a vindication of the rights of woman-第29章

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　etc。　　These；　and　many　more；　may　be　reckoned　exceptions；　and；　are　not　all　heroes；　as　well　as　heroines；　exceptions　to　general　rules？　　I　wish　to　see　women　neither　heroines　nor　brutes；　but　reasonable　creatures。）　who；　from　having　received　a　masculine　education；　have　acquired　courage　and　resolution；　I　only　contend　that　the　men　who　have　been　placed　in　similar　situations　have　acquired　a　similar　character；　I　speak　of　bodies　of　men；　and　that　men　of　genius　and　talents　have　started　out　of　a　class；　in　which　women　have　never　yet　been　placed。

CHAPTER　5。　ANIMADVERSIONS　ON　SOME　OF　THE　WRITERS　WHO　HAVE　RENDERED　WOMEN　OBJECTS　OF　PITY；　BORDERING　ON　CONTEMPT。　The　opinions　speciously　supported；　in　some　modern　publications　on　the　female　character；　and　education；　which　have　given　the　tone　to　most　of　the　observations　made；　in　a　more　cursory　manner；　on　the　sex；　remain　now　to　be　examined。　SECTION　5。1。　I　shall　begin　with　Rousseau；　and　give　a　sketch　of　the　character　of　women　in　his　own　words；　interspersing　comments　and　reflections。　　My　comments；　it　is　true；　will　all　spring　from　a　few　simple　principles；　and　might　have　been　deduced　from　what　I　have　already　said；　but　the　artificial　structure　has　been　raised　with　so　much　ingenuity；　that　it　seems　necessary　to　attack　it　in　a　more　circumstantial　manner；　and　make　the　application　myself。　Sophia；　says　Rousseau；　should　be　as　perfect　a　woman　as　Emilius　is　a　man；　and　to　render　her　so；　it　is　necessary　to　examine　the　character　which　nature　has　given　to　the　sex。　He　then　proceeds　to　prove；　that　women　ought　to　be　weak　and　passive；　because　she　has　less　bodily　strength　than　man；　and　from　hence　infers；　that　she　was　formed　to　please　and　to　be　subject　to　him；　and　that　it　is　her　duty　to　render　herself　AGREEABLE　to　her　masterthis　being　the　grand　end　of　her　existence。　Supposing　women　to　have　been　formed　only　to　please；　and　be　subject　to　man；　the　conclusion　is　just；　she　ought　to　sacrifice　every　other　consideration　to　render　herself　agreeable　to　him：　　and　let　this　brutal　desire　of　self…preservation　be　the　grand　spring　of　all　her　actions；　when　it　is　proved　to　be　the　iron　bed　of　fate；　to　fit　which；　her　character　should　be　stretched　or　contracted；　regardless　of　all　moral　or　physical　distinctions。　　But　if；　as　I　think　may　be　demonstrated；　the　purposes　of　even　this　life；　viewing　the　whole；　are　subverted　by　practical　rules　built　upon　this　ignoble　base；　I　may　be　allowed　to　doubt　whether　woman　was　created　for　man：　　and　though　the　cry　of　irreligion；　or　even　atheism　be　raised　against　me；　I　will　simply　declare；　that　were　an　angel　from　heaven　to　tell　me　that　Moses's　beautiful；　poetical　cosmogony；　and　the　account　of　the　fall　of　man；　were　literally　true；　I　could　not　believe　what　my　reason　told　me　was　derogatory　to　the　character　of　the　Supreme　Being：　　and；　having　no　fear　of　the　devil　before　mine　eyes；　I　venture　to　call　this　a　suggestion　of　reason；　instead　of　resting　my　weakness　on　the　broad　shoulders　of　the　first　seducer　of　my　frail　sex。　〃It　being　once　demonstrated；〃　continues　Rousseau；　〃that　man　and　woman　are　not；　nor　ought　to　be；　constituted　alike　in　temperament　and　character；　it　follows　of　course；　that　they　should　not　be　educated　in　the　same　manner。　　In　pursuing　the　directions　of　nature；　they　ought　indeed　to　act　in　concert；　but　they　should　not　be　engaged　in　the　same　employments：　　the　end　of　their　pursuits　should　be　the　same；　but　the　means　they　should　take　to　accomplish　them；　and；　of　consequence；　their　tastes　and　inclinations　should　be　different。〃　（Rousseau's　'Emilius'；　Volume　3　page　176。）　〃Girls　are　from　their　earliest　infancy　fond　of　dress。　　Not　content　with　being　pretty；　they　are　desirous　of　being　thought　so；　we　see；　by　all　their　little　airs；　that　this　thought　engages　their　attention；　and　they　are　hardly　capable　of　understanding　what　is　said　to　them；　before　they　are　to　be　governed　by　talking　to　them　of　what　people　will　think　of　their　behaviour。　　The　same　motive；　however；　indiscreetly　made　use　of　with　boys；　has　not　the　same　effect：　　provided　they　are　let　to　pursue　their　amusements　at　pleasure；　they　care　very　little　what　people　think　of　them。　　Time　and　pains　are　necessary　to　subject　boys　to　this　motive。　〃Whencesoever　girls　derive　this　first　lesson　it　is　a　very　good　one。　As　the　body　is　born；　in　a　manner　before　the　soul；　our　first　concern　should　be　to　cultivate　the　former；　this　order　is　common　to　both　sexes；　but　the　object　of　that　cultivation　is　different。　　In　the　one　sex　it　is　the　developement　of　corporeal　powers；　in　the　other；　that　of　personal　charms：　　not　that　either　the　quality　of　strength　or　beauty　ought　to　be　confined　exclusively　to　one　sex；　but　only　that　the　order　of　the　cultivation　of　both　is　in　that　respect　reversed。　Women　certainly　require　as　much　strength　as　to　enable　them　to　move　and　act　gracefully；　and　men　as　much　address　as　to　qualify　them　to　act　with　ease。〃　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　〃Children　of　both　sexes　have　a　great　many　amusements　in　common；　and　so　they　ought；　have　they　not　also　many　such　when　they　are　grown　up？　Each　sex　has　also　its　peculiar　taste　to　distinguish　in　this　particular。　　Boys　love　sports　of　noise　and　activity；　to　beat　the　drum；　to　whip　the　top；　and　to　drag　about　their　little　carts：　girls；　on　the　other　hand；　are　fonder　of　things　of　show　and　ornament；　such　as　mirrors；　trinkets；　and　dolls；　the　doll　is　the　peculiar　amusement　of　the　females；　from　whence　we　see　their　taste　plainly　adapted　to　their　destination。　　The　physical　part　of　the　art　of　pleasing　lies　in　dress；　and　this　is　all　which　children　are　capacitated　to　cultivate　of　that　art。〃　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　〃Here　then　we　see　a　primary　propensity　firmly　established；　which　you　need　only　to　pursue　and　regulate。　　The　little　creature　will　doubtless　be　very　desirous　to　know　how　to　dress　up　her　doll；　to　make　its　sleeve　knots；　its　flounces；　its　head　dress；　etc。；　she　is　obliged　to　have　so　much　recourse　to　the　people　about　her；　for　their　assistance　in　these　articles；　that　it　would　be　much　more　agreeable　to　her　to　owe　them　all　to　her　own　industry。　　Hence　we　have　a　good　reason　for　the　first　lessons　which　are　usually　taught　these　young　females：　　in　which　we　do　not　appear　to　be　setting　them　a　task；　but　obliging　them；　by　instructing　them　in　what　is　immediately　useful　to　themselves。　　And；　in　fact；　almost　all　of　them　learn　with　reluctance　to　read　and　write；　but　very　readily　apply　themselves　to　the　use　of　their　needles。　　They　imagine　themselves　already　grown　up；　and　think　with　pleasure　that　such　qualifications　will　enable　them　to　decorate　themselves。〃　This　is　certainly　only　an　education　of　the　body；　but　Rousseau　is　not　the　only　man　who　has　indirectly　said　that　merely　the　person　of　a　young　woman；　without　any　mind；　unless　animal　spirits　come　under　that　description；　is　very　pleasing。　　To　render　it　weak；　and　what　some　may　call　beautiful；　the　understanding　is　neglected；　and　girls　forced　to　sit　still；　play　with　dolls；　and　listen　to　foolish　conversations；　the　effect　of　habit　is　insisted　upon　as　an　undoubted　indication　of　nature。　　I　know　it　was　Rousseau's　opinion　that　the　first　years　of　youth　should　be　employed　to　form　the　body；　though　in　educating　Emilius　he　deviates　from　this　plan；　yet　the　difference　between