Is like repose and a delicious unbending to the spirit to go

to the study of Locke, and to find a train of thought always

equable, a styl% simple and dispassionate, an author always

master of himself, always correct, notwithstanding some

errors, and a book, finally, filled, not with flashes and smoke,

but with a light that is agreeable and pure.

[223. Analytical Summary. — 1. This study illustrates

the fact that the aims and methods of education are deter-

mined by the types of thought, philosophical, political,

PHILOSOPHERS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 211

religious, scientific, and social, that happen to* be in the

ascendent ; and also the tendency of the human mind to

adopt extreme views.

2. The subjective tendency of human thought is typified

by the Socratic philosophy, and the objective tendency by

the Baconian philosophy ; and from these two main sources

have issued two distinctive schools of educators, the formal-

ists and the realists, the first holding that the main purpose

of education is discipline, training, or formation, and the

other, that this purpose is furnishing instruction or informa-

tion. This line is distinctly drawn in the seventeenth

century, and the two schools are typified by Malebranche

and Locke.

3. The spirit of reaction is exhibited in the opposition to

classical studies, in the effort to convert study into a diver-

sion, in the use of milder means of discipline, and in the

importance attached to useful studies. In these particulars

the reaction of the sixteenth century is intensified. J

CHAPTER X.

THE EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN THE SEVENTEENTH

CENTURY. — JACQUELINE PASCAL AND ISIADAME DE

MA1NTENON.

the education of women in the seventeenth century; madame

de sevigne j the abbe fleury ; education in convents ; port

royal and the regulations of jacqueline fascal j general

impression; severity and affection; general character of

saini ^jyr; two periods in the institution of saint cyr;

dramatic representations ; THE reform of 1692 ; THE part

PLAYED BY MADAME DE MAINTENON J HER PEDAGOGICAL WRIT-

INGS J INTERIOR ORGANIZATION OF SAINT CYR ; DISTRUST OF

READING J THE STUDY OF HISTORY NEGLECTED ; INSTRUCTION INSUF-

FICIENT ; manual labor; moral education; discreet devo-

tion; SIMPLICITY IN ALL THINGS; FENELON AND SAINT CYR;

GENERAL JUDGMENT J ANALYTICAL SUMMARY.

224. The Education of Women in the Seventeenth

Century. — The Education of Girls of Fenelon has shown us

how far the spirit of the seventeenth century was able to go

in what concerns the education of women, as exhibited in

the most liberal theories on the subject ; but in practice,

save in brilliant exceptions, even the modest and imperfect

ideal of Fenelon was far from being attained.

Chrysale was not alone of this opinion, when he said in

the Learned Ladies : —

"It is not very proper, and for several reasons, that a

woman should study and know so many things. To train the

minds of her children in good morals and manners, to super-

intend her household, by keeping an eye on her servants,

and to control the expenditures with economy, ought to be

EDUCATION OF WOMEN. 213

her study and philosophy." 1 It is true that Moliere himself

did not sympathize with the prejudices whose expression he

put in the mouth of his comic character, and that he con-

cludes that a woman " may be enlightened on every subject"

(" Je consens qu'une femme ait des clart6s de tout"). But

in real fact and in practice, it is the opinion of Chrysale

that prevailed. Even in the higher classes, woman held

herself aloof from instruction, and from things intellectual.

Madame Racine had never seen played, and had probably \

never read, the tragedies of her husband.

225. Madame de Sevigne. — However, the seventeenth

century was not wanting in women of talent or genius, who

might have made an eloquent plea in behalf of their sex ; but

they were content to give personal examples of a high order,

without any anxiety to be imitated. Madame de Lafayette

made beautiful translations from Latin ; Madame Dacier

was a humanist of the first order ; and Madame de SeVigne

knew the modern languages as well as the ancient. No one

has better described the advantage of reading. She recom-

mends the reading of romances in the following terms : —

" I found that a young man became generous and brave

in seeing my heroes, and that a girl became genteel and wise

in reading Cleopatra. There are occasionally some who take

things somewhat amiss, but they would perhaps do scarcely

any better if they could not read." 2

Madame de Sevigne had her daughter read Descartes, and

her granddaughter Pauline, the tragedies of Corneille.

"For my part," she said, "if I were to bring up my

granddaughter, I would have her read what is good, but not

too simple. I would reason with her." !

1 Les Ft mmes Savantes, Act n. Scene vu., Van Laun's translation.

2 Letter of Nov. 1(5, 1G89. 3 Letter of June 1, 1G80.

214 THE HISTORY OF PEDAGOGY.

22G. The Abbe Fleury. — But Madame de Sevigne 1 and

Madame de Grignan were but brilliant exceptions. If one

were to doubt the ignorance of the women of this period, it

would suffice to read this striking passage from the Abbe

Fleury, the assistant of Fenelon in the education of the

Duke of Bourgogne : —

"This, doubtless, will be a great paradox, that women

ought to learn anything else than their catechism, sewing,

and different little pieces of work, singing, dancing, and

dressing in the fashion, and to make a fine courtesy. As

things now go, this constitutes all their education." 1

Fleury desires something else for woman. He demands

that she learn to write correctly in French, and that she

study logic and arithmetic. But we need not fear lest the

liberalism of a thinker of the seventeenth century carry him

too far. Fleury admits, for example, that history is abso-

lutely useless to women.