
 tion, of imperfect material, and then embellishes it with 
 the most costly finish. It soon crumbles and decays, and 
 the costly ornaments attract attention only by contrast. 
 That IS building for show. The wise man first secures a 
 solid foundation, the walls are perfect, and the decora- 
 tians are in harmony with their surrounding.'^. The house 
 attracts attention on accountof the beauty and symmetry 
 ot the whole. That is building for usefulness and com- 
 fort. So it IS in life. Education for culture, too often 
 attracts attention only by its absurdicies. The first re- 
 quisite is a foundation n]>on which to build. Common 
 sense, a knowledge of the common branches and of the 
 duties of home life, is the foundation upon which the ed 
 
16 
 
 ucation of everj girl slionld rest. All culture and knowl- 
 edge uill then but add to her strength and usefulness. 
 If a girl does not have this practical knowledge, her edu- 
 cation for culture will oidy make her ridiculous. 
 
 Too many persons attempt to erect a lour-story budd- 
 ing upon a one-story foundation. Great pretentions al- 
 ways bring shame. No one has any use for the higher 
 studies until he is master of the common branches. Each 
 truth prepares the way for aiiother. There is no en<l to 
 knowledge. The finite ever reaches out toward the in- 
 finite. No knowledge is too good for a girl. Beginning 
 with what is most useful, and lollowing the natural order 
 of development, there is scarcely any limit to what she 
 may accomplish. Each new study she pursues adds to 
 her usetulness and pleasure. In such an education, util- 
 ity and culture go hand in hand. She will never be 
 brought to shame and confusion for she has built upon a 
 '.secure foundation. That may not be fashionable, but it 
 IS natural, and the result is a noble woman. 
 
 The divine command that, over eighteen hundred years 
 ago, fell from the lips of him that spake as never man 
 spake, is still ringing down through the ages, "Why stand 
 ye here all the day idle ? Go Korl; in my vineyard^ And 
 that same command comes with equal force to every child 
 born into the world. *'Go work in my vineyard." No 
 where in that matchless Book is any promise given to idle- 
 ness or sloth. The magnificent cities, the churches with 
 heaven-reaching spires, the institutions of charity that dot 
 the world, and the many enterprises that are civilizing and 
 Christianizing the uttermost parts of the earth, are all mon- 
 uments of honest toil. If you want to see the fruits of 
 idleness, go to the almshouse, and within the gilded pala- 
 
17 
 
 ces of sin. There you will see the sunken eyes, the hollow- 
 cheeks, the bloodless lips, and a form of matchless beauty all 
 disfigured by the indelible marks of sin. Ask these helpless 
 inmates the cause of their downfall and ruin, and from 
 their parched lips will come the reply, "Idleness, drifting— 
 
 aimless drifting." 
 
 There are many things that a girl can do. Any honest 
 
 employment is more ennobling than idleness. The profes- 
 sions are open to her, and there are many little duties in 
 every family that no servant can perform. There is always 
 something that can be done to make home pleasant. Wo- 
 men are succeeding everywhere. It has not been many 
 years since ladies were first employed to teach m the pub- 
 lic schools, and now they far out-number the men in that 
 profession. There are many opportunities for the young 
 girl who is thrown upon her own resources. What she 
 needs is a practical education and a willingness to work. 
 
 The world honors the man or woman who is not afiaid of 
 doing too much. Those who, by their own energy and 
 genius, achieve any great work, are not forgotten. Every. 
 deed of virtue bears fruit long after the doer is forgotten. 
 How much better to assist others than to do nothing. Many 
 persons who have become famous owe their success in the 
 world to the honest work of some one long since forgotten 
 How cheering the command, "Go work in my vineyard." 
 Not for self, but for humanity Y/e labor. 
 
 Honest employment is an anchor of safety to every 
 life. The Divine Master made no mistake when he taught 
 the lesson of industry. However prosperous a man may be, 
 he finds no pleasure in idleness. Man was so created that 
 he finds his greatest enjoyment in honest work. No one 
 can escape the eternal law of nature and the command of 
 
18 
 
 nature's God. "Go work in my vineyard." 
 
 But yet fashionable society has set at nauKht that com- 
 mand. The mother says: "Daught c-i.go rest in the parlor." 
 And so, day after day, week after week,'^year after year, the 
 spoiled child of fashion spends the refreshins; hours of 
 morning, and the pleasant evening time in idleness and day 
 dreaming. What is the natural result of such a system of 
 training? It is this dreaming, drifting, thoughtless living 
 that leads to ruin, and brings discord^and confusion into so 
 many homes. Labor is a safe-guard against temptation. 
 The Arabs have a proverb that "every man is tempted by 
 the devil except ajazy man and he tempts the devil." If a 
 girl has no employment she will build air castles 'and live 
 in an ideal world. When she marries, as she surely expects 
 to do, she is disappointed. She comes in contact with the 
 world as it is. She finds in her husband a man with the 
 faults and short-comings of humanity. He is not one of 
 the noble heroes of her ideal world. It is not strange that 
 in many cases love dies and happiness departs. It is then 
 that the diyorce court, with all its accompaning scandal, is 
 called in to rectify the defects of home training. Every 
 reader fully realizes that the illustration is not overdrawn. 
 
 To say nothing of a life of indolence, idleness in itself is 
 a sin. The man who received his one talent and buried 
 it in a napkin, was cast into outer darkness. He was not 
 punished for what he did but for what he did not do. The 
 command is "go work." Those who remain idle cannot hope 
 to be rewarded. But little was expected of the man to 
 whom only one talent was given, but he did not do even 
 what he could. There is an eternal warfare between right 
 and wrong. No man can be neutral. He who does not 
 contend for the right gives aid to the wrong. To each per- 
 
19 
 
 son there come opportunities of doing good. To do noth- 
 ing is to do evil. It is the utmost heaven can do to save a 
 lazy man. 
 
 Every n^other labors for the happiness of her daughters. 
 T3ut there can never be any true happiness in idleness. It 
 is not in the mansion of the wealthy, with its marble walls 
 and choicest works of art, that happiness most frequently 
 makes her abode. It is in the lowly cottage, with its vine 
 covered walls, and plain decorations, that peace and con- 
 tentment is most frequently found. The curse of idleness 
 too often abides in the palace, while the blessing of indus- 
 trv crowns the efforts of the lowly. How many there are 
 who would gladly exchange the hollow mockery of fashion- 
 able life, for good health, refreshing sleep, and the appetite 
 that relishes plain food. No one can violate the law? of 
 nature without paying the penalty. When a mother rears 
 her daughter in idleness, she unfits her for a life of useful- 
 ness, and the sin of the mother will be visited upon the 
 daughter. 
 
 In nearly every community there may be found one or 
 more young ladies who are much interested in foreign mis- 
 sions. They will talk about the benighted ignorance and 
 sufferings of the Hottentots of Africa, but these same ladies 
 will lounge in the parlor and never lift a hand to relieve 
 their mothers of any of the cares or burdens of life. All 
 honor to the noble women who are making sacrifices to 
 Christianize the world, but there are many who might well 
 learn the lesson that charity begins at home. An act of 
 kindness loses none of its virtue because it is performed for 
 a brother, sister or mother. The first duty of every one is 
 to make home, pleasant. 
 
 When a girl has been taught that labor is ignoble, she 
 
20 
 
 can no longer respect the working men of ihe world. How 
 many girls there are that scorn the man who works for his 
 living ! They will marry a man who is rich and can sap- 
 port them in idleness and Inxnry. If a man has money, he 
 can always find friends. Social rank receives more honor 
 than honest worth. It matters not, though a man may be 
 so corrupt that his every touch is polution, though he may 
 be a friend to every vice and a stranger to every virtue, yet 
 if he has money or social influence, he is admitted to the 
 parlors ot fashionable society. It has been only a few years 
 since the corrupt scion of one of the royal families of Eu- 
 rope was feted and feasted in New York and Boston. He 
 was received with open arms where an honest poor man 
 would have been cast out in disgrace. It mattered not, 
 though it was well-known how corrupt he was, yet mothers 
 introduced him to their daughters, and treated him with 
 the greatest honor, simply because he was of royal blood ! 
 In America we are all of the blood royal. Titled honors 
 can never make a virtue of vice. A life of strict integrity 
 brings its own reward. 
 
 It is far nobler to be than to seem. It is better to do 
 than to dream. People are not easily deceived. Those who 
 would appear noble to others must be noble. The greatest 
 good is done and most happiness secured by each individu- 
 al performing the duties God created him to perform. Not 
 a flower blooms in vain. All nature administers to the hap- 
 piness of man. 
 
 The nobility of labor has been sung by poets in all ages. 
 The most costly monuments have been erected in memory 
 of those who labored for the good of humanity. Nothing 
 adds more to the dignity of a man than honest work. The 
 ability to be something and to do something adds strength 
 
21 
 
 to any boy or girl. The first dollar earned is always most 
 highly prized. The gifts of friends can never be apprecia- 
 ted like the rewards of our own labor. Fortune never favors 
 the indolent and lazy. The best things always come to 
 those who are willing "to hoe their own row." No girl 
 should be satisfied with the idle flattery of friends. It is 
 indeed pleasant to be an ornament to society, but it is f^ir 
 better to be useful. 
 
 Ignorance is not the only cause of crime. Intemperance 
 is not responsible for the many convicts in our penitentia- 
 ries. Recent investigations have shown that there are many 
 college graduates, and many total abstainers among the 
 criminal classes. What then brougiit them there ? Idle- 
 ness, The person who is not self-supporting is never safe. 
 No one can tell what crimes he might commit to save a 
 friend from starvation. No one is fitted for life until he is 
 prepared to make his own living. Education, nnless it 
 makes a man more useful, does him but little good. The 
 world has but little charity. It expects each to bear his 
 own burden. It can no longer be considered an honor to be 
 ignorant of all labor. Nature's laws are unchangeable. No 
 one can live a live of indolence without feeling the curse of 
 idleness. Nature knows no distinction. The lady in the 
 palace and the outcast in the hovel alike must pay the pen- 
 alty of violated law. 
 
 Napoleon once said that the great need of France was 
 mothers. It was the lack of home training that made 
 France the scene of so many revolutions. The homes had 
 become corrupt. Vice had taken the place of virtue, and 
 licentiousness kn^w no law. Men were no longer brave, 
 nor were women, true. In America the Eevolution succeeded 
 because the maSs of the people were brave, honest, and true. 
 
Virtue was the guardian of every home, and the boys, as 
 they knelt at their niother's knee, were taught the lessons 
 of patriotism, and that allegiance to right could never be a 
 crime. Around the glowing hearth-stone they were inspired 
 with a love of home and of country. They knew no law but 
 right and acknowledged no king but God. When victory 
 was won the sword was sheathed. In the hour of triumph 
 they disregarded not the principles of right and truth. Hav- 
 ing become free, they returned to their homes and to indus- 
 trial pursuits. It was the home training that made America 
 free. All honor to the brave men who fought in that terri- 
 ble struggle. But forget not the mothers of the Revolution. 
 It was their instruction that made the men what they were. 
 Many a son who went forth to tight and die, carried with 
 him his mother's blessing, and was inspired in the fiercest 
 conflicts by her words of cheer and comfort. 
 
 In Fiince, the Kevolntion failed because the. people had 
 become intoxicated with victory and acknowledged no 
 law but reason. In that hour, when her best citizens 
 died to satisfy the unjust demands of an unreasoning 
 mob, and the streets of Paris ran red with blood, France 
 felt the need of home training. She had sown the wind 
 and was reaj)ing the whirlwind. She laughed at virtue, 
 but could not escai>e the results of vice. TheEevolutiou 
 in America succeeded because the homes were pure. The 
 Kevolution in France failed because the homes were cor- 
 rupt. 
 
 The history of the world teaches' the same lesson. No 
 nation can become great unless her homes are pure. The 
 home life determines the prosperity of all nations. Eome 
 fell not until vice and luxury had destroyed the purity 
 and the virtue of her homes. If the common people had 
 
23 
 
 not remained honest and brave long after their rnlers 
 bad become corrnpt, the Koman Empire vvonld never have 
 overshadowed the earth with her glory. The history of 
 Greece, and all other nations of antiquity, teach the same 
 lesson. When the homes are pure, the men will be brave 
 and the women true. Tlie dangers that threaten our 
 government are alarming to the extent that they destroy 
 the purity and the pleasures of our homes. Ignorance 
 and inten)perance are botli evils because they bring pov- 
 erty and contention into every home. But they are not 
 the greatest evils that threaten our government. Thr^re 
 is a more subtle influence of false training and false ideas 
 of life that is doing much to rob home of its pleasures. 
 Intemperance curses man^^ fair homes, but unpleasant 
 homes drive many men to drunkenness. He who would 
 destroy the household gods and laughs at the sanctity 
 of home is an enemy to his country. 
 
 The mother is the soul of home. Her character deter- 
 mines the influence of home lile upon others. Is it not 
 right, then, that every girl should receive that practical 
 training that will enable her to be the center of attrac- 
 tion ol some family circle? It is true that family cares 
 are often laughed at, and looked upon as something to be 
 avoided. Fashionable society condemns many things 
 that are right, and approves of many things that are 
 wrong. Women are most honored by their children. 
 The mothers of Washington, Wesley, and Garfleld, would 
 never have been known but for their illustrious sons. 
 Were home cares to women like these, irksome or degrad- 
 ing? Could they have done more for humanity in any 
 other work? Often, doubtless, they were tired an<l 
 weary, but yet how ennobling the work ! Each day they 
 
24 
 
 were training lor iiiimovtality. Too olteii motliers neg"- 
 leet their lioine duties and tbeir cliddreii rise u[) to curse 
 tlieni. Can tlie empty [)leasures of fasliionable society 
 atoue lor neglected duties ? Can anything; give more joy 
 to a motlier tlian the nobility of her sous and daughters t 
 
 But in many communities it is not fashionable lor a 
 mother to take care of her children. The nurse is 
 expected to do tliat. Many chddren pass througli the 
 l)erilous [)eriod of chiidliood without ever knowing a 
 mother's love or a mother's w'atchful care. At tl)e tiiue 
 when they are most easdy influenced, and the impres- 
 sions received are most lasting, they are turned over to 
 tlie servants, so that the mother may enjoy life. The 
 result ol such training must eveiitiially cause disappoint- 
 ment and grief. Ciiildren are no longer fasliionable. They 
 liave been banisiied from the jiarlors, and the di.sgustiuii' 
 ))()odle ilogs have taken tlieir pUices. The merry laugh- 
 ler of children,'svveeter than angels' songs, must not be 
 lieard in the home. Siiould a mother wheel her child in 
 the parks of New York she would be ostracised from st)- 
 (^iety, but she can take her favorite dog anywhere. Fre- 
 quently moie care is lavished upon tlie dogs than is given 
 to the children. 
 
 Each generation is supposed to become wiser than the 
 j>receeding one, but so<*ial customs do not always indicate 
 a higher state of civilization. What was right nineteen 
 ]uindre<l years ago ought not to be wrong now. When 
 upon earth, the Lord of heaven thought it no condescen- 
 sion to place his hand ui)on little C/liildren and bless them. 
 We have reason to believe He would do the same thing 
 to day. In all ilis teachings He upheld the sanctity of 
 the homes. He abode with jMary and Martha, healed 
 
25 
 
 tbe nobleman's daughter,raise(l the widow's son, attended 
 the marriage feast, and forgot not his mother when lifted 
 lip on Calvary. 
 
 Women are not responsible for all the sins and mis- 
 take* of life. But yet, to a ver^^ great extent, women 
 determine the character of men. With pure homes we 
 shall have brave men and true women. The children of 
 to-day will be the men and women of the future. While 
 the correct education of girls would not usher in 
 the millenium, yet it would remove many of the sociiil 
 sins that curse society. In would make the homes the 
 center of influence, and around the fire-side would be 
 taught the great moral lesson of life. 
 
 Those who speak of marriage ,and home life as the 
 enslavement of women, can find no objection to our 
 theory. Girls should be free to engage in any work 
 where they can be most successful. No one should limit 
 her opportunities for usetulness. She onght to be trained 
 so as to succeed at something. Her most cruel enslave- 
 ment is idleness. While all the vocations are open to 
 her, yet if she takes upon herself the holy name of wife 
 and mother, she ought to be prepared to discharge the 
 duties devolving upon her. 
 
 What other instruction does a girl need ? She has 
 received the physical training that makes her healthy 
 and strong, the intellectual culture that makes her wise, 
 and the practical knowledge that makes her useful. She 
 yet lacks the moral and religious training. She needs 
 that faith and courage that will uphold her in the darkest 
 hoars. Nothing but religion can give ^her this. Her 
 mind, has been trained to plan, her hands to execute, and 
 now her heart must feel. Without heart power, how cold 
 
26 
 
 and lifeless seems every A'ood work ! Tbose who would 
 move others must first be moved themselves. The 
 fifreatest men have ever been moral men. 
 
 The girl who receives religious instruction at her 
 mother's knee, wdl be saved from many trials. f here 
 are times when the paths ;of sin seem strewn with the 
 choicest flowers, while duty leads across the rugged rocks 
 and thorny ways. Vice seems as enchanting as the 
 music of a dream, while the votaries of virtue receive torn 
 hands and bleeding hearts. But yet, the reward of vir- 
 tue is life, and the wages of sin is death. Every straggle 
 but adds strength to the strong. But in such conflicts 
 nothing is so cheering as the religion of Christ. Only 
 the true are brave. The weak yield to sin. The disap- 
 pointments in life may be the means of developing the 
 noblest traits of character. Those who never sufter can 
 never sympathize with others. 
 
 Beauty of character is more attractive than beauty of 
 countenance. Virtue is ^divine and adds a charm to 
 every face. Intellectual attainments may make a girl 
 vain and proud ; religion makes her modest and kind. 
 Eeligion adorns the character of any person. To be 
 gentle, and considerate of the feelings of others is a part 
 ofawoman^s nature. Created with finer sensibilities, 
 arid a keener appreciation of beauty in nature and char- 
 acter than man, she should elevate and purify everything 
 with which she comes in contact. Nothing attracts more 
 attention than a rude boisterous woman. Her surround- 
 ings are not in harmony- with her better nature. 
 
 A woman is better by nature than man. She is nat 
 urally a creature of devotion; man of ambition. Occu- 
 pying a higher plane, when she falls she falls to a lower 
 
27 
 
 depth of (legredation and crime. The most pitable sight 
 is a fallen woman. Society never forgets, — never par- 
 dons, and when a woman falls she turns her l)ack upon 
 honor and virtue, and pUmges into sin that she may not 
 hear the warning voice of her conscience and of her better 
 nature. Sin is lilve a whirlpool. Those who laugh at the 
 slow €ircli?]g eddies are linally swallowed up m the awful 
 vortex. Not until too late do many realize the growing 
 power of crime. Too olten, to look upon sin is to yield 
 to its enticing influence. 
 
 There is no safety except in the right. Sin is polutioo. 
 Vice can never l)e made a virtue, it matters not by what 
 name it may be called. The first misdemeanor leads to 
 the transgression of law, and violation oflaw is moral 
 death. Fo one can commit sin without paying the pen- 
 alty. Girls like to have a good time. Some flirt and 
 laugh and talk with every man they meet. They mean 
 no harm, but it is dangerous. All questionable amuse- 
 ments should be avoided. Every mean act carries a kin- 
 dred one. When a giii no longer tells her mother of her 
 hopes and fears, ehe is not far from ruin. Many mis- 
 takes might be avoided by her wise counsel. A girl 
 never gets too old to have any secrets that she cannot 
 tell her mother. 
 
 Every deviation from the path of rectitude and right 
 must be retraced. He who commits a crime must atone 
 ior the wrong he nas done. That is the teaching of nature 
 and of nature's God. Truth alone is immortal. It may 
 not always be popular, but it is safe to be on the side of 
 truth and right. Sin in high places is seldom denounced 
 Social rank and financial influence atones for many sins 
 In the eves of the world. 
 
28 
 
 The glory of to-day is to be a woman. The biiglitCw^t 
 pages ot'tlie history of the past will be excelled by the 
 brilliant achievements of the lutnre. ^o age has expected 
 so much of woman as the present. Never before has she 
 attracted so mnch attention or received more honor. But 
 all this is only a prophecy of what the future yet may 
 be. With all the bright hopes there are also many 
 dangers. Kevolutions frequently go to extremes. Among 
 the mauy vocations now open to woman, there is danger 
 that she will forget those other duties that add so much 
 to her worth and loveliness. Woman's greatest duty is 
 to herself and her family. 
 
 Soon we shall be in the midst of an exciting political 
 campaign. Eloquent speeches will portray, in burning 
 language, how the mass of the people have been burdened 
 by an oppressive protective tarift". Others no less elo- 
 quent will speak in glowing terms of the prosperity of 
 the country, and warn the people against any change in 
 the protective duties upon foreign goods. All will ac- 
 knowledge that the question is an important one and 
 should concern every citizen of our country. But after 
 all, the government will live with a juotective tariif, or 
 with a tarifl' for revenue only. That is not the most 
 important question that concerns the American i)eople. 
 Whoev'er may be President, the country will prosper, but 
 without pure homes no nation can ever become great. 
 How to maintain the purity and happiness of home lite is 
 the question of first importance. That is woman's allot- 
 ted work. In no other vocation can she do so much for 
 her country. Her influence determines the character of 
 men. It may be truthlully said that the men of any 
 community are just what the women want them to be. 
 
29 
 
 It is in the family circle and in society that woman 
 exerts her greatest influence. In this age, when tiie 
 daily papers are filled with the records of crime and the 
 disgusting' details of the divorce court, it would be well 
 to look carefully at the home life of the people. Crime 
 is becoming more common each year. No law can pre- 
 vent evil. The great army of criminals receives its 
 recruits from the streets and from lunpleasant homes. 
 It is better to save the children than to punish them as 
 criminals. Better to make the homes pure than to com- 
 plain about the natural results of the lack of home train- 
 ing. Il^ine-tenths of the woe and sin and misery in the 
 world might be avoided by the correct education and 
 home training of the girls. Instead of discord and con- 
 fusion, there would be peace and harmony. Instead of 
 the long list of misdemeanors that now till the secular 
 papers, there would be the record of many a deed of kind- 
 ness. Instead of the notoriety of crime, there would be 
 the pleasure of virtue. 
 
 In conclusion then, girls should receive, 
 
 1. That physical training that makes them strong and 
 healthy. That is the first duty of life. Without good 
 health no person can do much lor himself or for others. 
 The loss of health renders success in life impossible, and 
 makes failure doubly bitter. 
 
 2. They should receive that intellectual training that 
 gives them a knowledge of the common school branches, 
 and such other subjects as will fit them for some special 
 work in life. Her intellectual attainments should be 
 limited only by time and circumstances. No knowledge 
 is too good for a girl. The more she knows the more 
 successful she will be in life. It would be well if every 
 
30 
 
 girl could receive a practical collegriate education. A 
 knowledge of the fine artf* and music adds much to ber 
 happiness and usef'nlness in the world. 
 
 3. The.v slionhl receive that practical knowledge of 
 home cares and home duties that will prepare them to 
 make some man a good wile, and to be the attraction of 
 some family circle. !Xot that every woman should be her 
 own servant, but that every woman should be the mis- 
 tress of her own house. 
 
 4. They should receive that moral and religious in- 
 struction that makes a life of virtue in a lowl^^ cottage 
 more attractive than a life of sin in the fashionable pal- 
 acV. It is this instruction that will enablt* her to resist 
 temptation, and to assist the weak. She will rely not 
 only upon her own strength, but upon the Almighty Arm 
 that upholds the world. 
 
 The result of this system of education will be the true 
 woman, the great object of all instruction. She will have 
 a constitution that will resist di.<ease and be capable of 
 enduring fatigue. She will have that knowledge and 
 culture that will enable her to take the lead in society or 
 to grace the parlor. She will have that knowledge and 
 skilf of every day life that will make home indeed the 
 sweetest spot on earth. She will have that pure and 
 religious character that will make her a safe guide for 
 ciiildren, and a wise counselor for the weary and de- 
 spondent. 
 
 What can be more noble than such a character f How 
 much better to educate for life, for immortality, than to 
 strive after that superficial culture that attracts atten- 
 tion only lor a season. They do not degrade education 
 who would make it practical rather than ornamental. 
 
31 
 
 They see within the human heart a little spark of divin- 
 ity that only needs to be developed to become one of the 
 brightest angels of heaven. All instruction and training- 
 tends to make the individual more useful in life, and bet- 
 ter prepared for an endless existence beyond the grave. 
 The true education recognizes the divinity in man, and 
 the possibilities of human achievements. 
 
 After all, is not the soul the greater part of man f 
 Wealth and honor soon pass away, but the empire of 
 truth endures forvever. But few names are recorded 
 upon the pages ot history or inscribed upon the scroll of 
 fame. He who is honored to-day may be a lonely exile 
 to-moirow. Better to be forgotten ihau to be remembered 
 only by the wrongs of the poor and disconsolate. It is easy 
 to win admiration. Every beauty receives the homage of a 
 delighted populace. But is that the end ot life If VV^ould 
 it not be nobler to care ibr the weary than to strive for 
 the unthinking applause of the moment!? 
 
 The highest ambition a girl can have is to be a 
 woman, — noble and true. To live for show may be pleas- 
 ant, but it is always dangerous. No person has a right 
 to disregard the welfare of others. Those to whom oppor- 
 tunities of doing good are given, cannot be guiltless if 
 they do not do the best they can. Woman is destined to 
 take the lead in many a noble work. Her mission in the 
 world is to lift up fallen man. No deed of virtue is im- 
 possible to her. The weary, the sick and the broken 
 hearted, all look to her for consolation and })eace. Child- 
 hood, youth and old age, all acknowledge her as the 
 guardian angel of life. It is her high privilege to be 
 remembered by her deeds of kindness and charity. The 
 heart that has become hardened by sin can be softened 
 
32 
 
 by the smile of an innoceutgirK The homeless wanderer 
 may be saved by the tender memories] of his mother's 
 voice. No one has fallen so low as not to be reached by 
 the gentle intinence of a woman's life. But yet, how 
 many disrep:ard the noble heritage! Instead of a life 
 devoted to the welfare of others, they live for the fleeting 
 pleasures of youth. They throw aside the crown, more 
 resplendent than the glittering coronet that decks the 
 brow ot an oriental princess, and eagerly grasp the fad 
 ing wreath of flattery and fashion. Nothinir so adoruesf 
 the character of a woman as life ol strict integrity. 
 Kindness and virtue are among the priceless jewels that 
 all may possess. It is this that makes life worth living, 
 and tits the soul for an •' eternal tenantry in God's 
 boundless Universe." 
 
 THE END. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 019 646 440 2 
 
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