The Governess; Or, The Little Female Academy — John Shaqi
The Governess; Or, The Little Female AcademyFielding, Sarah
General
The Governess; Or, The Little Female Academy
Fielding, Sarah
Didactic fiction; Girls' schools -- Fiction; Governesses -- Fiction; School children -- Fiction; Schools -- Fiction
Miss Dolly Friendly, who had too much sense to engage the battle for
the sake of an apple, and who was provoked to strike a blow only for
friendship’s sake, easily saw the truth of what Miss Jenny said; and was
therefore presently convinced, that the best part she could have acted
for her friend, would have been to have withdrawn her from the scuffle.
A SCENE OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, QUITE THE REVERSE OF THE BATTLE,
WHEREIN ARE SHOWN THE DIFFERENT EFFECTS OF LOVE AND GOODNESS FROM THOSE
ATTENDING ANGER, STRIFE, AND WICKEDNESS: WITH THE LIFE OF MISS JENNY
PEACE.
After Miss Jenny had completed the good work of making all her
companions friends, she drew them round her in a little arbour, in that
very garden which had been the scene of their strife, and consequently
of their misery; and then spoke to them the following speech; which
she delivered in so mild a voice, that it was sufficient to charm her
hearers into attention, and to persuade them to be led by her advice,
and to follow her example in the paths of goodness.
‘My dear friends and schoolfellows, you cannot imagine the happiness it
gives me to see you thus all so heartily reconciled. You will find
the joyful fruits of it. Nothing can show so much sense as thus to own
yourselves in fault; for could anything have been so foolish as to spend
all your time in misery, rather than at once to make use of the power
you have of making yourselves happy? Now if you will use as many
endeavours to love as you have hitherto done to hate each other, you
will find that every one amongst you, whenever you have anything given
you, will have double, nay, I may say eight times (as there are eight of
you) the pleasure, in considering that your companions are happy. What
is the end of quarrels, but that everyone is fretted and vexed, and
no one gains anything! Whereas by endeavouring to please and love each
other, the end is happiness to ourselves, and joy to everyone around us.
I am sure, if you will speak the truth, none of you have been so easy
since you quarrelled, as you are now you are reconciled. Answer me
honestly, if this is not truth.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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