Words

Good Dispositions to be Cultivated and Evil Dispositions to be Avoided is one of the most engaging prints on the scrolls. Paired with a biblical plate Words with Scripture References, the print invites pupils to "think of the good feelings you must try to cultivate and the evil passions you must endeavour to avoid".

The plate highlights the extent to which the meaning of words and the social expectations attached to them can change over time. To be artless, to be lacking in art or guile, may well have been a positive virtue in the early 19th century but today might carry connotations of a lack of talent or skill.

On the other hand, to be passionate may well be seen today as a virtue in a society which places emphasis on individualism, but perhaps it was seen as something to be avoided in the early 19th century in a society which advised children that "you must not expect everything to happen just as you wish it, but by patiently endeavouring to do your duty, and being content with your lot when you cannot make it different".