gh all the adverse
circumstances of this world. But the constant mixture of the young and
old, of the two sexes, is no doubt one of the _principal_ reasons why
the cares and ills of life sit lighter on the shoulders of that
fantastic people, than on those of any other country in the world.

The French reckon an excursion dull, and a party of pleasure without
relish, unless a mixture of both sexes join to compose in. The French
women do not even withdraw from the table after meals; nor do the men
discover that impatience to have them dismissed, which they so often do
in England.

It is alleged by those who have no relish for the conversation of the
fair sex, that their presence curbs the freedom of speech, and
restrains the jollity of mirth. But, if the conversation and the mirth
are decent, if the company are capable of relishing any thing but wine,
the very reverse is the case. Ladies, in general, are not only more
cheerful than gentlemen, but more eager to promote mirth and good humor.

So powerful, indeed, are the company and conversation of the fair, in
diffusing happiness and hilarity, that even the cloud which hangs on the
_thoughtful brow_ of an Englishman, begins in the present age to
brighten, by his devoting to the ladies a larger share of time than was
formerly done by his ancestors.

Though the influence of the sexes be reciprocal, yet that of the ladies
is certainly the greatest. How often may one see a company of men, who
were disposed to be riotous, checked at once into decency by the
accidental entrance of an amiable woman; while her good sense and
obliging deportment charms them into at least a temporary conviction,
that there is nothing so delightful as female conversation, in its
best form! Were such conviction frequently repeated, what might we not
expect from it at last?

"Were virtue," said an ancient philosopher, "to appear amongst men in a
visible shape, what vehement desires would she enkindle!" Virtue,
exhibited without affectation, by a lovely young person, of improved
understanding and gentle manners, may be said to appear with the most
alluring aspect, surrounded by the _Graces_.

It would be an easy matter to point out instances of the most evident
reformation, wrought on particular men, by their having happily
conceived a passion for virtuous women.

To form the manners of men, various causes contribute; but nothing,
perhaps, so much as the turn of the women with whom they converse