How to Create the Perfect Wife by Wendy Moore

No, this is not a manual for creating the perfect helpmeet. Abstractly it is about an experiment of sorts conducted by an 18^th century philosopher, Thomas Day.

Thomas Day had a problem. He had exceptionally ridiculous level of expectations of his future wife, and no woman could meet them or if they came perilously close they would recoil at said expectations that and bolt to the next gentleman caller.

This is the second book that I have read by Wendy Moore who again through her tenacity for research provides a nuanced view of Thomas Day and his experiment. She presents him as neither villain nor hero. But as a human man who rather surreptitiously adopted two young girls in hopes of moulding them into his human companion.

It was of course a huge folly. Thomas Day was influenced by Rosseau’s educational instruction manual, Emile, but so much like the rest of the elite of 18^th century Europe. Rosseau called for harsh integration of children into society, meaning that by immersing children into extremes of weather or play that you could create an adult that could adapt well into society. “Harden their bodies about the intemperance of season, the climates, the elements. Inure them to hunger, thirst and fatigue. Dip them in the waters of Styx”. In modernity, practicing such parenting techniques would result in the loss of your children. Most parents would be shocked at such practices. However, this was done widely by the elites, who believed Rosseau to be incredibly intelligent and above all correct in his teachings. Many parents today subscribe to parenting tomes that can strain credulity to forefathers, “spare the rod, spoil the child” would raise many a brow.

This is the world in which Day lived in, and he practiced Rosseau’s decrees with ferocity, as did his friends and colleagues with their own children. However, none used it to create their wives or companions, but they all watched Day’s experiment with baited breath.

Day used some care when selecting two young women who he would mould into his helpmeet. He went to a foundling hospital and offered an apprenticeship to two beautiful young women. This guise was soon discarded, however, the girls never did find out what the point of his education. Even after he had decided that both girls had failed to meet his expectations. Ideally, Day wanted to live a very isolated pastoral life with his love. A woman who was fleshy and buxom and intelligent, but not more so than him, one who would acquiesce to all of his demands and be happy with meagre food and living. (I know I am for one SHOCKED that he couldn't find the "right" woman). 

Set against the rich tapestry of Georgian England. This is a profound adventure of one man searching for love. 

Did Day find his perfect wife? Well. You'll have to read to find out. 

I see London, I see France!

I’ve come to the conclusion recently, that I need to make a big change in my life. Being miserable is not suitable to my mind. Being unhappy is not good for anyone attached. Misery does enjoy company, but toxicity itself is a contagion. Much like toxicity of the soul, there is toxicity and the contagion of hysteria and fear. Maximilien Robespierre was executed tomorrow July 28, 1794.

Maximilien Robespierre
Born: 6 May 1758
Death: 28 July 1794

Maximilien Robespierre was born to a lawyer, and the daughter of a brewer. He was the oldest of four children, born into bastardy, his parents had a rushed marriage. His mother died in childbirth in 1764, and his father left Arras and died in Munich in 1777. Maximilien and his siblings were brought up by their mother’s family.
Maximilien attend collège at the age of eight, and obtained a scholarship from the bishop at the age of 11 to attend Lycee Louis le Grand, where he learned much about the Roman Republic, oratory and many of the speakers (Cicero, Cato). At the age of 17, and shortly after the coronation of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, The Lycee determining that he had a gift for oratory had decided that out of five hundred pupils, it would be Maximilien that would give the speech to the visiting monarchs.
An avid follower of Jean-Jacques Rosseau, Robespierre believed in the goodness of the French people. He obtained a lawyer’s education and was admitted to the bar in Arras. He was appointed a local judge, but resigned soon after to prevent himself from having to issue a death sentence. He was a known advocate for the poor and extolled the virtues of the Enlightenment.
Robespierre became involved in politics when Louis XVI allowed provincial elections, he decided to run as a deputy for the Third Estate and was elected.
He became a frequent speaker the (newly named) Constituent Assembly, where he
” soon became involved with the new Society of the Friends of the Constitution, known eventually as the Jacobin Club. This had consisted originally of the deputies from Brittany only. After the Assembly moved to Paris, the Club began to admit various leaders of the Parisian bourgeoisie to its membership. As time went on, many of the more intelligent artisans and small shopkeepers became members of the club. Among such men, Robespierre found a sympathetic audience. As the wealthier bourgeois of Paris and right-wing deputies seceded from the club of 1789, the influence of the old leaders of the Jacobins, such as Barnave, Duport, Alexandre de Lameth, diminished. When they, alarmed at the progress of the Revolution, founded the club of the Feuillants in 1791, the left, including Robespierre and his friends, dominated the Jacobin Club.” (Wikipedia.org)
Robespierre became very popular amongst the citizenry of Arras and a lot of France.
Despite his earlier distaste for the death penalty, he advocated the death penalty for Louis XVI. He believed that Louis betrayed France by fleeing to Varennes, and it was in the interest of public safety to eliminate Louis. After Louis’ execution, the power of Robespierre and the Jacobins increased dramatically. A nine member Committee of Public Safety replaced the government institutions, and while all members were supposed to be equal, it was unilaterally Robespierre that was in charge and the defacto ruler of France.
The food riots and violence did not decrease after the death of Louis and thus the Reign of Terror was born (This is obviously an oversimplification of the events no singular event causes such catastrophe).
Robespierre lauded the Reign of Terror, and said it was necessary to eliminate France of the non virtuous citizens. It became such that counter revolutionaries were not given fair trials and were executed for simplistic and silly reasons. This aroused the ire of the French citizens, and his political enemies. On July 26th 1794, he gave a two hour long speech claiming that there are conspiracies amongst the other Committees and his innocence in any wrong doing.
He was arrested the next day, and executed the day after.