CHAPTER XX.

USEFULNESS.

Many Girls have Little Idea of It.-Miss Lyon's Letter.Minister's Daughter.-Letter to her Sister.-Some Girls as Useless as Possible.-Can Embroider, but not Make a Dress or Pie.—What is it to be Useless?-An Opportunity.-A Useful Girl.-Public Grief at the Death of Mrs. Van Ness.-The Eulogy "She was Useful," and "She was Accomplished."-Girls should Aim to be Useful if they would be Successful.

HE last chapter related to this subject; it has

THE

been incidentally alluded to, also, in other places; but the importance of the theme leads the author to present some additional thoughts upon the subject, in a separate chapter.

One day Miss Lyon urged upon the attention of some of her pupils the claims of certain fields for usefulness, by the way of teaching; but they refused to enter them because the compensation was small. In writing to a friend, immediately afterwards, she speaks of the circumstance thus: "You see what the views of these young ladies are. I could not refrain from saying to myself, If all ladies entertain the same views, what will

become of the immense population of our country, whose scale of means and living, in every respect, is so far below these views?" And then she goes on to express her grief at what she has witnessed among young females, even those who profess religion, which shows how little they think of being useful. "I do believe," she says, "that this is a time when efforts in behalf of young Christians are peculiarly needed. In my intercourse with society of late, I have been more and more convinced of this. I have noticed a tendency to giddiness, volatility, and foolish talking and jesting. In some cases I have been surprised to learn that those in whom I have noticed these things were professors of religion. I am inclined to think that this is more manifest when young ladies and young gentlemen are engaged in conversation with one another. I recollect meeting a minister and his daughter of fifteen or sixteen. We noticed her apparent thoughtlessness, and spoke of it to each other with a feeling that she was a child, and would need a prudent mother's care. We soon learned, to our surprise, that she professed piety, and would like to go on a mission. This is an extreme case; but I have seen many others, though less marked, which have led me to tremble for the Church: Oh, how important that young Christians should take Christ for their example, and become holy as He was holy, harm

less and undefiled as He was! How important that all who are united to Christ should live in such a manner as to avoid the appearance of evil! May the Lord teach the dearly beloved in our seminary as no man can teach them!"

Often she was pained by the evident absence of all desire among girls to be useful. On this account, perhaps, she made more effort to school her nieces in the idea of occupying a place of usefulness, rather than one of ease and popularity. She besought their mothers to impress this subject upon their minds. She once wrote to her sister Moore about her daughter A. :-"I do not think the sphere of usefulness so extensive as she might have in other places. How much greater is the blessing of enjoying a field of usefulness, than a situation favourable to personal advantage! And do you not, my dear sister, regard it as a higher privilege to have your children prepared to do good, than to have them enjoy great worldly prosperity? This happiness I desire and pray that you may enjoy in all your children."

We think that Miss Lyon's criticisms upon girls, in regard to usefulness, are just; for, turn to some classes of society described on former pages, and what do we witness? Instead of possessing the remotest intention of being useful, their ideas of "style" and " manners are suited to make them nearly as useless as possible. How many girls are

taught to play the piano, and embroider,-both of which are well in their place,-while they are not permitted to make a dress or a pie! It is consistent with some mothers' ideas of gentility to embroider, but it is not thought so to make a garment. They may know how to dance or paint, but it would be almost unpardonable for them to know how to wash a pocket-handkerchief! It does

appear as if the notions which some people entertain of gentility were singularly adapted to make them useless. They acquire a knowledge of those things which are least necessary, and neglect those that would be of great service to them in discharging the duties of life. It is said that "nothing is made in vain ; but some girls may also be said to be exceptions to the rule. They are educated to think that labour is degrading, which amounts to the same thing as the belief that usefulness is degrading; and lower than this, in the scale of recognised responsible existence, no female can easily fall.

Let the reader stop and consider what it is to be useless. How much selfishness, worldly-mindedness, and neglect of God's claims upon the heart, it implies! To be a cipher in the world, where there is so much to be done!-as if there were no God calling for action. Are you willing to stand in this relation to mankind? Dare you waste the golden moments of life in bringing nothing to

pass? Look at your opportunities for usefulness! And what is an opportunity, do you ask? It is a favourable occasion for doing good, which, like time, if once lost, is lost for ever. How many of them are crowded into a single year of your life! Dare you waste them all? Will you toss them away as so many passing trifles? Then your life will be a failure; the end of your being will be defeated, your name will be unhonoured; your memory will perish in oblivion.

A USEFUL girl!—A USEFUL woman! No female need aspire after a higher eulogium than this. It is the fulfilment of her mission, which earth approves and God rewards. The first instance of a great public demonstration of grief at the death of a woman, that occurred in our land, was occasioned by the departure of a useful female of the city of Washington-Mrs. Van Ness. She endeared herself to the people by her constant efforts at doing good. She was the first to appreciate and relieve the wants of the needy, and the last to despair of reclaiming the wandering. Year after year she toiled in behalf of the lower classes of that city, to teach, comfort, and elevate them. She died on the ninth of September, 1832, and the announcement of her exit spread a gloom over the entire metropolis. The citizens, without distinction of sect or party, held a meeting to express their sorrow at her death, and to devise a plan for