a vindication of the rights of woman-第31章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


east　if　he　be　not　absolutely　a　brute；　and　will　sooner　or　later　triumph　over　him。〃　　True；　the　mildness　of　reason；　but　abject　fear　always　inspires　contempt；　and　tears　are　only　eloquent　when　they　flow　down　fair　cheeks。　Of　what　materials　can　that　heart　be　composed；　which　can　melt　when　insulted；　and　instead　of　revolting　at　injustice；　kiss　the　rod？　　Is　it　unfair　to　infer；　that　her　virtue　is　built　on　narrow　views　and　selfishness；　who　can　caress　a　man；　with　true　feminine　softness；　the　very　moment　when　he　treats　her　tyrannically？　　Nature　never　dictated　such　insincerity；　and　though　prudence　of　this　sort　be　termed　a　virtue；　morality　becomes　vague　when　any　part　is　supposed　to　rest　on　falsehood。　　These　are　mere　expedients；　and　expedients　are　only　useful　for　the　moment。　Let　the　husband　beware　of　trusting　too　implicitly　to　this　servile　obedience；　for　if　his　wife　can　with　winning　sweetness　caress　him　when　angry；　and　when　she　ought　to　be　angry；　unless　contempt　had　stifled　a　natural　effervescence；　she　may　do　the　same　after　parting　with　a　lover。　　These　are　all　preparations　for　adultery；　or；　should　the　fear　of　the　world；　or　of　hell；　restrain　her　desire　of　pleasing　other　men；　when　she　can　no　longer　please　her　husband；　what　substitute　can　be　found　by　a　being　who　was　only　formed　by　nature　and　art　to　please　man？　　what　can　make　her　amends　for　this　privation；　or　where　is　she　to　seek　for　a　fresh　employment？　　where　find　sufficient　strength　of　mind　to　determine　to　begin　the　search；　when　her　habits　are　fixed；　and　vanity　has　long　ruled　her　chaotic　mind？　But　this　partial　moralist　recommends　cunning　systematically　and　plausibly。　〃Daughters　should　be　always　submissive；　their　mothers；　however；　should　not　be　inexorable。　　To　make　a　young　person　tractable；　she　ought　not　to　be　made　unhappy；　to　make　her　modest　she　ought　not　to　be　rendered　stupid。　　On　the　contrary；　I　should　not　be　displeased　at　her　being　permitted　to　use　some　art；　not　to　elude　punishment　in　case　of　disobedience；　but　to　exempt　herself　from　the　necessity　of　obeying。　　It　is　not　necessary　to　make　her　dependence　burdensome；　but　only　to　let　her　feel　it。　　Subtilty　is　a　talent　natural　to　the　sex；　and　as　I　am　persuaded；　all　our　natural　inclinations　are　right　and　good　in　themselves；　I　am　of　opinion　this　should　be　cultivated　as　well　as　the　others：　　it　is　requisite　for　us　only　to　prevent　its　abuse。〃　〃Whatever　is；　is　right；〃　he　then　proceeds　triumphantly　to　infer。　Granted；　yet；　perhaps；　no　aphorism　ever　contained　a　more　paradoxical　assertion。　　It　is　a　solemn　truth　with　respect　to　God。　He；　reverentially　I　speak；　sees　the　whole　at　once；　and　saw　its　just　proportions　in　the　womb　of　time；　but　man；　who　can　only　inspect　disjointed　parts；　finds　many　things　wrong；　and　it　is　a　part　of　the　system；　and　therefore　right；　that　he　should　endeavour　to　alter　what　appears　to　him　to　be　so；　even　while　he　bows　to　the　wisdom　of　his　Creator；　and　respects　the　darkness　he　labours　to　disperse。　The　inference　that　follows　is　just；　supposing　the　principle　to　be　sound：　〃The　superiority　of　address；　peculiar　to　the　female　sex；　is　a　very　equitable　indemnification　for　their　inferiority　in　point　of　strength：　without　this；　woman　would　not　be　the　companion　of　man；　but　his　slave：　　it　is　by　her　superiour　art　and　ingenuity　that　she　preserves　her　equality；　and　governs　him　while　she　affects　to　obey。　Woman　has　every　thing　against　her；　as　well　our　faults　as　her　own　timidity　and　weakness：　she　has　nothing　in　her　favour；　but　her　subtilty　and　her　beauty。　　Is　it　not　very　reasonable；　therefore；　she　should　cultivate　both？〃　　Greatness　of　mind　can　never　dwell　with　cunning　or　address；　for　I　shall　not　boggle　about　words；　when　their　direct　signification　is　insincerity　and　falsehood；　but　content　myself　with　observing；　that　if　any　class　of　mankind　be　so　created　that　it　must　necessarily　be　educated　by　rules；　not　strictly　deducible　from　truth；　virtue　is　an　affair　of　convention。　　How　could　Rousseau　dare　to　assert；　after　giving　this　advice；　that　in　the　grand　end　of　existence；　the　object　of　both　sexes　should　be　the　same；　when　he　well　knew；　that　the　mind　formed　by　its　pursuits；　is　expanded　by　great　views　swallowing　up　little　ones；　or　that　it　becomes　itself　little？　Men　have　superiour　strength　of　body；　but　were　it　not　for　mistaken　notions　of　beauty；　women　would　acquire　sufficient　to　enable　them　to　earn　their　own　subsistence；　the　true　definition　of　independence；　and　to　bear　those　bodily　inconveniences　and　exertions　that　are　requisite　to　strengthen　the　mind。　Let　us　then；　by　being　allowed　to　take　the　same　exercise　as　boys；　not　only　during　infancy；　but　youth；　arrive　at　perfection　of　body；　that　we　may　know　how　far　the　natural　superiority　of　man　extends。　For　what　reason　or　virtue　can　be　expected　from　a　creature　when　the　seed…time　of　life　is　neglected？　Nonedid　not　the　winds　of　heaven　casually　scatter　many　useful　seeds　in　the　fallow　ground。　〃Beauty　cannot　be　acquired　by　dress；　and　coquetry　is　an　art　not　so　early　and　speedily　attained。　　While　girls　are　yet　young；　however；　they　are　in　a　capacity　to　study　agreeable　gesture；　a　pleasing　modulation　of　voice；　an　easy　carriage　and　behaviour；　as　well　as　to　take　the　advantage　of　gracefully　adapting　their　looks　and　attitudes　to　time；　place；　and　occasion。　　Their　application；　therefore；　should　not　be　solely　confined　to　the　arts　of　industry　and　the　needle；　when　they　come　to　display　other　talents；　whose　utility　is　already　apparent。〃　〃For　my　part　I　would　have　a　young　Englishwoman　cultivate　her　agreeable　talents；　in　order　to　please　her　future　husband；　with　as　much　care　and　assiduity　as　a　young　Circassian　cultivates　her's；　to　fit　her　for　the　Haram　of　an　Eastern　bashaw。〃　To　render　women　completely　insignificant；　he　adds；〃The　tongues　of　women　are　very　voluble；　they　speak　earlier；　more　readily；　and　more　agreeably　than　the　men；　they　are　accused　also　of　speaking　much　more：　　but　so　it　ought　to　be；　and　I　should　be　very　ready　to　convert　this　reproach　into　a　compliment；　their　lips　and　eyes　have　the　same　activity；　and　for　the　same　reason。　　A　man　speaks　of　what　he　knows；　a　woman　of　what　pleases　her；　the　one　requires　knowledge；　the　other　taste；　the　principal　object　of　a　man's　discourse　should　be　what　is　useful；　that　of　a　woman's　what　is　agreeable。　　There　ought　to　be　nothing　in　common　between　their　different　conversation　but　truth。〃　〃We　ought　not；　therefore；　to　restrain　the　prattle　of　girls；　in　the　same　manner　as　we　should　that　of　boys；　with　that　severe　question；　'To　what　purpose　are　you　talking？'　but　by　another；　which　is　no　less　difficult　to　answer；　'How　will　your　discourse　be　received？'　　In　infancy；　while　they　are　as　yet　incapable　to　discern　good　from　evil；　they　ought　to　observe　it　as　a　law；　never　to　say　any　thing　disagreeable　to　those　whom　they　are　speaking　to：　　what　will　render　the　practice　of　this　rule　also　the　more　difficult；　is；　that　it　must　ever　be　subordinate　to　the　former；　of　never　speaking　falsely　or　telling　an　untruth。〃　　To　govern　the　tongue　in　this　manner　must　require　great　address　indeed；　and　it　is　too　much　practised　both　by　men　and　women。　　Out　of　the　abundance　of　the　heart　how　few　speak！　So　few；　that　I；　who　love　simplicity；　would　gladly　give　up　politeness　for　a　quarter　of　the　virtue　that　has　been　sacrificed　to　an　equivocal　quality；　which；　at　best；　should　o