Michelle asked why was Lady Susan considered a bad mother - because she left her child in town? I think Lady Susan was considered a poor mother because she took little true interest in her daughter (except having the daughter marry as mother wished) and not because she was absent from her daughter so much. (She was probably doing her daughter a favour in that!) Constant maternal attendance on a child was not considered necessary at that time if the child was left well cared for. Good mothers leaving a child at home for a short time seems to happen in a lot of novels (Gardiners trip in P&P for one, Mrs. Musgrove (smaller children) to Bath for another) Also, how else would all those country house visits happen? [798 lines left ... full text available at <url:http://www.reference.com/cgi-bin/pn/go?choice=message&table=04_1997&mid=4351230&hilit=CULTURE+FUTURE> ] -------------------------------- Article-ID: 04_1997&4350554 Score: 78 Subject: Re: Returned mail: User unknown