CHAP. XV.

CONVERSATION.-Hints fuggefted on the Subjeɛ.—On the Tempers and Difpofitions to be introduced in it.-Errors to be avoided.-Vanity under various Shapes the Caufe of thofe Errors.

THE fexes will naturally defire to appear to each other, fuch as each believes the other will beft like; their converfation will act reciprocally; and each fex will with to appear more or less rational as they perceive it will more or lefs recommend them to the other. It is therefore to be regretted, that many men, even of diftinguished fenfe and learning, are too apt to confider the fociety of ladies, as a scene in which they are rather to reft their understandings, than to exercise them; while ladies, in return, are too much addicted to make their court by lending themselves to this fpirit of trifling; they often avoid making ufe of what abilities they have; and affect to talk below their natural and acquired powers of mind; confidering it as a tacit and welcome flattery to the understanding of men, to renounce the exercife of their own.

Now fince taste and principles thus mutually operate; men, by keeping up converfation to its proper ftandard, would not only call into exercife the powers of mind which women actually poffefs; but would even awaken in them new energies which they do not know they poffefs; and men of fenfe would find their account in doing this, for their own talents would be more highly rated by companions who were better able to appreciate them, and they would be receiving as well as imparting improvement. And on the other hand, if young women found it did not often recommend them in the eyes of those whom they most wish to please, to be frivolous and fuperficial, they would be come more fedulous in correcting their own habits. Whenever fashionable women indicate a relish for inftructive converfation, men will not be apt to hazard what is vain, or unprofitable; much lefs will they ever prefume to bring forward what is loofe or corrupt,

where fome fignal has not been previously given, that it will be acceptable, or at least that it will be par-. doned.

Ladies commonly bring into company minds already too much relaxed by petty purfuits, rather than overftrained by intenfe application.. The littlenefs of the employments in which they are ufually engaged, does not fo exhauft their fpirits as to make them ftand in need of that relaxation from company which fevere application or overwhelming business makes requifite for ftudious or public men. The due confideration of this circumstance might ferve to bring the fexes more nearly on a level in fociety; and each might meet the other half way; for that degree of lively and eafy converfation which is a neceffary refreshment to the learned and the bufy, would not decrease in pleasant nefs by being made of fo rational a caft as would yet fomewhat raife the minds of women, who commonly feek fociety as a scene of pleasure, not as a refuge from intense thought or exhausting labour..

It is a difadvantage even to those women who keep, the best company, that it is unhappily almoft establish ed into a fyltem, by the other fex to poftpone every. thing like inftructive difcourfe till the ladies are with drawn; their retreat serving as a kind of signal for the exercife of intellect. And in the few cafes in which it happens that any important difcuffion takes place in their prefence, they are for the most part confidered as having little intereft in ferious fubjects. Strong truths, whenever fuch happen to be addreffed to them, are: either diluted with flattery, or kept back in part, or foftened to their tafte; or if the ladies exprefs a with for information on any point, they are put off with a compliment, instead of a reafon. They are reminded of their beauty when they are feeking to inform their understanding, and are confidered as beings who must be contented to behold every thing through a falfe medium, and who are not expected to fee and to judge of things as they really exift.)

Do we then with to fee the ladies, whofe want of opportunities leaves them fo incompetent on many. points, and the modesty of whofe fex ought never sq.

allow them even to be as fhining as they are able ;-do we wish to fee them take the lead in metaphyfical difquifitions? Do we wish them to plunge into the depths of theological-polemics,

And find no end in wandering mazes loft?

Do we wish them to revive the animofities of the Bangorian controverfy, or to decide the procefs between the Jefuits and the five propofitions of Janfenius? Do we wish to enthrone them in the profeffor's chair, to deliver oracles, harangues, and differtations? to weigh -the merits of every new production in the scales of Quintilian, or to regulate the unities of dramatic compolition by Arijotle's clock? Or renouncing those foreign aids, do we defire to behold them vain of a native independence of foul, inflated with their original powers, labouring to ftrike out fparks of wit, with a reftlefs anxiety to fhine, which generally fails, and with an anxious affectation to pleafe, which never pleases?

Difeurs de bons mots, fades characteres !

All this be far from them I-But we de wish to fee the converfation of well-bred women refcued from vapid common place, from uninteresting tattle, from trite and hackneyed communications, from frivolous carneftnefs, from falfe fenfibility, from a warm intereft about things of no moment, and an indifference to topics the most important; from a cold vanity, from the ill concealed overflowings of felf-love, exhibiting itfelf under the fmiling mafk of an engaging flattery, ånd from all the factitious manners of artificial intercourse. We do wish to fee the time paffed in polished and intelligent fociety, confidered among the beneficial, as well as the pleafant portions of our exiftence, and› not configned over, as it too frequently is, to premeditated trifling, to empty dullnefs, to unmeaning levity, to fyftematic unprofitablencís, Let me not, however, be misunderstood: it is not meant to prefcribe that ladies fhould affect to difcufs lofty fubjects, fo much as to fuggeft that they should bring good fenfe, fim plicity, precision, and truth, to the difcuffion of thofe common fubjects, of which, after all, both the bufinefs

and the conversation of mankind must be in a great measure made up.

It is too well known how much the dread of imputed pedantry keeps off every thing that verges towards learned, and the terror of imputed enthusiasm frightens away any thing that approaches to ferious converfation fo that the two topics which peculiarly distinguish us, as rational and immortal beings, are by general confent in a good degree banished from the fociety of rational and immortal creatures. But we might almost as confiftently give up the comforts of fire because a few perfons have been burnt, and the benefit of water becaufe fome others have been drowned, as relinquish the enjoyments of intellectual, and the bleffings of religious intercourfe, because the learned world has fometimes been infefted with pedants, and the religious world with fanatics..

As in the momentous times in which we live it is next to impoffible to pass an evening in company but the talk will fo inevitably revert to politics, that, with- ( out any premeditated defign, every one prefent fhall infallibly be able to find out to which fide the other inclines; why, in the far higher concern of eternal things, fhould we fo carefully fhun every offered opportunity of bearing even a cafual teftimony to the part we espouse in religion? Why, while we make it a fort of point of confcience to leave no doubt on the mind of a ftranger, whether we adopt the party of Pitt or Fox, fhall we choofe to leave it very problematical whether we belong to God or Baal? Why, in religion, as well as in politics, fhould we not act like people who, having their all at ftake, cannot for bear now and then adverting for a moment to the object of their grand concern, and dropping, at leaft, an incidental intimation of the fide to which they belong?

Even the news of the day, in fuch an eventful period as the prefent, may lend frequent occafions to a woman of principle to declare, without parade, her faith in a moral Governor of the world; her truft in a particular Providence her belief in the Divine Omnipoher confidence in the power of God, in eduting good from evil, in his employing wicked nations,

tence

not as favourites but inftruments; her perfuafion that prefent fuccefs is no proof of the Divine favour; in thort, fome intimation that she is not ashamed to declare that her mind is under the influence of Christian faith that she is fteadily governed by an unalterable principle, of which no authority is too great to make her athamed, which no occafion is too trivial to call into exercise. A general concurrence in habitually exhibiting this spirit of decided faith and holy truft, would inconceivably difcourage that pert and wakefui Infidelity which is ever on the watch to produce itself : and, as we have already observed, if women, who de rive authority from their rank or talents, did but reflect how their fentiments are repeated, and how their authority is quoted, they would be fo on their guard, "that general fociety might become a fcene of profitable communication and common improvement; and the young, who are looking for models on which to fashion. themselves, would become ashamed and afraid of exhibiting any thing like levity, or fcepticifm, or prophanenefs.

Let it be understood, that it is not meant to intimate that ferious fubjects fhould make up the bulk of converfation; this, as it is impoffible, would also often be improper. It is not intended to fuggeft that they 'fhould be abruptly introduced, or unfuitably prolonged; but only that they fhould not be fyftematically fhunned, nor the brand of fanaticism be fixed on the perfon who, with whatever propriety, hazards the introduction of fuch fubjects. It is evident, however, that this general dread of ferious topics arifes a good deal from an ignorance of the true nature of chriftianity; people avoid it on the principle expreffed by the vulgar phrafe of the danger of playing with edge tools. They conceive of religion as fomething which involves controverfy, and difpute; fomething either melancholy or mischievous; fomething of an inflammatory na ture, which is to ftir up ill humours and hatred,; they confider it as a queftion which has too fides; as of 2 fort of party-business which fets friends at variance. So much is this notion adopted, that I have feen announced two works of confiderable merit, in which it

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