| Description | In this letter Mary Jane Taylor thanks Elizabeth for sending her best wishes to her parents for their 30th wedding anniversary. She provides an account of recent activities as business difficulties continued to concern the family. Mary Taylor writes that 'now seems to be a time for trust & prayer and for trial of faith', describing recent times as 'the darkest'. She refers again to the deceitfulness of John Taylor's business partner Mr. Downings and the Mendip Mills concern, providing a detailed description of John Taylor's difficulties. Mary Taylor also refers to Elizabeth's proposition to undertake paid teaching work, suggesting that Elizabeth should not accept employment by a Quaker family as Friends were 'so paltry in their renumerations'. Mary Taylor advises Elizabeth that she ought to submit an advertisement to 'The Times' asking for £150. She writes:
'I believe thou would get it at once, people would say in the higher circles, here is someone very superior so she is not afraid to ask, and then thou would be within the mark of thy real worth'.
Mary Taylor describes teaching as 'the grand work of training minds which in turn would help to guide the nation'. However, she suggests that Elizabeth needed to 'get thy political views set right first'. Mary Taylor comments that there was 'good reason' for her daughters 'taking up work' as well as her sons. |