The works of the German philosopher Kant will, some time hence, serve as a useful exercise of thought; and you will find it interesting as well as useful to trace the resemblances and differences between the great English and the great German philosophers, Kant and Coleridge.  Locke’s small work on Education contains many valuable suggestions, and Watts on the Mind is also well worthy your attention.  It is quite necessary that Watts’ Logic should form a part of your studies; it is written professedly for women, and with ingenious simplicity.  A knowledge of the forms of Logic is useful even to women, for the purpose of sharpening and disciplining the reasoning powers.

Do not be startled when I further recommend to you Blackstone’s “Commentaries” and Burlamaqui’s “Treatise on Natural Law.”  These are books which, besides affording admirable opportunities for the exercise of both concentrated and comprehensive thought, will fill your mind with valuable ideas, and furnish it with very important information.  Finally, I recommend to your unceasing and most respectful study the works of that “Prince of modern philosophers,” Lord Bacon.  In his great mind were united the characteristics of the two ancient, but nevertheless universal, schools of philosophy, the Aristotelic and the Platonic.  It is, I believe, the only instance known of such a difficult combination.  His “Essays,” his “Advancement of Learning,” his “Wisdom of the Ancients,” you might understand and profit by, even now.  Through all the course of an education, which I hope will only end with your life, you cannot do better than to keep him as your constant companion and intellectual guide.

The foregoing list of works seems almost too voluminous for any woman to make herself mistress of; but you may trust to one who has had extensive experience for herself and others, that the principle of “Nulla dies sine linea” is as useful in the case of reading as in that of painting:  the smallest quantity of work daily performed will accomplish in a year’s time that which at the beginning of the year would have seemed to the inexperienced a hopeless task.

As yet, I have only spoken of philosophy; there is, however, another branch of knowledge, viz. science, which also requires great concentration of thought, and which ought to receive some degree of attention, or you will appear, and, what would be still worse, feel, very stupid and ignorant with respect to many of the practical details of ordinary life.  You are continually hearing of the powers of the lever, the screw, the wedge, of the laws of motion, &c. &c., and they are often brought forward as illustrations even on simply literary subjects.  An acquaintance with these matters is also necessary to enter with any degree of interest into the wonderful exhibitions of mechanical powers which are among the prominent objects of attention in the present day.  You cannot even make intelligent inquiries, and betray a graceful, because unwilling ignorance, without some degree of general knowledge of science.