be, to have nothing to eat, in a farmer's or
mechanic's house, that the mistress did not know how to prepare and to
cook; no pudding, tart, pie or cake, that she did not know how to make.
Never fear the toil to her: exercise is good for health; and without
health there is no beauty. Besides, what is the labor in such a case?
And how many thousands of ladies, who idle away the day, would give
half their fortunes for that sound sleep which the stirring housewife
seldom fails to enjoy.

Yet, if a young farmer or mechanic _marry_ a girl, who has been brought
up only to '_play music_;' to _draw_, to _sing_, to waste paper, pen
and ink in writing long and half romantic letters, and to see shows,
and plays, and read novels;--if a young man do marry such an
unfortunate young creature, let him bear the consequences with temper.
Let him be _just_. Justice will teach him to treat her with great
indulgence; to endeavor to persuade her to learn her business as a
wife; to be patient with her; to reflect that he has taken her, being
apprized of her inability; to bear in mind, that he was, or seemed to
be, pleased with her showy and useless acquirements; and that, when the
gratification of his passion has been accomplished, he is unjust, and
cruel, and unmanly, if he turn round upon her, and accuse her of a want
of that knowledge, which he well knew, beforehand, she did not possess.

For my part, I do not know, nor can I form an idea of, a more
unfortunate being than a girl with a mere boarding school education,
and without a fortune to enable her to keep domestics, when married. Of
what _use_ are _her_ accomplishments? Of what use her music, her
drawing, and her romantic epistles? If she should chance to possess a
sweet disposition, and good nature, the first faint cry of her first
babe drives all the tunes and all the landscapes, and all the imaginary
beings out of her head for ever.

The farmer or the tradesman's wife has to _help earn_ a provision for
her children; or, at the least, to help to earn a store for sickness or
old age. She ought, therefore, to be qualified to begin, at once, to
assist her husband in his earnings. The way in which she can most
efficiently assist, is by taking care of his property; by expending his
money to the greatest advantage; by wasting nothing, but by making the
table sufficiently abundant with the least expense.

But how is she to do these things, unless she has been _brought up_ to
understand