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The education of youth has ever been confidered by all civilized nations as an object of the higheft confequence. But, while they have paid flattering attention to the firength, they have doubtlefs too much neglected the beauty and or

nament of creation.

3. Too long has the pride of man fuffered female genius, like the unpolifhed diamond, to lie buried in its native rubbifh. A few, of every age, have broken over all restraint, and fhone, as it were, with their own native light, evincive of the genius of their fex.

4. The illuftrious women, both of ancient and of modern days, will ever fill a diftinguished page in hiftory. The names of MACAULAY, ROWE, MOORE, CHAPONE, and others, will live as long as time fhall laft.

5. And how pleafing is the thought, that here on this western shore, we can justly boast of a WARREN, a MORTON, an ADAMS, with many others; whofe talents and virtues ornament their fex, and excite emulation.

6. Happily for the fair daughters of America, the thick mifts of fuperftition and bigotry are vanishing away; and the fun of fcience begins to beam upon our land, and to irradiate the female mind.

7. Let infant choirs, compofed of male and female voices, join in praife of our political fathers, and all patrons of fcience. They have, doubtlefs, reflected on the vaft importance of female education to a rifing country.

8. They have confidered how much the fons and daughters of every age are indebted to their mothers for the feeds of virtue and knowledge; that schools and colleges can but cultivate and mature the plants, which owe their origin to the feeds fown in infancy; that from maternal hips, our first accents are formed; and, that from them, our words, our actions, nay, our every thought proceeds.

9. What an argument this, that they fhould well be taught, from whom our virtues are, and from whom our vices may be derived! And may we not indulge an honeft pride, that this metropolis has been one of the foremost in exertions to promote female improvement?

10. While the fons of our citizens are cultivating their minds, and preparing them for the arduous, important, and manly employments which America offers to the industrious,

their daughters are gaining that knowledge, which will enable them to become amiable fifters, virtuous children; and, in the event, to affume characters, more interefting to the public, and more endearing to themfelves than both.

11. How tranfporting are the profpects of America! With what justice can it challenge the reality of that prophetic eulogy! "Bleffed is that nation, whofe fons and daughters are trained to virtue, honor, and usefulness; whofe fchools are as broad rivers and ftreams. Yea, bleffed is that people, whofe daughters wear the robes of innocence, and whofe young Elifbas rife up in fucceffion, and wear with. dignity the mantles of their departed Elijahs."

12. If parents wish to guard their children against an undue attention to external ornaments, against extravagance in drefs and gaudy equipage, what better expedient will they find, than to replenish their minds with fuch a fund of ufeful knowledge, as fhall enable them fuitably to contemn all worthlefs things; to difcern where real merit lies, and what conftitutes the dignity of their fex?

13. Then they will not eafily be captivated with glittering trappings, trifling toys, and tasteless amusements, but extend their views to more noble objects. What greater barrier against vice of every kind than useful knowledge?

14. Is it not a melancholy truth, that man too often prostitutes his boafted faculties to the deftruction of female happiness? How neceffary then to fortify their minds against the attacks of fuch vile feducers? Blemishes in female characters feldom are effaced. Not fo with man. He tarnishes his name, and brightens it again.

15. But if woman chance to swerve from the strictest rules of virtue,

"Ruin enfues, reproach and endless fhame,
And one falfe step forever blasts her fame.
In vain, with tears, the lofs fhe may deplore,
In vain look back to what fhe was before,

She fets, like ftars that fall, to rife no more."

16. Let other nations boast a fuperiority in the productions of fruits and flowers: "Man is the nobler growth our realms fupply!" And, happily, we do not limit merit or knowledge to either fex. Both, we confider, as the natural growth of the human mind; and fure of flourishing,

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where moistened with the dew of wisdom, and warmed with the fun of science.

17. In the dawn of life, I hail the dawn of my country's hopes Lo, a Phenix of empire rifes from the ashes of the old world! Lo! a fun, more radiant than the fountain of heat, beams from the eastern horizon, pouring its rays among the vapors and clouds, which have been gathering through centuries of nights!

18. Every natural, civil, and religious right is ours, by the legacy of Heaven. Here fcience has opened her treafures; and here liberty has erected her standard, and bids defiance to defpotifm.

19. With fuch fingular advantages, we need but the active mind, the honest heart, and the diligent hand. Thus fhall our fchools become as pure, enriching ftreams; our churches flourish as the palm tree, and our land become as the garden of God.

20. While the tender hearts of thofe, who are enjoy. ing the advantages of school education, are offering a trib.. ute of respect and gratitude to their parents, their patrons, and fathers of the town, for their exertions on this interesting subject, all hearts fhould unite in praise to our common Parent, from whom are all our blessings.

21. Could the first fettlers of this town now ftand in the midst of you, how would they lift their hands in admiration! These, would they fay, are the blessed fruits of our zeal, our labors and hardships. We traversed the wildernefs in want of all things; but thefe, our children, are enjoying the milk and honey of the land.

22. The thought is interefting. And while we cherifh the remembrance of our worthy ancestors, let us be emulous to copy their laudable examples.

23. To the pleasure derived from the anticipation of fu ture days, under the prefent improved fyftem of education, much may be added from a reflection on the past.

24. There was a time, in the infancy of our country, when lefs attention was paid to the early improvement of the mind. When the advantage of fchooling was limited to a few, and those principally of one fex; while the other was devoted to domeftic toils.

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25. And even now, in fome parts of united America, as well as among feveral other nations who call themselves civilized, women are confidered but a little better than flaves to unfeeling parents, and to idle, lordly hufbands. 26. Our lot has fallen in a more favored spot, live in an age and country, where we fee children of both fexes acquiring, at fchool, all the neceffary, convenient,. and many of the ornamental branches of education. 27. Spelling, reading, grammar, and geography, they acquire at an early age. Writing aud arithmetic are taught with great propriety and expedition.

28. That zeal, which feems to prevail among all ranks of people, gives encouragement to teachers; and we have a fair profpect, that, if equal exertions are elsewhere made,. good and valuable learning will be diffeminated throughout our country.

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Then fhall we fee from year to year, the productions of American ingenuity. Our young men will be em ulous to exceed the geniufes of the eaft; our daughters will fhine as bright conftellations in the sphere where nature has placed them.

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30. They will open their mouths with wisdom, and in their tongues will be the law of kindness. They will look well to the ways of their household, and eat not the bread of idleness."

31. "They will ftretch out their hands to the poor; yea, they will reach forth their hands to the needy. Their own works will praise them in the gates; and their children fhall rife up and call them bleffed."

32. "How bright the scene to fancy's eye appears,,
Through the perfpective of long diftant years;
When this, this mingled group, their country calls.
From academic fhades and learned halls,
To fix her laws, her fpirit to fuftain,
And light up glory through her wide domain.
Their various taftes in different arts difplay'd,
Like temper'd harmony of light and fhade,
With friendly union in one mafs fhall blend,
And this adorn the ftate, and that defend.”

DIALOGUE

DIALOGUE BETWEEN FERNANDO CORTEZ, AND WILLIAM PENN.

Cortez. Is it poffible, William Penn, that you fhould feriously compare your glory with mine! The planter of a small colony in North-America prefume to vie with the conqueror of the great Mexican empire!

Penn. Friend, I pretend to no glory; far be it from me to glory. But this I fay, that I was inftrumental in executing a more glorious work than that performed by thee; incomparably more glorious.

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Cort. Doft thou not know, William Penn, that with less than fix hundred Spanish foot, eighteen horfe, and a few fmall pieces of cannon, I fought and defeated innumerable armies of very brave men; dethroned an emperor, who excelled all his countrymen in the fcience of war, as much as they excelled the rest of the Weft-Indian nations? That I made him my prifoner in his own capital; and, after he had been depofed and flain by his fubjects, vanquished and took Guatemozin, his fucceffor, and accomplished my conquest of the whole Mexican empire, which I loyally annexed to the Spanish crown? Doft thou not know, that, in doing thefe wonderful acts, I fhowed as much courage as Alexander the great, and as much prudence as Cefar?

Penn. I know very well that thou waft as fierce as a lion, and as fubtle as a ferpent. The prince of darkness may, perhaps, place thee as high upon his black lift of heroes as Alexander or Cefar. It is not my bufinefs to interfere with him in fetthing thy rank. But hark thee, friend Cortez; what right hadít thou, or had the king of Spain himfalf, to the Mexican empire? Anfwer me that, if thou canst. Cort. The pope gave it to my mafter.

Penn. Suppofe the high priest of Mexico had taken it into h head to give Spain to Montezuma would his right have been good?

Cort. Thefe are queftions of cafuiftry, which it is not the business of a foldier to decide. We leave that to gownfmen. But pray, Mr. Penn, what right had you to the colony you fettled ?

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