in the capital, where she enjoyed every possible advantage. She attended the most accomplished masters in the ornamental branches of science; visited the genteelest families, and frequented all the scenes of amusement. It is true, her letters are not always written quite so accurately as could be wished; yet she dances well, plays well on the piano-forte, and sings like a nightingale.

Precep. Does she know the art of making a good pudding? Can she darn a stocking well? or is she capable of patching the elbows of her husband's coat, should she ever be so lucky as to get one? If she is to remain ignorant of all such domestic employments, as much as I value her other accomplishments, and as much as I might be in want of a wife, I would not marry her with twice her weight in gold.

Par. Her accomplishments will command her a husband as soon as she wishes. But so long as a single cent of my property remains, her delicate hands shall never be so unworthily employed.

Precep. But suppose a reverse of fortune should overtake you, what is to become of the child; as you say she understands nothing of domestic affairs? Will it be more honorable, do you imagine, for her to be maintained by the charity of the people, than by her own industry?

Par. There are many ways for her to be supported. I would not have you think she is wholly ignorant of the use of the needle, though she never employed it in so disgraceful a manner as that of darning stockings! or botching tattered garments! But we will wave that subject, and attend to the other. Will you receive the boy for the purposes before mentioned?

Precep. Why, indeed, Sir, I cannot. Though I am far from condemning altogether your favourite branches, yet I consider them all as subordinate, and some of them, at least, totally useless. We devote but a small portion of our time to the attainment of such superficial accomplishments. I would therefore recom

mend

mend it to you, to commit him to the care of those persons, who have been so successful in the instruction of his sister.

Par. I confess I am so far convinced of the propriety of your method, that, if you will admit him into your Academy, I will renounce all right of dictating to you his lessons of instruction, except in one single instance; and in that I am persuaded we shall not disa gree; I mean the art of speaking.

Precep. I shall agree to that only under certain limitations. That is an art which undoubtedly demands our solicitous attention; but it ought never to be pursued to the injury of other studies. I am sensible that it is no less useful to a pupil than entertaining to an audience, to exercise him occasionally on the stage in declaiming judicious and well-written compositions, and pronouncing such selected dialogues, as will tend to give gracefulness to his attitude, and familiarity to his tones and gestures. But, admitting that time could be spared from more important pursuits, I see but little good resulting from the exhibition of whole comedies and tragedies in our academies and schools; while much evil is to be feared, both from the immorality of the plays, and the dissipation it introduces into society. Besides, all boys are not calculated for orators; and though Demosthenes surmounted almost insuperable difficulties in the acquirement of his art, it is folly to suppose that his example is capable of universal imitation. I cannot believe it a very pleasing entertainment to a discerning audience, to see a boy without talents, mounted upon the rostrum, spouting forth sentences which he does not understand, and which, perhaps, are chosen with as little judgment as they are delivered with propriety. But what can be more disgusting than to see innocent, and timid females, whose excellence, in part, consists in their modesty, and silence before superiours, encouraged to reverse the order of nature, by plaving the orator on a public stage! And what often enhances our disgust, and sickens all our

feelings, is, that their lips are taught to pronounce sentiments, extracted from the very dregs of the Euro pean drama.

Par. Then it seems you do not approve of females speaking at all?

Precep. Not on a public stage, unless I wished to see them divested of half their charms. Such masculine employments as ill become them, as the labours of the field, or the habits of the stronger sex. I would have them taught to read and pronounce well at school; but nature never designed them or public orators; much less, that they should be degraded to the vile purpose of entertaining the votaries of theatrical amuse

ments.

Par. Why, you differ widely from many, whose pride is to be considered as the standards of modern aste. It does not now offend against the rules of delicacy, for the different sexes to make exchange of garments now and then, provided the grand object of amusement be promoted by it. I was in Boston last week, and there I saw a beautiful young lady, rigged out from top to toe in men's apparel, astride a gay horse, parading through the streets, for the entertain ment of the ladies and gentlemen of that polite metropolis. And none appeared to be offended, except a few who had not attained a relish for refined pleasures.

Precep. Yes, and I am told, that, at their theatres, it is no uncommon thing for a woman to make her appearance, in that apparel, with a sword by her side, strutting across the stage, and swearing oaths big enough to choke an Algerine pirate; and yet it is so agreeable to the modern ton, that even ladies of distinguished refinement are ashamed to blush at her!

Par. You have made me so far à convert to your sentiments on this subject, and given me such proofs of your superiour judgment in the education of youth, that I am determined to commit my son, without any reserve, to your care and instruction. Till you hear from me again, I am, Sir, your obedient servant.

THE

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, DEMONSTRATED FROM THE WORKS OF CREATION; BEING A SERMON PREACHED AT PROVIDENCE, BY JONATHAN MAXCY, A. M. PRESIDENT OF RHODE-ISLAND COLLEGE, 1795, FROM ROMANS i. 20.

[N. B. When found expedient, the following Sermon may conveniently be divided into three or four parts, suitable for declamations. The author of this work did not intend a. first to insert the whole; but, in attempting to make a selec tion, he could find no part which he was willing to leave.] NOTHING will more effectually guard us against

vice, than a firm belief in the existence of God. For surely if we realize that there is such a Being, we shall naturally infer from his perfections, from the nature of his moral government, and from our situation as rational creatures, that we are amenable at his awful tribunal. Superior power, wisdom, and goodness. always lay us under restraint, and command our veneration. These, even in a mortal, overawe us. They restrain not only the actions, but the words and thoughts of the most vicious and abandoned. Our happiness de pends on our virtue. Our virtue depends on the conformity of our hearts and conduct to the laws prescri bed us by our beneficent Creator.

Of what vast importance then is it to our present as well as future felicity, to possess in our hearts a feeling sense, and in our understanding a clear conviction, of the existence of that Being whose power and goodness are unbounded, whose presence fills immensity, and whose wisdom, like a torrent of lightning, emanates through all the dark recesses of eternal duration! How great must be the effect of a sense of the presence of the great Creator and Governor of all things, to whom belong the attributes, eternity, independency, perfect holiness, inflexible justice, and inviolable veracity; com plete happiness and glorious majesty; supreme right and unbounded dominion!

A sense

A sense of accountability to God will retard the eager pursuit of vice; it will humble the heart of the proud, it will bridle the tongue of the profane, and snatch the knife from the hand of the assassin. A belief of the existence of God is the true original source of all virtue, and the only foundation of all religion, natural or revealed. Set aside this great luminous truth, erase the conviction of it from the heart, you then place virtue and vice on the same level; you drive afflicted innocence into despair; you add new effrontery to the marred visage of guilt; you plant thorns in the path, and shed an impenetrable gloom over the prospects of the righteous.

Sin has alienated the affections, and diverted the attention of men from the great Jehovah. "Darkness has covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." Men have worshipped the works of their own hands. and neglected the true God, though his existence and perfections were stamped in glaring characters on all· creation. From the regularity, order, beauty, and conservation of this great system of things, of which man makes a part; from the uniform tendency of all its divisions to their proper ends, the existence of God shines as clearly as the sun in the heavens. "From the things that are made," says the text, 66 are seen his eternal power and Godhead."

1. Man himself is a proof of God's existence. Let us place him before us in his full stature. We are at once impressed with the beautiful organization of his body, with the orderly and harmonious arrangement of his members. Such is the disposition of these, that their motion is the most easy, graceful, and useful, that can be conceived. We are astonished to see the same simple matter diversified into so many different substances, of different qualities, size, and figure. If we pursue our researches through the internal economy, we shall find, that all the different opposite parts correspond to each other with the utmost exactness and order; that they all answer the most beneficent purposes.