My interest in woman and our common humanity is my only apology for
writing this book. I see multitudes of young women about me, whose
general training is so deficient in all that pertains to the best ideas
of life, and whose aims and efforts are so unworthy of their powers of
mind and heart, that I can not make peace with my own conscience without
doing something to elevate their aims and quicken their aspirations for
the good and pure in thought and life. Our female schools are but poor
apologies for the purposes of mind-culture and soul-development. The
idea of life they inspire is but a skeleton of custom-service and
fashion-worship. It is altogether subservient to what is, not what
should be. Society does little else than to teach its girls to be dolls
and drudges. The prevailing current of instruction and influence is
deplorably low. I feel confident that the best part of society is
longing for something better. To obtain it, each one has but to live
out, and express to the world his idea of a true life.
In regard to the book I may say, whatever it lacks it has the merit of
being in earnest. I hope those who see its deficiencies will make haste
to supply them in some form of instruction or encouragement to the class
the book addresses. Thinking fathers and mothers and teachers will not
complain of this humble effort to serve their daughters and pupils, but
will rather add more in a similar direction, and seek to complete what I
have endeavored to begin. While life is spared, I hope to work in this
field, that my own daughters, as well as those of others, may attain a
worthy womanhood.
G. S. W.
ST. LOUIS, 1855.