CUSTOM AND TRADITION. I. To a young gentleman who had firmly resolved never to wear anything but a gray coat 246 II. To a conservative who had accused the author of a want of respect for tradition 254 III. To a lady who lamented that her son had intellectual doubts concerning the dogmas of the church 263 IV. To the son of the lady to whom the preceding letter was addressed 269 V. To a friend who seemed to take credit to himself, intellectually, from the nature of his religious belief 276 VI. To a Roman Catholic friend who accused the intellectual class of a want of reverence for authority 280 PART VII. WOMEN AND MARRIAGE. I. To a young gentleman of intellectual tastes, who, without having as yet any particular lady in view, had expressed, in a general way, his determination to get married 285 II. To a young gentleman who contemplated marriage 291 III. To the same 299 IV. To the same 306 V. To the same 312 VI. To a solitary student 322 VII. To a lady of high culture who found it difficult to associate with persons of her own sex 325 VIII. To a lady of high culture 330 IX. To a young man of the middle class, well educated, who complained that it was difficult for him to live agreeably with his mother, a person of somewhat authoritative disposition, but uneducated 333 PART VIII. ARISTOCRACY AND DEMOCRACY. I. To a young English nobleman 341 II. To an English democrat 358 PART IX. SOCIETY AND SOLITUDE. I. To a lady who doubted the reality of intellectual friendships 374 II. To a young gentleman who lived much in fashionable society 379 III. To the same 384 IV. To the same 391 V. To a young gentleman who kept entirely out of company 397 VI. To a friend who kindly warned the author of the bad effects of solitude 402 PART X. INTELLECTUAL HYGIENICS. I. To a young author whilst he was writing his first book 415 II. To a student in the first ardor of intellectual ambition 422