Page:Advice to young ladies on their duties and conduct in life - Arthur - 1849.djvu/154

146 perceptions of a virtuous young woman will materially aid her in forming an estimate of the young men into whose society she is thrown. If, from the first, the presence of any one is repugnant to her, she will do well to avoid the society of that person, no matter how perseveringly he may seek to gain her good opinion. Around the mind of every one is a sphere of its quality, as certainly as odor surrounds a flower; and this quality is perceived in attractions or repulsions, by all who are similar or dissimilar. The good are instinctively drawn towards each other, and so are the evil, without the real cause coming into the mind’s consciousness. The quality of the affections, likewise, whether good or evil, are expressed in the eye and on the face; and although we have no key to their interpretation, and cannot say, except in certain cases, what the mind’s true quality is, from what it stamps upon the face, yet we have an instinctive perception of it as good or evil, and are repelled or attracted involuntarily. To her first impressions of character, it will, therefore, always be well for a young lady to pay great respect, and always admit with caution any one who was at first repugnant to a friendly relation. She who will keep her mind pure, and carefully observe and be guided by her first impressions of