"the centres of our household commonwealth, and the trainers of the nation's children"

This quote comes from Sara Josepha Hale's Manners; or, Happy Homes and Good Society. The quote as it stands in this ID references Hale's ideas about wives and mothers, who are the "teacher[s] and exemplar[s] from whom the future citizens of the Republic derive their first lessons in knowledge, manners and morals." The whole passage, though, deals with Hale's desire for seminary schools for women that teach them how to be better prepared to lead their households whenever they start them. This quote is significant because Hale identifies womens' roles as being the most important role in society, and because of this fact she wants women to be better educated and prepared for this responsibility.

-Rebecca Cuffley
Section 1 C