The education
of women in the 18th century was geared towards the attainment of
skills to catch and keep a husband. This was a sensible approach if
one believed that a woman must have a man to take care of, and one
could rely on men to adequately support the women in their care. Her
own life had given Mary considerable evidence to the contrary.
At an early point in life, Mary realized
that women were dependent upon men, not because they were incapable
of learning to support themselves, but because they were not taught
to do so. At the age of nine, Mary made the acquaintance of a
clergyman who encouraged her education. With that initial
encouragement, Mary found a life's ambition.
Mary was "largely self-taught and not
classically trained" (2)
but this did not stop her from becoming a renowned author and
advocate of education for all.