Read the excerpt from Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences, 1815-1897."My father," I replied, "prefers boys; he wishes I was one, and I intend to be as near like one as possible. I am going to ride on horseback and study Greek. Will you give me a Greek lesson now, doctor? I want to begin at once.""Yes, child," said [Rev. Simon Hosack], throwing down his hoe, "come into my library and we will begin without delay."He entered fully into the feeling of suffering and sorrow which took possession of me when I discovered that a girl weighed less in the scale of being than a boy, and he praised my determination to prove the contrary.