8vo. XII,471,(1) p. Half calf 23 cm. (Details: Nice copy. Back ruled gilt. Red gilt shield in the 'second compartment'. Marbled boards. Engraving of a devotional scene on the title, engraved by J.E. Marcus, it depicts 2 women in a wreath of clouds; one of them points with her right finger to heaven; on her girdle in Greek the first 3 letters 'THEO', the rest of the text disappears in her dress. She is probably the personification of THEOLOGIA. To complete it as THEOTOKOS, an epithet of Maria, is of course impossible in a book on female protestant virtue. Next to this woman stands a young woman who has veiled her hair and humbly looks downward) (Condition: Endpapers somewhat foxed. Edges slightly foxed. Ownership inscription on the front flyleaf) (Note: The German protestant pedagogue and theologian Johann Ludwig Ewald, 1747-1822, held various positions as preacher. He was appointed professor 'der Moral' at Heidelberg. Toward the end of his life he was counselor (Kirchen- und Ministerialrath) to the government of Baden. He was a liberal protestant, and a moderate supporter of contemporary 'Rationalismus', which caused him trouble with the orthodox clergy. He always kept far from orthodoxy, adhered to biblical positivism, and concentrated on paedagogy. He was a voluminous writer, his subjects were theology, exegesis, ethics, but especially paedagogy. He had great talent for popularizing theology mixed with philosophy, literature and aesthetics. The lightness of his touch, and the freshness of his writings brought him many readers. (Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 6, p. 444/46) We quote from a review of this book from 1810. 'Niemand laat zich door het woord 'godsdienstig' afschrikken. De Schrijver behoort niet onder die strenge, of laat ons liever zeggen, eigenzinnige, stugge en wrevelige zedeleeraars, welke de minste onschuldige vrolijkheid niet verdragen kunnen, en overal even streng zijn. Bij hem verschijnt de godsdienst in een bekoorlijk licht, geschikt om alle onze genoegens te veredelen, te vergrooten, en de waarneming der pligten, welke toch elke vrouw en jonge dochter heeft, gemakkelijker te maken'. ('Bijdragen ter bevordering van het onderwijs en de opvoeding, voornamelijk met betrekking tot de Lagere Scholen in Holland', Deel 1 (2nd part:) 'Boekbeoordelingen', Leiden 1810, p. 97) (Provenance: On the front flyleaf: 'E.C.W. (heeft?) dit gekregen van hare Moeder C.E.W (...) die het als souvenir gekregen had van A.C.A. de haan Hugenholtz') (Photographs on request)