The female instructor, or Young woman's companion : being a guide to all the accomplishments which adorn the female character, either as a useful member of society - a pleasing and instructive companion, or a respectable mother of a family. With many pleasing examples of illustrious females. To which are added, useful medicinal receipts, and a concise system of cookery, with other valuable information in the different branches of domestic economy.

Date:
[1812]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The female instructor, or Young woman's companion : being a guide to all the accomplishments which adorn the female character, either as a useful member of society - a pleasing and instructive companion, or a respectable mother of a family. With many pleasing examples of illustrious females. To which are added, useful medicinal receipts, and a concise system of cookery, with other valuable information in the different branches of domestic economy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    fool; and perhaps also it is a silly shame renders his folly in- curable. If fools have ulcers, and their pride conceal ’em; They must have ulceis still, for none can heal ’em. XV. Be not too forward, especially in the younger part of life, to determine any question in company with an infallible and pe- remptory sentence, nor speak with assuming airs, and with a deci- sive tone of voice. A young man in the presence of his elders should rather hear and attend, and weigh the arguments which are brought for the proof or refutation of any doubtful proposition : and when it is your turn to speak, propose your thoughts rather in a way of inquiry. By this means your mind will be kept in a titter temper to receive truth, and you will be more ready to correct and improve your own sentiments, where you have not been too posi- tive in affirming them. But if you have magisterially decided the point, you will find a secret unwillingness to retract, though you should feel an inward conviction that you are in the wrong. XVI. It is granted, indeed, that a season may happen, when some bold pretender to science may assume haughty and positive airs to assert and vindicate a gross and dangerous error, or to re- nounce and vilify some very important truth; and if he has a po- pular talent of talking, and there be no remonstrance made against him, the company may be tempted too easily to give their assent to the impudence and infallibility of the presumer. They may ima- gine a proposition so much vilified can never be true, and that a doctrine which is so boldly censured and renounced can never be defended. Weak minds are too ready to persuade themselves, that a man would never talk with so much assurance unless he were cer- tainly in the right, and could w'ell maintain and prove what he said. By this means truth itself is in danger of being betrayed or lost, if there be no opposition made to such a pretending talker. Now, in such a case, even a wise and a modest man may assume airs too, and repel insolence with its own weapons. There is a time, as Solomon the w isest of men teaches us, w hen a fool should be answered according to his follv, lest he be w ise in his own con- ceit, and lest others too easily yield up their faith and reason to Ins imperious dictates. Courage and positivity are never more neces- sary than on such an occasion. But it is good to join some argu- ment with them of real and convincing force, afcd let it be strongly pronounced too. ,; . When such a resistance is made, you shall find some of these bold talkers will draw in their horns, when their ijerce and feeble pushes against truth and reason are repelled wdln pushing and confidence. It is pity indeed that truth should ever>m'ed such sort of defences ; but wre know that a triumphant assqi'&ice has some- times supported gross falsehoods, and a whole company have been captivated to error by this means, till some man'yyith equal assu-