a vindication of the rights of woman-第50章

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ecessity　of　educating　the　sexes　together　to　perfect　both；　and　of　making　children　sleep　at　home；　that　they　may　learn　to　love　home；　yet　to　make　private　support　instead　of　smothering　public　affections；　they　should　be　sent　to　school　to　mix　with　a　number　of　equals；　for　only　by　the　jostlings　of　equality　can　we　form　a　just　opinion　of　ourselves。　To　render　mankind　more　virtuous；　and　happier　of　course；　both　sexes　must　act　from　the　same　principle；　but　how　can　that　be　expected　when　only　one　is　allowed　to　see　the　reasonableness　of　it？　　To　render　also　the　social　compact　truly　equitable；　and　in　order　to　spread　those　enlightening　principles；　which　alone　can　meliorate　the　fate　of　man；　women　must　be　allowed　to　found　their　virtue　on　knowledge；　which　is　scarcely　possible　unless　they　be　educated　by　the　same　pursuits　as　men。　　For　they　are　now　made　so　inferiour　by　ignorance　and　low　desires；　as　not　to　deserve　to　be　ranked　with　them；　or；　by　the　serpentine　wrigglings　of　cunning　they　mount　the　tree　of　knowledge　and　only　acquire　sufficient　to　lead　men　astray。　It　is　plain　from　the　history　of　all　nations；　that　women　cannot　be　confined　to　merely　domestic　pursuits；　for　they　will　not　fulfil　family　duties；　unless　their　minds　take　a　wider　range；　and　whilst　they　are　kept　in　ignorance；　they　become　in　the　same　proportion；　the　slaves　of　pleasure　as　they　are　the　slaves　of　man。　　Nor　can　they　be　shut　out　of　great　enterprises；　though　the　narrowness　of　their　minds　often　make　them　mar　what　they　are　unable　to　comprehend。　The　libertinism；　and　even　the　virtues　of　superior　men；　will　always　give　women；　of　some　description；　great　power　over　them；　and　these　weak　women；　under　the　influence　of　childish　passions　and　selfish　vanity；　will　throw　a　false　light　over　the　objects　which　the　very　men　view　with　their　eyes；　who　ought　to　enlighten　their　judgment。　Men　of　fancy；　and　those　sanguine　characters　who　mostly　hold　the　helm　of　human　affairs；　in　general；　relax　in　the　society　of　women；　and　surely　I　need　not　cite　to　the　most　superficial　reader　of　history；　the　numerous　examples　of　vice　and　oppression　which　the　private　intrigues　of　female　favourites　have　produced；　not　to　dwell　on　the　mischief　that　naturally　arises　from　the　blundering　interposition　of　well…meaning　folly。　　For　in　the　transactions　of　business　it　is　much　better　to　have　to　deal　with　a　knave　than　a　fool；　because　a　knave　adheres　to　some　plan；　and　any　plan　of　reason　may　be　seen　through　much　sooner　than　a　sudden　flight　of　folly。　　The　power　which　vile　and　foolish　women　have　had　over　wise　men；　who　possessed　sensibility；　is　notorious；　I　shall　only　mention　one　instance。　Whoever　drew　a　more　exalted　female　character　than　Rousseau？　　though　in　the　lump　he　constantly　endeavoured　to　degrade　the　sex。　　And　why　was　he　thus　anxious？　　Truly　to　justify　to　himself　the　affection　which　weakness　and　virtue　had　made　him　cherish　for　that　fool　Theresa。　　He　could　not　raise　her　to　the　common　level　of　her　sex；　and　therefore　he　laboured　to　bring　woman　down　to　her's。　　He　found　her　a　convenient　humble　companion；　and　pride　made　him　determine　to　find　some　superior　virtues　in　the　being　whom　he　chose　to　live　with；　but　did　not　her　conduct　during　his　life；　and　after　his　death；　clearly　show　how　grossly　he　was　mistaken　who　called　her　a　celestial　innocent。　　Nay；　in　the　bitterness　of　his　heart；　he　himself　laments；　that　when　his　bodily　infirmities　made　him　no　longer　treat　her　like　a　woman；　she　ceased　to　have　an　affection　for　him。　　And　it　was　very　natural　that　she　should；　for　having　so　few　sentiments　in　common；　when　the　sexual　tie　was　broken；　what　was　to　hold　her？　　To　hold　her　affection　whose　sensibility　was　confined　to　one　sex；　nay；　to　one　man；　it　requires　sense　to　turn　sensibility　into　the　broad　channel　of　humanity：　many　women　have　not　mind　enough　to　have　an　affection　for　a　woman；　or　a　friendship　for　a　man。　　But　the　sexual　weakness　that　makes　woman　depend　on　man　for　a　subsistence；　produces　a　kind　of　cattish　affection；　which　leads　a　wife　to　purr　about　her　husband；　as　she　would　about　any　man　who　fed　and　caressed　her。　Men；　are　however；　often　gratified　by　this　kind　of　fondness　which　is　confined　in　a　beastly　manner　to　themselves；　but　should　they　ever　become　more　virtuous；　they　will　wish　to　converse　at　their　fire…side　with　a　friend；　after　they　cease　to　play　with　a　mistress。　　Besides；　understanding　is　necessary　to　give　variety　and　interest　to　sensual　enjoyments；　for　low；　indeed；　in　the　intellectual　scale；　is　the　mind　that　can　continue　to　love　when　neither　virtue　nor　sense　give　a　human　appearance　to　an　animal　appetite。　　But　sense　will　always　preponderate；　and　if　women　are　not；　in　general；　brought　more　on　a　level　with　men；　some　superior　women；　like　the　Greek　courtezans　will　assemble　the　men　of　abilities　around　them；　and　draw　from　their　families　many　citizens；　who　would　have　stayed　at　home；　had　their　wives　had　more　sense；　or　the　graces　which　result　from　the　exercise　of　the　understanding　and　fancy；　the　legitimate　parents　of　taste。　　A　woman　of　talents；　if　she　be　not　absolutely　ugly；　will　always　obtain　great　power；　raised　by　the　weakness　of　her　sex；　and　in　proportion　as　men　acquire　virtue　and　delicacy：　by　the　exertion　of　reason；　they　will　look　for　both　in　women；　but　they　can　only　acquire　them　in　the　same　way　that　men　do。　In　France　or　Italy　have　the　women　confined　themselves　to　domestic　life？　though　they　have　not　hitherto　had　a　political　existence；　yet；　have　they　not　illicitly　had　great　sway？　corrupting　themselves　and　the　men　with　whose　passions　they　played？　　In　short；　in　whatever　light　I　view　the　subject；　reason　and　experience　convince　me；　that　the　only　method　of　leading　women　to　fulfil　their　peculiar　duties；　is　to　free　them　from　all　restraint　by　allowing　them　to　participate　the　inherent　rights　of　mankind。　Make　them　free；　and　they　will　quickly　become　wise　and　virtuous；　as　men　become　more　so；　for　the　improvement　must　be　mutual；　or　the　justice　which　one　half　of　the　human　race　are　obliged　to　submit　to；　retorting　on　their　oppressors；　the　virtue　of　man　will　be　worm…eaten　by　the　insect　whom　he　keeps　under　his　feet。　Let　men　take　their　choice；　man　and　woman　were　made　for　each　other；　though　not　to　become　one　being；　and　if　they　will　not　improve　women；　they　will　deprave　them！　I　speak　of　the　improvement　and　emancipation　of　the　whole　sex；　for　I　know　that　the　behaviour　of　a　few　women；　who　by　accident；　or　following　a　strong　bent　of　nature；　have　acquired　a　portion　of　knowledge　superior　to　that　of　the　rest　of　their　sex；　has　often　been　over…bearing；　but　there　have　been　instances　of　women　who；　attaining　knowledge；　have　not　discarded　modesty；　nor　have　they　always　pedantically　appeared　to　despise　the　ignorance　which　they　laboured　to　disperse　in　their　own　minds。　　The　exclamations　then　which　any　advice　respecting　female　learning；　commonly　produces；　especially　from　pretty　women；　often　arise　from　envy。　　When　they　chance　to　see　that　even　the　lustre　of　their　eyes；　and　the　flippant　sportiveness　of　refined　coquetry　will　not　always　secure　them　attention；　during　a　whole　evening；　should　a　woman　of　a　more　cultivated　understanding　endeavour　to　give　a　rational　turn　to　the　conversation；　the　common　source　of　consolation　is；　that　such　women　seldom　get　husbands。　What　arts　have　I　not　seen　silly　women　use　to　interrupt　by　FLIRTATION；　（a　very　significant　word　to　describe　such　a　manoeuvre）　a　rational　conversation；　which　made　the　men　forget　that　they　were　pretty　women。　But；　allowing　what　is　very　natural　to　manthat　the　possession　of　rare　abilities　is　really　calculated　to　excite　over…weening　pride；　disgusting　in　both　men　and　womenin　what　a　state　of　inferiority　must　the　female　faculties　have　rusted　when　such　a　small　portion　of　knowledge　as　those　women　attained；　who　have　sneeringly　been　termed　learned　women；　could　be　singular？　Sufficiently　so　to　puff　up　the　possessor；　and　excite　envy　in　her　contemporaries；　and　some　of　the　other　sex。　　Nay；　has　not　a　little　rationality　exposed　many　women　to　the　severest　censure？　　I　advert　to　well　known…facts；　for　I　have　frequently　heard　women　ridiculed；　and　every　little　weakness　exposed；　only　because　they　adopted　the　advice　of　some　medical　men；　and　deviated　from　the　beaten　track　in　their　mode　of　treating　their　infants。　　I　have　actually　heard　this　barbarous　aversion　to　innovation　carried　still　further；　and　a　sensible　woman　stigmatized　as　an　unnatural　mother；　who　has　thus　been　wisely　solicitous　to　preserve　the　health　of　her　children；　when　in　the　midst　of　her　care　she　has　lost　one　by　some　of　the　casualties　of　infancy　which　no　prudence　can　ward　off。　　Her　acquaintance　have　observed；　that　this　was　the　consequence　of　new…fangled　notionsthe　new…fangled　notions　of　ease　and　cleanliness。　　And　those　who；　pretending　to　experience；　though　they　have　long　adhered　to　prejudices　that　have；　according　to　the　opinion　of　the　most　sagacious　physicians；　thinned　the　human　race；　almost　rejoiced　at　the　disaster　that　gave　a　kind　of　sanction　to　prescription。　Indeed；　if　it　were　only　on　this　account；　the　national　education　of　women　is　of　the　utmost　consequence；　for　what　a　number　of　human　sacrifices　are　made　to　that　moloch；　prejudice！　　And　in　how　many　ways　are　children　destroyed　by　the　lasciviousness　of　man？　　The　want　of　natural　affection　in　many　women；　who　are　drawn　from　their　duty　by　the　admiration　of　men；　and　the　ignorance　of　others；　render