oportions.

Without attempting any such systematic employment of time, and carrying
it out, so far as they can control circumstances, most women are rather
driven along, by the daily occurrences of life, so that, instead of
being the intelligent regulators of their own time, they are the mere
sport of circumstances. There is nothing, which so distinctly marks the
difference between weak and strong minds, as the fact, whether they
control circumstances, or circumstances control them.

It is very much to be feared, that the apportionment of time, actually
made by most women, exactly inverts the order, required by reason and
Christianity. Thus, the furnishing a needless variety of food, the
conveniences of dwellings, and the adornments of dress, often take a
larger portion of time, than is given to any other object. Next after
this, comes intellectual improvement; and, last of all, benevolence and
religion.

It may be urged, that it is indispensable for most persons to give more
time to earn a livelihood, and to prepare food, raiment, and dwellings,
than to any other object. But it may be asked, how much of the time,
devoted to these objects, is employed in preparing varieties of food,
not necessary, but rather injurious, and how much is spent for those
parts of dress and furniture not indispensable, and merely ornamental?
Let a woman subtract from her domestic employments, all the time, given
to pursuits which are of no use, except as they gratify a taste for
ornament, or minister increased varieties, to tempt the appetite, and
she will find, that much, which she calls "domestic duties," and which
prevent her attention to intellectual, benevolent, and religious,
objects, should be called by a very different name. No woman has a right
to give up attention to the higher interests of herself and others, for
the ornaments of taste, or the gratification of the palate. To a certain
extent, these lower objects are lawful and desirable; but, when they
intrude on nobler interests, they become selfish and degrading. Every
woman, then, when employing her hands, in ornamenting her person, her
children, or her house, ought to calculate, whether she has devoted _as
much_ time, to the intellectual and moral wants of herself and others.
If she has not, she may know that she is doing wrong, and that her
system, for apportioning her time and pursuits, should be altered.

Some persons, endeavor to systematize their pursuits, by apportion