The Wives Of England Their Social Duties And Domestic Habits

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1843 edition. Excerpt: ... the art of conversation for the sake of increasing her usefulness, of consoling the distressed, of instructing the ignorant, and of beguiling of half their heaviness the necessary cares of life. f CHAPTER VII. DOMESTIC HABITS, CONSIDERATION AND KINDNESS. On entering upon the subject of the domestic habits of the women of England, I feel the necessity of bearing in mind that all individuals in the middle class of society, and even all who are connected with trade, are by no means under the same obligation to regard their own personal exertions as a duty. So far from this, there are unquestionably many in this class who would be entirely out of their province, were they to engage in the manual occupations of their families and households. The possession of wealth has placed them, in these respects, on the same footing with the nobility, and they have, without doubt, an equal right to enjoy the luxuries which wealth can procure. I am, however, no less convinced that the absence of all necessity for personal exertion is a disadvantage to them, and that their happiness would be increased, if their situations in life were such as to present more imperative claims upon their individual services. The virtue of considerateness refers strictly to the characters and circumstances of those around us. From the mistress of half a dozen servants, therefore, the same kind of consideration can never be required, as from the mistress of one: nor can the lady of a mansion, even though her husband should be engaged in trade, feel herself called to the same duties as the farmer's wife. The considerateness I shall attempt to define is one of the highest recommendations the female character can possess; because it combines an habitual examination of our own...

Published in 1839, an influential contribution to the debate on middle-class women's education, role and status in life.