Original stories from real life

Mary Wollstonecraft

• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Year: 2021
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9783752684964
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Mary and Caroline, though the children of wealthy parents were, in their infancy, left entirely to the management of servants, or people equally ignorant. Their mother died suddenly, and their father, who found them very troublesome at home, placed them under the tuition of a woman of tenderness and discernment, a near relation, who was induced to take on herself the important charge through motives of compassion. They were shamefully ignorant, considering that Mary had been fourteen, and Caroline twelve years in the world. If they had been merely ignorant, the talk would not have appeared so arduous; but they had caught every prejudice that the vulgar casually instill. In order to eradicate these prejudices, and substitute good habits instead of those they had carelessly contracted, Mrs. Mason never suffered them to be out of her sight. They were allowed to ask questions on all occasions, a method she would not have adopted, had she educated them from the first, according to the suggestions of her own reason, to which experience had given its sanction.

Table of contents

• Original stories from real life
• PREFACE.
• INTRODUCTION.
• CHAP. I. The Treatment of Animals.—The Ant.—The Bee.—Goodness.—The Lark’s Nest.—The Asses.
• CHAP. II The Treatment of Animals.—The Difference between them and Man.—Parental Affection of a Dog.—Brutality punished.
• CHAP. III. The treatment of Animals.—The Story of crazy Robin.—The Man confined in the Bastille.
• CHAP. IV. Anger.—History of Jane Fretful.
• CHAP. V. Lying.—Honour.—Truth.—Small Duties.—History of Lady Sly and Mrs. Trueman.
• CHAP. VI. Anger.—Folly produces Self-contempt, and the Neglect of others.
• CHAP. VII. Virtue the Soul of Beauty.—The Tulip and the Rose.—The Nightingale.—External Ornaments.—Characters.
• CHAP. IX. The Inconveniences of immoderate Indulgence.
• CHAP. X. The Danger of Delay.—Description of a Mansion-house in Ruins.—The History of Charles Townley.
• CHAP. XI. Dress.—A Character.—Remarks on Mrs. Trueman’s Manner of dressing.—Trifling Omissions undermine Affection.
• CHAP. XII. Behaviour to Servants.—True Dignity of Character.
• CHAP. XIII. Employment.—Idleness produces Misery.—The Cultivation of the Fancy raises us above the Vulgar, extends our Happiness, and leads to Virtue.
• CHAP. XIV. Innocent Amusements.—Description of a Welsh Castle.—History of a Welsh Harper.—A tyrannical Landlord.—Family Pride.
• CHAP. XV. Prayer.—A Moon-light Scene.—Resignation.
• CHAP. XVII. The Benefits arising from Devotion.—The History of the Village School-mistress concluded.
• CHAP. XVIII. Visit to the School-mistress.—True and false Pride.
• CHAP. XIX. Charity.—The History of Peggy and her Family.—The Sailor’s Widow.
• CHAP. XX. Visit to Mrs. Trueman.—The Use of Accomplishments.—Virtue the Soul of all.
• CHAP. XXI. The Benefit of bodily Pain.—Fortitude the Basis of Virtue.—The Folly of Irresolution.
• CHAP. XXII. Journey to London.
• CHAP. XXIII. Charity.—Shopping.—The distressed Stationer.—Mischievous Consequences of delaying Payment.
• CHAP. XXV. Mrs. Mason’s farewell Advice to her young Friends.
• Copyright