Imentionthisaffairchieflyforthesakeofrecommendingthatbranchofeducationforouryoungfemales, aslikelytobeofmoreusetothemandtheirchildren, incaseofwidowhood, thaneithermusicordancing, bypreservingthemfromlossesbyimpositionofcraftymen, andenablingthemtocontinue, perhaps, aprofitablemercantilehouse, withestablish'dcorrespondence, tillasonisgrownupfittoundertakeandgoonwithit, tothelastingadvantageandenrichingofthefamily.
Abouttheyear1734therearrivedamongusfromIrelandayoungPresbyterianpreacher, namedHemphill, whodeliveredwithagoodvoice, andapparentlyextempore, mostexcellentdiscourses, whichdrewtogetherconsiderablenumbersofdifferentpersuasions, whojoin', Ibecameoneofhisconstanthearers, hissermonspleasingme, astheyhadlittleofthedogmaticalkind, butinculcatedstronglythepracticeofvirtue, , however, ofourcongregation, whoconsideredthemselvesasorthodoxPresbyterians, disapprov'dhisdoctrine, andwerejoin'dbymostoftheoldclergy, whoarraign'dhimofheterodoxybeforethesynod, inordertohavehimsilenc', andcontributedallIcouldtoraiseapartyinhisfavour, ; andfindingthat, tho' anelegantpreacher, hewasbutapoorwriter, Ilenthimmypenandwroteforhimtwoorthreepamphlets, andonepieceintheGazetteofApril, , asisgenerallythecasewithcontroversialwritings, tho' eagerlyreadatthetime, weresoonoutofvogue, andIquestionwhetherasinglecopyofthemnowexists.[76]
