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Author: Fraser, Donald, 1755?-1820.
Title: The mental flower-garden, or Instructive and entertaining companion for the fair-sex. Containing, a variety of elegant poetical pieces --pleasing and admonitory letters --cards of compliment --devotional poems --dialogues --writing-pieces --English grammar in verse; and some sketches of female biography: : to which is added, a short but sure guide to an accurate pronunciation (which may save some young ladies a blush in company.) / By D. Fraser, teacher in New-York: author of the Young gentleman and lady's assistant, Columbian monitor, Select biography, &c. ; [Four lines of verse] ; (Copy-right secured)
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Print source: The mental flower-garden, or Instructive and entertaining companion for the fair-sex. Containing, a variety of elegant poetical pieces --pleasing and admonitory letters --cards of compliment --devotional poems --dialogues --writing-pieces --English grammar in verse; and some sketches of female biography: : to which is added, a short but sure guide to an accurate pronunciation (which may save some young ladies a blush in company.) / By D. Fraser, teacher in New-York: author of the Young gentleman and lady's assistant, Columbian monitor, Select biography, &c. ; [Four lines of verse] ; (Copy-right secured)
Fraser, Donald, 1755?-1820., Scoles, John, 1772?-1853, engraver.
Danbury [Conn.]:: Printed by Douglas & Nichols., M,DCCC. [1800]
Subject terms:
English language -- Grammar.
Women -- Education.
Textbooks.
Anthologies.
Dialogues.
URL: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/N28093.0001.001
How to cite: For suggestions on citing this text, please see Citing the TCP on the Text Creation Partnership website.

Table of Contents
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frontispiece
title page
DEDICATION.
PREFACE.
INTRODUCTORY HINTS, RELATIVE TO POETRY AND THE MUSES.
part
OF THE MUSES.
To recite verse with propriet, it will be necessary to ob|serve the few following rules:
THE MENTAL FLOWER-GARDEN.
LINES, addressed to the FAIR-READERS of the FLOWER-GARDEN:
AMERICAN MUSE.
ODE TO A YOUNG LADY ON DRESS.
THE NATURAL BEAUTY.
A CHARACTER.
THE PROGRESS OF LIFE.
The INVITATION—
THE VIOLET.
ON BEAUTY.
THE BIRD's NEST.
A FEMALE CHARACTER.
THE WINTER OF AGE.
THE LILY OF THE VALE.
THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE.
VERSES ON MISS B—.
A NEW-YEAR's GIFT, addressed to the LADIES.
THE FEMALE FRIEND.
THE LOVELY TWINS.
RHAPSODY ON MISS MARY —.
VERSES, Written by an American Gentleman, after his arrival in London.
ON THE MARRIAGE OF MISS S—, TO MR. H—.
EPIGRAM ON A LADY.
POETICAL LETTERS.
LETTER I To MARIA, a young Lady of fourteen years of age. Written by the desire of her Mother.
LETTER II. FROM AN AUNT TO HER NIECE LATELY MAR|RIED, ON THE DUTIES OF A WIFE.
LETTER III. THE BASHFUL MAN. In the manner of the new Bath-Guide.
LETTER IV. To a young Lady on her first coming to the City.
prose
poem
LETTER V. The following letter was written to a young Gentleman, who, in the company of the Author, endeavored to prove that women had less understanding than men—from the Apostle Peter's stiling them "weaker vessels."
LETTER VI. From a Lady to W. Z. Esq. giving a sketch of his Character.
LETTER VII. From a sensible Female, to a foppish Gentleman, who paid his addresses to a very agreeable young Lady, yet praised only her beauty.
WRITING PIECES; IN PROSE AND VERSE. ON A LADIE's WRITING.
POETICAL PIECES.
REMARKS ON POETRY.
GOOD-NATURE, THE CHIEF SOURCE OF CONNUBI HAPPINESS.
ADVICE TO THE FAIR SEX: On the art of pleasing.
ON MODERN FASHION.
VERSES TO ANNA.
THE LASS OF MAIDEN-LANE.
THE SMILES OF COMPLACENCY. ADDRESSED TO CLARA.
LINES TO EMILY.
VERSES to MIRA, on removing into the Country.
THE GOVERNESS: A SIMILE.
EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK OF WISDOM. "Hearken unto thy father—despise not thy mother when she is old!"
ON A YOUNG LADY SINGING.
AN ELEGY, ON THE DEATH OF MISS W—, AN AMIABLE YOUNG LADY, WHO DIED OF A CONSUMPTION.
AN ELEGANT SIMILE.
ON VIRTUE.
prose pieces
ON RELIGION.
ON THE RESURRECTION.
ON TRUE POLITENESS.
RATIONAL LOVE.
EXTRACT.
The following judicious remarks are selected form a tract entitled, "Thoughts upon Female Education, ac|commodated to the present state of society, manners, and government, in the United States." Addressed to the Visitors of the young ladies' Academy, in Philadelphia, by that eminent patron of the fair sex, BENJAMIN RUSH, M. D.
OF KNOWING YOUR CONDITION.
OF BEHAVIOUR TO SUPERIORS.
OF BEHAVIOUR TO YOUR EQUALS.
OF BEHAVIOUR TO INFERIOURS.
OF BEHAVIOUR AT SCHOOL.
OF BEHAVIOUR TO PARENTS.
OF BEHAVIOUR IN THE FAMILY.
OF BAHAVIOUR IN COMPANY.
TO MAKE A COURTESY.
TO GIVE OR RECEIVE ANY THING.
TO WALK GRACEFULLY.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME.
Some rules and observations necessary for young Ladies.
RECIPE FOR A LADY'S DRESS.
AN ABRIDGMENT OF SHERIDAN's PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY, Wherein the most difficult words are printed according to their true ORTHOGRAPHY, with the ACCENTED VOWEL, or CONSONANT marked in each, and the part of SPEECH added to which each word belongs: —every word is re-printed, and divided accurately.
LETTERS.
LETTER I. FROM PORTIA TO HER DAUGHTER.
LETTER II.
LETTER III. FROM SOPHIA TO HER MOTHER PORTIA.
LETTER IV.
LETTER V. FROM PORTIA TO HER DAUGHTER SOPHIA.
LETTER VI.
LETTER VII. FROM SOPHIA TO HER MOTHER PORTIA.
LETTER VIII. FROM PORTIA TO HER DAUGHTER SOPHIA.
LETTER IX. SOPHIA TO HER MOTHER PORTIA.
LETTER X. FROM PORTIA TO HER DAUGHTER SOPHIA.
LETTER XI.
LETTER XII. FROM SOPHIA TO HER MOTHER PORTIA.
LETTER XIII.
LETTER XIV. FROM PORTIA TO HER DAUGHTER SOPHIA
LETTER XV.
LETTER XVI. FROM SOPHIA TO HER MOTHER PORTIA.
LETTER XVII. FROM PORTIA TO HER DAUGHTER SOPHIA.
CARDS OF COMPLIMENT. Compositions of this kind should be short, plain, and polite: —Cards of compliment must contain but one subject▪ and that should be expressed with elegance and propriety.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, AND ANECDOTES OF EMINENT WOMEN.
An account of Miss D. Schlozer, a celebrated learned Lady of Hanver, who was thought worthy of the highest Academical honors, in the University of Got|tengen, at the grand jubilee, in the year 1787.
From the ITALIAN MERCURY. SINGULAR ACCOUNT OF A FEMALE SURGEON.
LIFE OF MADAME DU CHATELET.
ENTERTAINING and MORAL DIALOGUES, Partly Original.
DIALOGUE I. Shewing how a young Lady may make every one love her: between Miss JENNET and Miss HARRIET.
DIALOGUE II. On a proud and haughty carriage towards inferiors, be|tween Miss FANNY and Miss NANCY.
DIALOGUE III. On reading the Scriptures, between Miss AMELIA and Miss LUCINDA.
DIALOGUE IV. Reflections on reading the Scriptures, between Miss CHARLOTTE and Miss KATY.
DIALOGUE V. On DEATH, between Miss NANCY and her Mamma.
RELIGIOUS DIALOGUES. The General Principles of the Christian Religion explain|ed: in a series of Dialogues, between a Master and Scholar.
A CONCISE POETICAL DESCRIPTION OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
OF LETTERS, VOWELS, and DIPHTHONGS.
Of SYLLABLES and their DIVISION.
Of ARTICLES.
Of ADJECTIVES.
Of NOUNS.
PROPER.
COMMON.
CASE.
OF GENDER.
PERSON.
Of PRONOUNS.
Of a VERB.
Of ADVERBS.
Of PREPOSITIONS.
Of CONJUNCTION.
Of INTERJECTION.
Of STOPS and MARKS.
EXAMPLE.
Of the SEMI-COLON [;]
EXAMPLE.
Of the COLON [:]
EXAMPLE.
Of the PERIOD [.]
EXAMPLE.
Of POINTING in GENERAL.
Of ACCENT.
A GENERAL EXCEPTION.
Of EMPHASIS.
Of CADENCE.
Of CAPITAL LETTERS.
instructions for writing
HINTS WITH REGARD TO MAKING PENS FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF WRITING, &c.
ATTITUDE FOR WRITING.
OF HOLDING THE PEN.
DEVOTIONAL POEMS: ADAPTED TO SEVERAL PORTIONS OF SCRIPTURE; BY THE REVEREND MARK ANTHONY MEILAN, AUTHOR OF SERMONS FOR CHILDREN.
ON THE NEW YEAR.
ON EVIL SPEAKING.
ON PRIDE.
ON FAMILY AFFECTION.
ON THE GRACE OF GOD.
ON MODESTY.
ON TRUTH IN SPEAKING.
ON GOOD-FRIDAY.
ON A CHOICE OF BOOKS.
ON SLOTH.
ON THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.
ON THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
ON THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
ON ANGER.
ON A PROPER BEHAVIOR TO SUPERIORS, EQUALS AND INFERIORS.
ON DISSIPATION.
ON CHRISTMAS-DAY.
AN ADDRESS TO THE DEITY.
A HYMN, ON OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR.
SOVEREIGN LOVE, AN ODE.
ON OUR DUTY TO GOD,
AN ADDRESS OF GRATITUDE AND VEN|ERATION TO THE GREAT CREATOR. AN IRREGULAR ODE.
A PSALM FOR A PERSON UNDER AFFLICTION.
A PSALM FOR A FAMILY.
A PSALM OF PRAISE, FOR MERCIES RE|CEIVED.
A PSALM FOR A PERSON IN PRIVATE, PRAISING GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS.
A FATHER's PRAYER FOR HIS CHILDREN.
A PSALM OF PRAISE.
A PSALM OF PRAISE, COMPOSED WHILE THE AUTHOR WAS TAKING A RETIRED WALK IN THE COUNTRY.
A HYMN IN PROSE.
THE ADVANTAGES OF EARLY RELIGION.
INDEX.