"But remember, my young female friends, and the lesson cannot be too deeply impressed upon your mind, that the seeds of a woman's lifelong excellences must be sewn in the springtime of existence. The flowers of womanly excellence, which you would wish to grow in your future character, must be previously and carefully selected, and be contemplated, anticipated, in all their full blown beauty and their richest fragrance, even while you are yet in youth."

John Angell James, "Female Piety" 1853

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