Alexandria Gazette

Advice to a Young Lady.—A young lady at eighteen, often needs a warning voice to point out the quicksands over which she is speeding her thoughtless career. I hear you are beautiful and have many admirers. I am sorry for it. A young woman whose conduct is marked with strict honor and principle, cannot have many admirers. There is nothing that more certainly marks a bad heart, and depraved moral principles, or worse, a thorough destitution of it, than the cruel and guilty encouragement of honorable love.

A young man is never long attached to a young lady without her being aware of it—commonly, indeed, before he himself is aware of the nature and extent of his feelings. The knowledge is almost intuitive. From the moment she be persuaded that she cannot reciprocate his sentiments, her course is plain before her—it is cool, undeviating, unhesitating repulse, on every occasion, place and manner. Love will die without hope. To crush love in the bud is easy; but trifle and tamper with it till it has taken root in the heart, and its destruction is attended with the extinction of the heart's best and noblest feelings.

Never forget this prime maxim in these matters, 'not to discourage is always to encourage.' Your choice, I will not, I would not bias. But I had rather hear that you are engaged to a man of good character and industrious habits, than to the wealthiest man without them; for in this country, these are always a sure pledge of final success.

A mean and culpable species of coquetry, is the practice of not giving decided encouragement, or repulse, with a view to keeping your slave till you have learned, to use the cant phrase, you cannot do better. I know not an expression that betrays more despicable meanness. She who uses it, shows a willingness to sell her hand—to traffic her person for value received, that is revolting in the highest degree.

No one, not even a parent, can tell what character will render any lady happy, but herself—on herself, on herself alone then, must she rest the responsibility of her choice.

Ladies too often attempt to gain husbands, as anglers catch fish—by drawing the bait, as he approaches it, till he is impelled to grasp at every hazard; but she who angles for a husband, may find too late, that she has gained the man at the expense of the husband's confidence in her principles and heart.—Christian Register.