should be. It is this deep domestic tone pervading her little work, which constitutes one of its principal charms. We perceive it especially, as might have been expected, in the chapters on religion. Take, for instance, these passages. "A woman's virtues must be genuine. They are to expand, not in the sunshine, but in the shade. And, therefore, they need some vital principle to supply the place of foreign excitement. Religion is this influence, this germ of every grace, this sap which finds its way through every fibre, and emits the fairest blossoms without the aid of artificial heat. "The pious woman courts retirement. She seeks not the inertness of quietism, but the calmness and regularity of domestic duty. And though she may sometimes be called to less congenial scenes, she will neither refuse the summons, nor show a peevish reluctance to obey it; yet her taste is home! for there she feels she is most useful, most happy, and has most communion with her God. "And it is the domesticating tendency of religion that especially prepossesses men in its favor, and makes them, even if indifferent to it themselves, desire it, at least, in their nearest female connexions. They can securely confide in one, who is under its sober influence, and whose duties and pleasures lie within the same sphere. They feel no jealousy of a sentiment, which, however intense, interferes with no legitimate affection, but which makes a woman more tender, more considerate, and more sympathizing, than the most ardent passion of romance would do, or the most studied polish of the world." 52, 53. pp. Though most earnestly recommending religion to her sex, it is a practical, heartfelt religion, full of humility, gentleness, and charity which our author recommends, and not a spurious kind, full of bustle and words. She thus advises them on the subject of controversy. There is a great difference between being religious and affecting the theologian. Yet these are too often confounded; and women who, perhaps, are not remarkable for intellectual endowment, imagine, that because they are in earnest about spiritual concerns, they are qualified to enter the thorny path of controversy. This is, however, a great mistake. Not only is controversy, for the most part, unedifying, and very inappropriate to the gentler sex, but it often diverts them from profitable contemplation, and important duties. Besides, it is apt to make them opinionative and dogmatical, and to lead them to throw their influence rather into the scale of party than into that of true religion." - pp. 61, 62. We cannot forbear making one further extract from this volume. It is from the last chapter, on "Female Duties," and towards the close of the book. The author has been speaking of that important duty of a mother, the instruction. and care of her children. "And well is her care repaid. On whom does the infant smile so sweetly as on its mother? To whom do the little boy and girl fly so naturally for sympathy, as to their mother? And often, in after life, does not youth repose its confidence securely on a mother, and seek the counsel of a mother's faithful heart, and hide its griefs in a mother's tender bosom? It is a delightful relationship; and if mothers would secure the love and respect of their children, they must not grudge their attentions to them in their earliest years. They must be willing to sacrifice a little amusement, or a little company, or a little repose for the sake of nursing their infants, or teaching their children, or fulfilling, themselves, offices which, too frequently, they devolve on servants. "To accomplish, however, these duties, a woman must be domestic. Her heart must be at home. She must not be on the look-out for excitement of any kind, but must find her pleasure, as well as her occupation, in the sphere which is assigned to her. "St. Paul knew what was best for woman when he advised her to be domestic. He knew that home was her safest place; home her appropriate station. He knew, especially, the dangers to which young women are exposed, when, under any pretence, they fly from home. There is composure at home; there is something sedative in the duties which home involves. It affords security not only from the world, but from delusions and errors of every kind. A woman who lives much at home, hears the rumors merely of conflicts which perplex and agitate all who are involved in them. Opinions are presented to her, not dressed up with all the witchery of eloquence, and fresh from the mouth of their propounder, but divested of extrinsic attractions, and in their true garb. She entertains them with a mind not fevered by excitement, nor athirst for stimulus, but prepared to weigh every thing impartially, and preoccupied by important themes." pp. 176–178. The reader will think, after perusing the above, that whatever the subject of the song may be, "Home, sweet Home," is still its burden. And it is so. If there are any ladies, therefore, who are determined to find their chief happiness, or any very large proportion of it, elsewhere than at home, they had better not read this book, for it cannot please them; or rather let then read it, and its soft words may win their way into their hearts, and prevail on them to change their determination. Mrs. Sandford's style is studied, and, though never pedantic or turgid, is, perhaps, a little too ambitious. But this very care which she has taken with it, has rendered it pleasing to the ear, and forms an inducement to the reader to go forward, which a simple style too often fails to furnish. We think the gentleman to whom we are indebted for this American edition of her work, entirely right in following the English copy "without the slightest alteration." not that it needs any, and we are glad to have it as it came from her own hands. If there is any thing exclusively local in it, it can easily be separated by the discerning reader from what is generally applicable, and we are sure is no more than marks it for what it is, the work of an English lady. We see ART. IV. - Illustrations of Political Economy. By HARRIET MARTINEAU. No. 1. Life in the Wilds, a Tale. No. 2. The Hill and the Valley, a Tale. Boston. Leonard C. Bowles. 4 vols. 18mo. MISS MARTINEAU, in her Preface to these little volumes, sets forth the plan and objects of her work in a clear and animated manner. The reader can form some opinion of her design from the following extract: "The works already written on political economy almost all bear a reference to books which have preceded, or consist in part of discussions of disputed points. Such references and such discussions are very interesting to those whom they concern, but offer a poor introduction to those to whom the subject There are a few, a very few, which teach the science systematically as far as it is yet understood. These too are is new. very valuable, but they do not give us what we want, - the science in a familiar practical form. They give us its history; they give us its philosophy; but we want its picture. They give us truths, and leave us to look about us, and go hither and thither in search of illustrations of those truths. Some who have a wide range in society and plenty of leisure, find this all-sufficient; but there are many more who have neither time nor opportunity for such an application of what they learn. We cannot see why the truth and its application should not go together, why an explanation of the principles which regulate society should not be made more clear and interesting at the same time by pictures of what those principles are actually doing in communities. "For instance: if we want to teach that security of property is necessary to the prosperity of a people, and to show how and in what proportion wealth increases where there is that security, and dwindles away where there is not, we may make the fact and the reasons very well understood by stating them in a dry, plain way but the same thing will be quite as evident, and far more interesting, and better remembered, if we confirm our doctrine by accounts of the hardships suffered by individuals, and the injuries by society, in such a country as Turkey, which remains in a state of barbarism chiefly through the insecurity of property. The story of a merchant in Turkey, in contrast with one of an English merchant, will convey as much truth as any set of propositions on the subject, and will impress the memory and engage the interest in a much greater degree. This method of teaching political economy has never yet been tried, except in the instances of a short story or separate passage here and there. This is the method in which we propose to convey the leading truths of political economy, as soundly, as systematically, as clearly, and faithfully, as the utmost pains-taking, and the strongest attachment to the subject will enable us to do. We trust we shall not be supposed to countenance the practice of making use of narrative as a trap to catch idle readers, and make them learn something they are afraid of. We detest the practice, and feel ourselves insulted whenever a book of the trap kind is put into our hands. It is many years since we grew sick of works that pretend to be stories, and turn out to be catechisms of some kind of knowledge which we had much rather become acquainted with in its genuine form. The reason why we choose the form of narrative is, that we really think it the best in which political economy can be taught, as we should say of nearly every kind of moral science. Önce more we must apply the old proverb, 'Example is better than pre cept.' We take this proverb as the motto of our design. We declare frankly that our object is to teach political economy, and that we have chosen this method not only because it is new, not only because it is entertaining, but because we think it the most faithful, and the most complete. There is no doubt that all that is true and important about any virtue, integrity, for instance, may be said in the form of a lecture, or written in a chapter of moral philosophy; but the faithful historian of an upright man, his sayings and doings, his trials, his sorrows, his triumphs and rewards, teaches the same truth in a more effectual as well as more popular form. In like manner, the great principle of Freedom of Trade may be perfectly established by a very dry argument; but a tale of the troubles, and difficulties, and changes of good and evil fortune in a manufacturer and his operatives, or in the body of a manufacturing population, will display the same principle, and may be made very interesting besides; to say nothing of getting rid of the excuse that these subjects cannot be understood. "We do not dedicate our series to any particular class of society, because we are sure that all classes bear an equal relation to the science, and we much fear that it is as little familiar to the bulk of one as of another." Pp. x-xii. Miss Martineau does not exaggerate the importance of her subject, when she says, "If we were to dedicate our work to all whom it may concern, it would be the same thing as appealing to the total population of the empire. We say this, of course, in reference to the subject, and not to our peculiar method of treating it. Is there any one breathing to whom it is of no concern whether the production of food and clothing, and the million articles of human consumption, goes on or ceases? whether that production is proportioned to those who live? whether all obtain a fair proportion? whether the crimes of oppression and excess on the one hand, and violence and theft on the other, are encouraged or checked by the mode of distribution? Is there any one living to whom it matters not whether the improvement of the temporal condition of the race shall go on, or whether it shall relapse into barbarism? whether the supports of life, the comforts of home, and the pleasures of society, shall become more scanty or more abundant? whether there shall be increased facilities for the attainment of intellectual good, or whether the old times of slavery and hardship shall return? Is any one indifferent whether famine stalks through the land, laying low the helpless, and humbling the proud; or whether, 22 VOL. XIV. -N. S. VOL. IX. NO. 11. |