them to be ill spoken of.

Thus far, it cannot be denied that there is a great deal of
conscientiousness in the world. But beyond limits something like these,
it is much more rare than many suppose. To say that it does not exist
beyond such narrow limits, would be unjust; but it must be admitted
that, taking the world at large, its existence is so rare, as hardly to
entitle it to the name of a living, moving, breathing principle of
action.

I do not suppose that young women are less conscientious than young
men; nor that the young of either sex are less conscientious than their
seniors. It would be a novel if not unheard of thing, to find the youth
without conscience, merging, in due time, into the conscientious
octogenarian. The contrary is the more common course.

And yet how few are the young women who make it a matter of conscience
to perform every thing they do--the smaller no less than the larger
matters of life--in such a way as to meet the approbation of an
internal monitor. Do they not generally bow to the tribunal of a
fashionable world? Do they generally care sufficiently, in the every
day actions, words, thoughts and feelings of their lives, what God's
vicegerent in the soul says about their conduct?--or if they _do_
care, is it because it is right or wrong in the sight of God--or of
_man_?

A due regard to the authority of conscience would lead people, as it
seems to me, to yield obedience to her dictates on every occasion. They
who disregard her voice in one thing, are likely to do so in others.
Who does not know the power of habit? Who will deny that the individual