arents is essential to the
success of the public preceptor. We have admitted the necessity of
public schools, and, in the present state of society, we acknowledge
that many parents have it not in their power properly to superintend
the private education of a family. We have earnestly advised parents
not to attempt private education without first calculating the
difficulties of the undertaking; we have pointed out that, by
co-operating with the public instructer, parents may assist in the
formation of their children's characters, without undertaking the sole
management of their classical instruction. A private education, upon a
calm survey of the advantages of both systems, we prefer, because more
is in the power of the private than of the public instructer. One
uniform course of experience may be preserved, and no examples, but
those which we wish to have followed, need be seen by those children
who are brought up at home. When we give our opinion in favour of
private education, we hope that all we have said on servants and on
acquaintance will be full in the reader's recollection. No private
education, we repeat it, can succeed without perfect unanimity,
consistency, and steadiness, amongst all the individuals in the
family.

We have recommended to parents the highest liberality as the highest
prudence, in rewarding the care of enlightened preceptors. Ye great
and opulent parents, condescend to make your children happy: provide
for yourselves the cordial of domestic affection against "that
sickness of long life--old age."

In what we have said of governesses, masters, and the value of female
accomplishments, we have considered not only what is the fashion of
to-day, but rather what is likely to be the fashion of ten or twenty
years hence. Mothers will look back, and observe how much the system
of female education has altered within their own memory; and they will
see, with "the prophetic eye of taste," what may probably be the
fashion of another spring--another race.[112] We have endeavoured to
substitute the words _domestic happiness_ instead of the present
terms, "success in the world--fortunate establishments," &c. This will
lead, perhaps, at first, to some confusion in the minds of those who
have been long used to the old terms: but the new vocabulary has its
advantages; the young and unprejudiced will, perhaps, perceive them,
and maternal tenderness will calculate with more precision, but not
with less eagernes