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Letters to a Young Lady, on a Variety of Useful and Interesing [Sic] Subjects: Calculated to Improve the Heart, to Form the Manners, and Enlighten the ... Polished Corners of the Temple. Volume 2 of 2
The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
The Age of Enlightenment profoundly enriched religious and philosophical understanding and continues to influence present-day thinking. Works collected here include masterpieces by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as religious sermons and moral debates on the issues of the day, such as the slave trade. The Age of Reason saw conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism transformed into one between faith and logic -- a debate that continues in the twenty-first century.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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Bodleian Library (Oxford)
W019888
Vol. 2 (119, [3] p.) has separate title page. Edition statement transposed; precedes "In two volumes" on title page. Two states of the title page to v. 2 noted. In one, the imprint date is given incorrectly as on the title page to v. 1. In the other, it has been corrected. Advertisement for Evert Duyckinck & Co., p. [121-122] of v. 2.
New-York: Printed by John Buel, for E. Duyckinck, and Co. Pearl-Street, M, DCC, XVI [i.e., 1796]. iv, [3], 8-115, [1], 119, [3] p.; 12
The Age of Enlightenment profoundly enriched religious and philosophical understanding and continues to influence present-day thinking. Works collected here include masterpieces by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as religious sermons and moral debates on the issues of the day, such as the slave trade. The Age of Reason saw conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism transformed into one between faith and logic -- a debate that continues in the twenty-first century.
++++
The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
++++
Bodleian Library (Oxford)
W019888
Vol. 2 (119, [3] p.) has separate title page. Edition statement transposed; precedes "In two volumes" on title page. Two states of the title page to v. 2 noted. In one, the imprint date is given incorrectly as on the title page to v. 1. In the other, it has been corrected. Advertisement for Evert Duyckinck & Co., p. [121-122] of v. 2.
New-York: Printed by John Buel, for E. Duyckinck, and Co. Pearl-Street, M, DCC, XVI [i.e., 1796]. iv, [3], 8-115, [1], 119, [3] p.; 12
130 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2010
About the author
John Bennett
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 1, 2026
I found a beautiful original copy of this from 1793, and I was eager to dive into this Irish Protestant handbook to young women from hundreds of years ago. It’s fascinating and boring and surprising and offensive in equal measure. It’s a treasure of history to own. My second oldest antique book.
The book begins with a dedication to the Queen, who is, the reverend asserts, a PERFECT woman without moral flaw who will be very, very happy if all women should read and obey this book to live a life in Christ.
As the book began, the most surprising part to me was that they didn’t even try to hide that patriarchy was awful. From the beginning, they prepare young women for marriage being an awful fate. The reverend discusses how many men are wicked. Men will cheat on you with harlots, bring you diseases, saddle you alone with children, abandon you penniless, beat you, spend all their money on drinking, and if he had a daughter, he’d simply tell her to never marry. But if she must, choose a Christian, but know a lot of Christian men are still awful.
So, therefore, she’s going to NEED God. Because she’s gonna be HOPELESS and alone otherwise. There will come a time when God is all she has.
So, therefore, she better read the Bible.
Also, there are a bunch of Christian sermons and writers she should read.
There are also a bunch she shouldn’t read. One was even executed for forgery of money to cover his debts. But some she should stay away from because they try to make entertaining. And that’s like “being given music when your house is on fire.” So best stick to the serious Christians.
She is free to read all types of Christians though. There are pious men in all denominations. And evil ones too. Lots of evil men everywhere.
She should, of course, remain celibate except for marriage—not because that’s what God wants, but because it’s the only thing that will keep her valuable in the eyes of men. Men, he explains, sleep with so many harlots that they hate harlots, you see. So you have to keep that childlike innocence to charm them, you see? They’d never provide for a harlot. Just sleep with them only.
Also, the Bible predicts things. It predicted Christ and it all came true. It predicted the sufferings of the Jews and it all came true. And the rapture is coming. Signs of it happening right now. And you better be ready for Christ to return. Any day now.
Also, you can see very clearly the Bible was right about Jews: they lead lives of hatred. They don’t want to love anyone different from them. No one can join their faith. They don’t love like Christ loved, and they rejected Christ, and that’s not going to go well for them. So best get ready for the second coming: you want to be on Christ’s team.
Then there are pagans. The world was nearly all pagan before Christ came. How ignorant! How terrible! There’s still too many of them.
Then there’s Islam, and that’s kind of okay: you can read it because there’s Christianity in it. But they allow for polygamy and are obsessed with sensual pleasures in heaven, like sex and food, which shows they’re straying from Christ.
Other types of Christians are still wrong in one way or another. But especially Catholics: they are the MOST wrong. They think that wine is literally Jesus’ blood. They also think their priests are perfect. They’ve lost their minds.
Christian mystics are also totally delusional, but they are mostly really good solitary people who do no harm and he hopes to see in heaven.
On a refreshing note, he praised all Christians against the slave trade, which he advocated Christ would want abolished. Good to see some Christian abolitionist views.
After the religious instruction, the reverend details the delicate balance of OTHER types of knowledge. He said it’s best for women to never get TOO educated, to keep their realm of knowledge to womanly things. To read and appreciate art, but never create it, ESPECIALLY poetry, which women lose the ability to fulfill their duties from.
The book begins with a dedication to the Queen, who is, the reverend asserts, a PERFECT woman without moral flaw who will be very, very happy if all women should read and obey this book to live a life in Christ.
As the book began, the most surprising part to me was that they didn’t even try to hide that patriarchy was awful. From the beginning, they prepare young women for marriage being an awful fate. The reverend discusses how many men are wicked. Men will cheat on you with harlots, bring you diseases, saddle you alone with children, abandon you penniless, beat you, spend all their money on drinking, and if he had a daughter, he’d simply tell her to never marry. But if she must, choose a Christian, but know a lot of Christian men are still awful.
So, therefore, she’s going to NEED God. Because she’s gonna be HOPELESS and alone otherwise. There will come a time when God is all she has.
So, therefore, she better read the Bible.
Also, there are a bunch of Christian sermons and writers she should read.
There are also a bunch she shouldn’t read. One was even executed for forgery of money to cover his debts. But some she should stay away from because they try to make entertaining. And that’s like “being given music when your house is on fire.” So best stick to the serious Christians.
She is free to read all types of Christians though. There are pious men in all denominations. And evil ones too. Lots of evil men everywhere.
She should, of course, remain celibate except for marriage—not because that’s what God wants, but because it’s the only thing that will keep her valuable in the eyes of men. Men, he explains, sleep with so many harlots that they hate harlots, you see. So you have to keep that childlike innocence to charm them, you see? They’d never provide for a harlot. Just sleep with them only.
Also, the Bible predicts things. It predicted Christ and it all came true. It predicted the sufferings of the Jews and it all came true. And the rapture is coming. Signs of it happening right now. And you better be ready for Christ to return. Any day now.
Also, you can see very clearly the Bible was right about Jews: they lead lives of hatred. They don’t want to love anyone different from them. No one can join their faith. They don’t love like Christ loved, and they rejected Christ, and that’s not going to go well for them. So best get ready for the second coming: you want to be on Christ’s team.
Then there are pagans. The world was nearly all pagan before Christ came. How ignorant! How terrible! There’s still too many of them.
Then there’s Islam, and that’s kind of okay: you can read it because there’s Christianity in it. But they allow for polygamy and are obsessed with sensual pleasures in heaven, like sex and food, which shows they’re straying from Christ.
Other types of Christians are still wrong in one way or another. But especially Catholics: they are the MOST wrong. They think that wine is literally Jesus’ blood. They also think their priests are perfect. They’ve lost their minds.
Christian mystics are also totally delusional, but they are mostly really good solitary people who do no harm and he hopes to see in heaven.
On a refreshing note, he praised all Christians against the slave trade, which he advocated Christ would want abolished. Good to see some Christian abolitionist views.
After the religious instruction, the reverend details the delicate balance of OTHER types of knowledge. He said it’s best for women to never get TOO educated, to keep their realm of knowledge to womanly things. To read and appreciate art, but never create it, ESPECIALLY poetry, which women lose the ability to fulfill their duties from.
Displaying 1 of 1 review