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plate, would afford single women every opportunity that they could desire, to cultivate their minds, and gratify a rational curiosity. The means of indulging their wishes in these respects, would be provided for them by their public guardians, on humane and liberal principles, nor would they, as now, have to regret that their want of attractions caused them to be past, unnoticed, by the persons whose conversation and good offices could be instructive and useful to them.

Single men are freer than their married companions, to cultivate their talents, and live to their taste; they have more opportunity to take advantage of every means offered for successfully pursuing these ends.

They are, besides, more flatteringly received during many years in society. They have a feeling of liberty, and a consciousness of being fit for enterprise, which are liable to render them too haughty, if they be not softened by amiable companions. 'Tis, therefore, to be kept in society, and not to be sent out of it, that they require. They would be sent out of it, were they collected together in peculiar establishments; since women, without an admixture of whom society cannot be formed, would never approach their dwellings. Active and strong to form ambitious projects, they would be invigorated in their daring purposes, by sympathy with each other; and, giving themselves up entirely to that corporation spirit which commonly takes possession of the men, who find themselves associated in numbers together, they would form, and systematically pursue, projects for domineering over the rest of the nation.

Women, when established in such houses of retreat as those of which I am drawing the outline, would not be banished from society; for an ample number of both men and women would freely seek their asylum, as far as inclination, joined to a wish to render those institutions of utility to the nation, would determine them to do so.

The females belonging to them would find their ambition. amply gratified by the consideration with which they would be treated; and they would be perfectly contented to pursue the course of conduct of which the outline would be traced to them by the established opinion.

Though for these reasons I think that it would be unwise to prepare public asylums for single men still in the vigour of life, I am aware that when they become elderly, they have a just title to expect that government will compassionate their situation as much as that of single women, and furnish them equally with quiet, comfortable retreats.

For elderly, single men, I should certainly wish to see homes provided so judiciously constituted, as that they might enjoy in them ample opportunity to render their class essentially useful to the nation, and highly honoured in it. This result could not be obtained from the assignment to them of an asylum, where they would remain together in melancholy seclusion. The way to arrive at it, would be to give them a distinct range of apartments in the retreats refuging single women, of whose society, board and garden, they should have the enjoyment, with the certainty of being tenderly taken care of by them, when overtaken by sickness or infirmity. When single men of respectable character, who had, for a reasonable number of years, served their country to the general satisfaction, began to sigh for a peaceful retreat surrounded by the calm endearments of friendship, they should be at liberty to fix their abode within these asylums, even though, in the ordinary course of nature, they might still be capable of enjoying life for many years.

I do not conceive that, a residence within these peaceful abodes, need be any hindrance to the occupation of important public posts, by the men to whom it was granted.

They would constantly, after dwelling in them for a certain definite term be admitted among their inspectors, and be placed high in authority in them.

The habitude of maintaining a daily, amicable intercourse together, which persons of different sexes, established in these mansions, would often acquire, would, it may be presumed, offer them some incitements to wish to enter into the matrimonial state; it would, however, paralyze, in their behalf, other and more powerful ones; since it would give them opportunities of enjoying, without quitting a life of celibacy, that easy, friendly companionship with pleasing individuals of the

opposite sex, the hope of obtaining which is usually, for elderly persons, the strongest inducement to marry.*

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MODE IN WHICH THE INTENTION TO LIVE SINGLE, WHEN IT WAS EVINCED BY YOUNG MEN, SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED.

If much be done to determine young women to embrace a single life, from a conviction of its being a choice honorable for themselves, and beneficial to the public, it will be impossible,—nor should we try to do so,-to prevent young men from consecrating themselves also to it, and inventing some expedient to render their choice of it as manifest to the public as that of single women. They will form fraternities, whose principal bond of union will be a determination rigidly to adhere to an unspotted single life. Such a resolution, adopted by large companies of ardent spirits, might lead to very wild excesses, should they find themselves disregarded by the legis lature; but let them be guided, encouraged, and honoured by it, and their enthusiasm will be stamped with such a noble, rational character, that they will,-in accordance with their aspirations, really become the first strong supports of an energetic, national system of virtue. It is on their vigorous minds, that the burden of sustaining it will principally rest.

To enable them firmly and conscientiously to fulfil their task, alike avoiding the scylla of corrupt appetites, and the charybdis of a stern, insatiable ambition, they ought to be taught to give to the peculiar obligations of their corps, a religious character;† and their profession should be that of sol

• In respectable boarding-houses, where persons of both sexes are admitted, a marriage, I believe, very rarely takes place between two of their inhabitants.

They should freely admit into it persons of all sects of christianity, who agreed in acknowledging themselves bound by religious principles to practise that upright conduct which, conformably to their stipulations, ought to distinguish all the members of their fraternal band.

diers, consecrated to the preservation of the internal tranquillity of their country. This office, in a well regulated, peaceful community, might give them, actually, but little employment, but they would, nevertheless, develope in their bosoms a high, honorable, generous military spirit, by the warlike exercises to which they would accustom themselves.

These exercises, thus accompanied with devotedness to the service of their country, would entirely divert them from the wish to separate themselves from the rest of the world, to which the severity of the duties that they had imposed on themselves might otherwise have inclined them.

It would be easy to determine them to make the resolution not to fight a duel be one of the stipulations of their association.(a)

They should also make a declaration of an intention to abstain from intemperance and gambling. In short, the military corps in question, are to be founded on the engagement to lead a life as austere and pure, as that to which the vows of religious communities usually bind them.

There might be other corps exempted from such rigorous obligations, though fulfilling the same public duties. Those that form the peculiar topic of this dissertation, would be originally composed of youths desirous of emulating, with greater, duly proportionate severity, the virtues of single women.

To that end they would make choice of the military profession; subscribing on entering it to the conditions of being ever ready to defend their country, and of exercising, in the manner that I have indicated, a rigorous self control. Their task would be severe, but on that account they would feel the stimulus of an enthusiasm sufficiently powerful to give them constancy to fulfil it. As they would be led to enter these corps, by the consciousness,-excited to the highest degree of energy, of an ability to exercise self-denial, they would rejoice in finding that ability called fully into action, by the never ceasing conflicts, wherein they would engage with their strongest appetites and passions.

No difficulty nor disgrace ought to attend quitting such a corps; no question should be asked as to the motive which induced a member to separate from them. All that should be

required of him, would be, ever to speak with respect of those institutions, and not to sneer at their rules, so as to endeavour to throw contempt on them, because of having found them himself too painful to be submitted too.

Such numbers would constantly quit these corps, that a separation from them would never appear remarkable. Some would enter them with an avowed intention of remaining in them

but a few years, till of a suitable age to marry, and many others

would forsake them to enter the marriage state at a later riod.

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However, all other points of character being equal, those who remained in them to their latest hour, should be more entitled to receive marks of honour, than the persons who abandoned them.

I do not mean that the men who continued in them through life, should in their latter years be still obliged to practise robust, warlike exercises. They might be at liberty to forego. such pursuits at a much earlier period. But they would still belong to the fraternity, of which in their youth they became members, as long as they chose to remain in it, and that they gave ample reason to think, that they respected the clauses of their covenant.

The individuals belonging to these corps, would undergo a discipline, which would perhaps be very useful to the youths who intended to dedicate themselves specially, at a more advanced time of life, to religious duties.

These military fraternities would offer great incitements to the persons enroled in them, to contract warm friendships, founded on a sympathy of personal characters and tastes. The attachment which they would naturally cherish, for the universality of the members of their corps, would only be referrible to a corporation spirit, engaging them to look on themselves as a band of brothers. But individuals among them would surely often select from their entire company, particular objects of affection, solely on account of their intrinsic merit.

In doing so, should they manifest discernment, and afterwards remain faithful to their engagements, they would form friendships strictly deserving that name.

Such friendships cannot be too much encouraged in a peo

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