l-mistress and governess was still fresh in her
memory. As she explains in her Preface, her object was to make up in some
measure for the defective education or moral training which, as a rule,
children in those days received from their parents.

"Good habits," she writes, "are infinitely preferable to the
precepts of reason; but as this task requires more judgment than
generally falls to the lot of parents, substitutes must be sought
for, and medicines given, when regimen would have answered the
purpose much better.

"... To wish that parents would, themselves, mould the ductile
passions is a chimerical wish, as the present generation have their
own passions to combat with, and fastidious pleasures to pursue,
neglecting those nature points out. We must then pour premature
knowledge into the succeeding one; and, teaching virtue, explain
the nature of vice."

In addressing a youthful audience, Mary was as deeply inspired by her
love of goodness _per se_, and her detestation of conventional
conceptions of virtue, as she was afterwards in appealing to older
readers. She represents, in her book, two little girls, aged respectively
twelve and fourteen, who have been sadly neglected during their early
years, but who, fortunately, have at this period fallen under the care of
a Mrs. Mason, who at once undertakes to form their character and train
their intellect. This good lady, in whose name Mary sermonizes, seizes
upon every event of the day to teach her charges a moral lesson. The
defects she attacks are those most common to childhood. Cruelty to
animals, peevishness, lying, greediness, indolence, procrastination, are
in turn censured, and their opposite virtues praised. Some of the
definitions of the qualities commended are excellent. For example, Mrs.
Mason says to the two children:--

"Do you know the meaning of the word goodness? I see you are
unwilling to answer. I will tell you. It is, first, to avoid
hurting anything; and then to contrive to give as much pleasure as
you can."

Again, she warns them thus:--

"Remember that idleness must always be intolerable, as it is the
most irksome consciousness of existence."

This latter definition is a little above the comprehension of children of
twelve and fourteen. But then Mary is careful to explain in the Preface
that she writes to assist teachers. She wishes to give them hints which