can get in learning to guide yourselves aright, in making the most of this life, and preparing yourselves for the enjoyment of a higher and better.

Those who are blessed with well-educated, judicious, and experienced mothers, and have been brought up in habits of intimate communion with them, have within their reach the best aid, and need only to be urged to mistrust their own inexperience, and seek frequent counsel from that tenderest of friends, a wise mother. But there is a numerous class who, either by bereavement or estrangement, are without this maternal aid, and there are others whose mothers are incompetent to the task; both these would gladly take counsel even of a stranger, if she came in the spirit of love and sympathy to offer them the fruits of her experience, and showed them, by her knowledge of their wants, that she had some claim to their confidence.

It is as this friendly stranger, that I propose giving a few hints on the various topics connected with the character of a young woman just entering upon life. I beg my young readers to consider the following chapters as the familiar talk of a friend, who has passed through the scenes she describes, and is still young enough to remember how she felt at their age; of one, who views the true self-discipline she recommends as added means of enjoyment, and, so far from wishing to abridge the pleasures and privileges of the young, is only desirous of showing them how they may use without abusing them, and so prolong the happiness of their early days.

As I do not wish to address any one class in particular, I shall notice the errors to which all are liable; and if the town-bred lady finds some advice which does not apply to her situation, she must pass it by and turn to something that does; whilst the belle of a country village must appropriate those hints that suit her condition in life, and not wonder if some tempta

RELIGION THE FOUNDATION OF EXCELLENCE.

7

tions are mentioned from which she is happily exempt, and some rules given which are inapplicable to her mode of life.

And now let me premise, that I write for those in whom the moral sense has been developed with the intellectual faculties, for those who feel and acknowledge the duties which grow out of their relation to God and their immortal destiny; for if I did not take this for granted, I should make the present work a series of homilies, or a book of extracts from all that has been so ably written to urge young people to "seek first the kingdom of God." Fully persuaded as I am, that there is no other foundation for happiness in every stage of existence than that which Jesus Christ has laid, no means of turning this life to its best account, but by making a conscience of all our ways, and no improvement worth pursuing, but that which educates the soul for eternity, all my hints and instructions must be based upon Christian principles; though it is impossible to combine, in this small volume, the advice which belongs to the teaching of religion with that which concerns the minor morals of life. Enough has been said and written, and is continually offered to the consideration of the young, to convince them of those great truths which lie at the foundation of their happiness in time and eternity: it is the purpose of this little work to enter into details, which cannot be found in the longer and graver treatises on religion and morals; to point out the means of acquiring those lesser graces of character and manners, which adorn and set forth to the best advantage the more solid qualities, and which, though of little value unless they spring from that love to God and man which is the root of Christian virtue, are not always found growing by its side.

Many who are really conscientious, and desire to carry their religion into every thing they do or say, are

ignorant of the thousand ways in which they may either please or offend, and thus unconsciously annoy their best friends, and leave undone what would gratify them.

How it would startle many an amiable and welleducated girl to be thus addressed by an experienced friend: "You are in the daily habit of doing things, which shock my taste, infringe upon my rights, cause me continual personal inconvenience, remind me unnecessarily of the infirmities of your body, make you appear selfish where you least intend to be so, coarse where you would fain be refined, noisy where you might be gentle, an incumbrance where you might be an acquisition." Yet this might be said with truth to half the misses in their teens, who little know how much they are indebted to the patience and goodhumour of their elders for tolerating them in their awkwardness and ignorance; but, if their faults were once pointed out to them, they would see them in their true light, and avoid them for ever afterwards.

Those who are most annoyed by the faulty manners of the young, cannot always point out to them the little details in which they are defective; they condemn their conduct in general terms, without attempting to analyze it, or to help them to correct it. To supply this deficiency in the friends of the young, and to stand in the place of friends to those who have none, is the purpose for which the following pages are written. By entering into the most minute details of every-day life, I would hold up to view those little particulars of conduct which, though trifling in themselves, go to make up an agreeable or disagreeable whole; I would show the numerous ways in which thoughtlessness of the rights of others leads to their violation.

VALUABLE RULE.-EARLY RISING.-A CONTRAST.-PICTURE OF EARLY RISING.-EFFECT OF HEAT AND COLD ON INDUSTRY.-EXCESSIVE NICETY.-VALUE OF A DAY. -THINKING AND SEWING.-ENERGY OF PURPOSE.ATTENTION.-LORD CHESTERFIELD.

How are very young persons to be convinced of the value of time, when to them a year seems almost endless, and a pleasure that is deferred for a month seems too far off for happy anticipation? A year appears very long to the young, because it bears so large a proportion to the whole period they have lived; as we advance, this proportion becomes less and less, till, in old age, a year seems no longer than a month did in childhood. Abundant as time seems to the young, we constantly hear them excuse themselves for some duty omitted, by saying they had not time to do it, which should convince them they have no more of this precious gift than they require, and that there is some defect in their management of it, or they would not sometimes be wishing to accelerate the flight of a day, and at other times omit a duty for want of an hour in which to perform it.

There are a few plain questions, which, if honestly answered, might serve to convince any young lady, that, however long a year may seem to her in prospect, the proper use of each day would make it appear short. Let her ask herself, if her own clothes are in complete order, if there are no buttons or strings off, no gloves or stockings that need to be mended, none of those numberless stitches to be set, which every young

woman should do for herself, and the necessity for which is of perpetual recurrence. Let her consider, whether there are not many books that she has been advised to read, but which she has not yet found time to begin; whether she has not letters to answer, accounts to settle, papers to arrange, commissions to execute for absent friends, visits to make, kind offices to perform, which have all been deferred for want of time; and then let her judge, whether the days and weeks are too long for the duties which ought to be performed in them, and whether her use of the days that are gone has been the best possible.

Much of a woman's time is necessarily consumed by the every-day business of life. The proper care of her own person and clothing demands much more time than that of the other sex. Some household duties fall to the share of almost all young women, and claim a portion of each day; and, without a wise distribution of her time, and a strict adherence to her plan of life, she is in danger of having her intellectual and spiritual improvement continually sacrificed to the lesser interests of clothing and feeding the body. To prevent this, it is desirable that you should take into serious consideration the plan of life which best suits your age and circumstances, decide upon what ought to constitute your daily round of occupations, and allot to each its fitting time. By having regular hours for the different employments of the day, you will avoid the great waste of time which is occasioned by uncertainty as to what you shall do next. Having made a general distribution of your time and occupations for the day, provide for unavoidable interruptions and delays, by having a book of easy reading to fill up odd minutes, and a piece of needle-work always at hand to employ your fingers upon, when listening to others, or when your mind is so preoccupied that you cannot give it to a book.