| Description | In this letter John Taylor expresses his concern about Elizabeth's behaviour whilst she was at school in Saxe-Meiningen. He writes that he and Elizabeth's mother Mary Jane Taylor had 'for some time felt uneasy' about 'the tone' of Elizabeth's letters. He criticises Elizabeth's 'wildness', suggesting that it had 'been excessive' and caused concern amongst her governesses at the school. John Taylor warns his daughter not to be disobedient to her teachers and asks her to consider her 'conduct' and 'companionships', asking 'has thy progress been Heavenward?' He also advises Elizabeth to 'make more of a companion' of her elder sister Margaret and admits that he regretted allowing the girls to participate in dancing lessons suggesting that 'the discipline of being singular in this would have done you good'.
This letter relates to letters sent by Elizabeth Taylor to her father and mother in November 1872 about the difficulties she was experiencing at school. |