a vindication of the rights of woman-第42章

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ke　a　youth　wise　by　the　experience　of　another；　as　to　expect　the　body　to　grow　strong　by　the　exercise　which　is　only　talked　of；　or　seen。　Many　of　those　children　whose　conduct　has　been　most　narrowly　watched；　become　the　weakest　men；　because　their　instructors　only　instill　certain　notions　into　their　minds；　that　have　no　other　foundation　than　their　authority；　and　if　they　are　loved　or　respected；　the　mind　is　cramped　in　its　exertions　and　wavering　in　its　advances。　　The　business　of　education　in　this　case；　is　only　to　conduct　the　shooting　tendrils　to　a　proper　pole；　yet　after　laying　precept　upon　precept；　without　allowing　a　child　to　acquire　judgment　itself；　parents　expect　them　to　act　in　the　same　manner　by　this　borrowed　fallacious　light；　as　if　they　had　illuminated　it　themselves；　and　be；　when　they　enter　life；　what　their　parents　are　at　the　close。　　They　do　not　consider　that　the　tree；　and　even　the　human　body；　does　not　strengthen　its　fibres　till　it　has　reached　its　full　growth。　There　appears　to　be　something　analogous　in　the　mind。　　The　senses　and　the　imagination　give　a　form　to　the　character；　during　childhood　and　youth；　and　the　understanding　as　life　advances；　gives　firmness　to　the　first　fair　purposes　of　sensibilitytill　virtue；　arising　rather　from　the　clear　conviction　of　reason　than　the　impulse　of　the　heart；　morality　is　made　to　rest　on　a　rock　against　which　the　storms　of　passion　vainly　beat。　I　hope　I　shall　not　be　misunderstood　when　I　say；　that　religion　will　not　have　this　condensing　energy；　unless　it　be　founded　on　reason。　If　it　be　merely　the　refuge　of　weakness　or　wild　fanaticism；　and　not　a　governing　principle　of　conduct；　drawn　from　self…knowledge；　and　a　rational　opinion　respecting　the　attributes　of　God；　what　can　it　be　expected　to　produce？　　The　religion　which　consists　in　warming　the　affections；　and　exalting　the　imagination；　is　only　the　poetical　part；　and　may　afford　the　individual　pleasure　without　rendering　it　a　more　moral　being。　　It　may　be　a　substitute　for　worldly　pursuits；　yet　narrow　instead　of　enlarging　the　heart：　　but　virtue　must　be　loved　as　in　itself　sublime　and　excellent；　and　not　for　the　advantages　it　procures　or　the　evils　it　averts；　if　any　great　degree　of　excellence　be　expected。　　Men　will　not　become　moral　when　they　only　build　airy　castles　in　a　future　world　to　compensate　for　the　disappointments　which　they　meet　with　in　this；　if　they　turn　their　thoughts　from　relative　duties　to　religious　reveries。　Most　prospects　in　life　are　marred　by　the　shuffling　worldly　wisdom　of　men；　who；　forgetting　that　they　cannot　serve　God　and　mammon；　endeavour　to　blend　contradictory　things。　　If　you　wish　to　make　your　son　rich；　pursue　one　course　if　you　are　only　anxious　to　make　him　virtuous；　you　must　take　another；　but　do　not　imagine　that　you　can　bound　from　one　road　to　the　other　without　losing　your　way。*　（*Footnote。　　See　an　excellent　essay　on　this　subject　by　Mrs。　Barbauld；　in　Miscellaneous　pieces　in　Prose。）

CHAPTER　6。　THE　EFFECT　WHICH　AN　EARLY　ASSOCIATION　OF　IDEAS　HAS　UPON　THE　CHARACTER。　Educated　in　the　enervating　style　recommended　by　the　writers　on　whom　I　have　been　animadverting；　and　not　having　a　chance；　from　their　subordinate　state　in　society；　to　recover　their　lost　ground；　is　it　surprising　that　women　every　where　appear　a　defect　in　nature？　　Is　it　surprising；　when　we　consider　what　a　determinate　effect　an　early　association　of　ideas　has　on　the　character；　that　they　neglect　their　understandings；　and　turn　all　their　attention　to　their　persons？　The　great　advantages　which　naturally　result　from　storing　the　mind　with　knowledge；　are　obvious　from　the　following　considerations。　　The　association　of　our　ideas　is　either　habitual　or　instantaneous；　and　the　latter　mode　seems　rather　to　depend　on　the　original　temperature　of　the　mind　than　on　the　will。　　When　the　ideas；　and　matters　of　fact；　are　once　taken　in；　they　lie　by　for　use；　till　some　fortuitous　circumstance　makes　the　information　dart　into　the　mind　with　illustrative　force；　that　has　been　received　at　very　different　periods　of　our　lives。　　Like　the　lightning's　flash　are　many　recollections；　one　idea　assimilating　and　explaining　another；　with　astonishing　rapidity。　　I　do　not　now　allude　to　that　quick　perception　of　truth；　which　is　so　intuitive　that　it　baffles　research；　and　makes　us　at　a　loss　to　determine　whether　it　is　reminiscence　or　ratiocination；　lost　sight　of　in　its　celerity；　that　opens　the　dark　cloud。　　Over　those　instantaneous　associations　we　have　little　power；　for　when　the　mind　is　once　enlarged　by　excursive　flights；　or　profound　reflection；　the　raw　materials；　will；　in　some　degree；　arrange　themselves。　　The　understanding；　it　is　true；　may　keep　us　from　going　out　of　drawing　when　we　group　our　thoughts；　or　transcribe　from　the　imagination　the　warm　sketches　of　fancy；　but　the　animal　spirits；　the　individual　character　give　the　colouring。　　Over　this　subtile　electric　fluid；*　how　little　power　do　we　possess；　and　over　it　how　little　power　can　reason　obtain！　　These　fine　intractable　spirits　appear　to　be　the　essence　of　genius；　and　beaming　in　its　eagle　eye；　produce　in　the　most　eminent　degree　the　happy　energy　of　associating　thoughts　that　surprise；　delight；　and　instruct。　　These　are　the　glowing　minds　that　concentrate　pictures　for　their　fellow…creatures；　forcing　them　to　view　with　interest　the　objects　reflected　from　the　impassioned　imagination；　which　they　passed　over　in　nature。　（*Footnote。　　I　have　sometimes；　when　inclined　to　laugh　at　materialists；　asked　whether；　as　the　most　powerful　effects　in　nature　are　apparently　produced　by　fluids；　the　magnetic；　etc。　the　passions　might　not　be　fine　volatile　fluids　that　embraced　humanity；　keeping　the　more　refractory　elementary　parts　togetheror　whether　they　were　simply　a　liquid　fire　that　pervaded　the　more　sluggish　materials　giving　them　life　and　heat？）　I　must　be　allowed　to　explain　myself。　　The　generality　of　people　cannot　see　or　feel　poetically；　they　want　fancy；　and　therefore　fly　from　solitude　in　search　of　sensible　objects；　but　when　an　author　lends　them　his　eyes；　they　can　see　as　he　saw；　and　be　amused　by　images　they　could　not　select；　though　lying　before　them。　Education　thus　only　supplies　the　man　of　genius　with　knowledge　to　give　variety　and　contrast　to　his　associations；　but　there　is　an　habitual　association　of　ideas；　that　grows　〃with　our　growth；〃　which　has　a　great　effect　on　the　moral　character　of　mankind；　and　by　which　a　turn　is　given　to　the　mind；　that　commonly　remains　throughout　life。　So　ductile　is　the　understanding；　and　yet　so　stubborn；　that　the　associations　which　depend　on　adventitious　circumstances；　during　the　period　that　the　body　takes　to　arrive　at　maturity；　can　seldom　be　disentangled　by　reason。　　One　idea　calls　up　another；　its　old　associate；　and　memory；　faithful　to　the　first　impressions；　particularly　when　the　intellectual　powers　are　not　employed　to　cool　our　sensations；　retraces　them　with　mechanical　exactness。　This　habitual　slavery；　to　first　impressions；　has　a　more　baneful　effect　on　the　female　than　the　male　character；　because　business　and　other　dry　employments　of　the　understanding；　tend　to　deaden　the　feelings　and　break　associations　that　do　violence　to　reason。　　But　females；　who　are　made　women　of　when　they　are　mere　children；　and　brought　back　to　childhood　when　they　ought　to　leave　the　go…cart　forever；　have　not　sufficient　strength　of　mind　to　efface　the　superinduct