Music and painting, and many other ingenious arts, are now brought to
great perfection, and afford the most rational and delicate pleasure.
It is easy to find out if a young person has a taste for them. If they
have, do not suffer it to lie dormant. Heaven kindly bestowed it, and a
great blessing it is; but, like all other blessings, may be perverted:
yet the intrinsic value is not lessened by the perversion. Should nature
have been a niggard to them in this respect, persuade them to be silent,
and not feign raptures they do not feel; for nothing can be more
ridiculous.
In music I prefer expression to execution. The simple melody of some
artless airs has often soothed my mind, when it has been harrassed by
care; and I have been raised from the very depths of sorrow, by the
sublime harmony of some of Handel’s compositions. I have been lifted
above this little scene of grief and care, and mused on Him, from whom
all bounty flows.
A person must have sense, taste, and sensibility, to render their music
interesting. The nimble dance of the fingers may raise wonder, but not
delight.
As to drawing, those cannot be really charmed by it, who do not observe
the beauties of nature, and even admire them.
If a person is fond of tracing the effects of the passions, and marking
the appearances they give to the countenance, they will be glad to see
characters displayed on canvass, and enter into the spirit of them; but
if by them the book of nature has not been read, their admiration is
childish.
Works of fancy are very amusing, if a girl has a lively fancy; but if
she makes others do the greatest part of them, and only wishes for the
credit of doing them, do not encourage her.
Writing may be termed a fine art; and, I am sure, it is a very useful
one. The style in particular deserves attention. Young people are very
apt to substitute words for sentiments, and clothe mean thoughts in
pompous diction. Industry and time are necessary to cure this, and will
often do it. Children should be led into correspondences, and methods
adopted to make them write down their sentiments, and they should be
prevailed on to relate the stories they have read in their own words.
Writing well is of great consequence in life as to our temporal
interest, and of still more to the mind; as it teaches a person to
arrange their thoughts, and digest them. Besides, it forms the only true
basis of rational and elegant conversation.
Reading, and such arts as have been already mentioned, would fill up the
time, and prevent a young person’s being lost in dissipation, which
enervates the mind, and often leads to improper connections. When habits
are fixed, and a character in some measure formed, the entering into the
busy world, so far from being dangerous, is useful. Knowledge will
imperceptibly be acquired, and the taste improved, if admiration is not
more sought for than improvement. For those seldom make observation who
are full of themselves.