a vindication of the rights of woman-第67章

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echnical　terms；　nor　initiated　into　the　arcana；　therefore　I　may　speak　improperly；　but　it　is　clear；　that　men　who　will　not　conform　to　the　law　of　reason；　and　earn　a　subsistence　in　an　honest　way；　by　degrees；　are　very　fortunate　in　becoming　acquainted　with　such　obliging　spirits。　　We　cannot；　indeed；　give　them　credit　for　either　great　sagacity　or　goodness；　else　they　would　have　chosen　more　noble　instruments；　when　they　wished　to　show　themselves　the　benevolent　friends　of　man。　It　is；　however；　little　short　of　blasphemy　to　pretend　to　such　power。　》From　the　whole　tenor　of　the　dispensations　of　Providence；　it　appears　evident　to　sober　reason；　that　certain　vices　produce　certain　effects：　and　can　any　one　so　grossly　insult　the　wisdom　of　God；　as　to　suppose；　that　a　miracle　will　be　allowed　to　disturb　his　general　laws；　to　restore　to　health　the　intemperate　and　vicious；　merely　to　enable　them　to　pursue　the　same　course　with　impunity？　　Be　whole；　and　sin　no　more；　said　Jesus。　　And　are　greater　miracles　to　be　performed　by　those　who　do　not　follow　his　footsteps；　who　healed　the　body　to　reach　the　mind？　The　mentioning　of　the　name　of　Christ；　after　such　vile　impostors　may　displease　some　of　my　readersI　respect　their　warmth；　but　let　them　not　forget；　that　the　followers　of　these　delusions　bear　his　name；　and　profess　to　be　the　disciples　of　him；　who　said；　by　their　works　we　should　know　who　were　the　children　of　God　or　the　servants　of　sin。　　I　allow　that　it　is　easier　to　touch　the　body　of　a　saint；　or　to　be　magnetised；　than　to　restrain　our　appetites　or　govern　our　passions；　but　health　of　body　or　mind　can　only　be　recovered　by　these　means；　or　we　make　the　Supreme　Judge　partial　and　revengeful。　Is　he　a　man；　that　he　should　change；　or　punish　out　of　resentment？　Hethe　common　father；　wounds　but　to　heal；　says　reason；　and　our　irregularities　producing　certain　consequences；　we　are　forcibly　shown　the　nature　of　vice；　that　thus　learning　to　know　good　from　evil；　by　experience；　we　may　hate　one　and　love　the　other；　in　proportion　to　the　wisdom　which　we　attain。　　The　poison　contains　the　antidote；　and　we　either　reform　our　evil　habits；　and　cease　to　sin　against　our　own　bodies；　to　use　the　forcible　language　of　scripture；　or　a　premature　death；　the　punishment　of　sin；　snaps　the　thread　of　life。　Here　an　awful　stop　is　put　to　our　inquiries。　　But；　why　should　I　conceal　my　sentiments？　　Considering　the　attributes　of　God；　I　believe；　that　whatever　punishment　may　follow；　will　tend；　like　the　anguish　of　disease；　to　show　the　malignity　of　vice；　for　the　purpose　of　reformation。　　Positive　punishment　appears　so　contrary　to　the　nature　of　God；　discoverable　in　all　his　works；　and　in　our　own　reason；　that　I　could　sooner　believe　that　the　Deity　paid　no　attention　to　the　conduct　of　men；　than　that　he　punished　without　the　benevolent　design　of　reforming。　To　suppose　only；　that　an　all…wise　and　powerful　Being；　as　good　as　he　is　great；　should　create　a　being；　foreseeing；　that　after　fifty　or　sixty　years　of　feverish　existence；　it　would　be　plunged　into　never　ending　woeis　blasphemy。　　On　what　will　the　worm　feed　that　is　never　to　die？　　On　folly；　on　ignorance；　say　yeI　should　blush　indignantly　at　drawing　the　natural　conclusion；　could　I　insert　it；　and　wish　to　withdraw　myself　from　the　wing　of　my　God！　　On　such　a　supposition；　I　speak　with　reverence；　he　would　be　a　consuming　fire。　　We　should　wish；　though　vainly；　to　fly　from　his　presence　when　fear　absorbed　love；　and　darkness　involved　all　his　counsels。　I　know　that　many　devout　people　boast　of　submitting　to　the　Will　of　God　blindly；　as　to　an　arbitrary　sceptre　or　rod；　on　the　same　principle　as　the　Indians　worship　the　devil。　　In　other　words；　like　people　in　the　common　concerns　of　life；　they　do　homage　to　power；　and　cringe　under　the　foot　that　can　crush　them。　　Rational　religion；　on　the　contrary；　is　a　submission　to　the　will　of　a　being　so　perfectly　wise；　that　all　he　wills　must　be　directed　by　the　proper　motivemust　be　reasonable。　And；　if　thus　we　respect　God；　can　we　give　credit　to　the　mysterious　insinuations　which　insult　his　laws？　　Can　we　believe；　though　it　should　stare　us　in　the　face；　that　he　would　work　a　miracle　to　authorize　confusion　by　sanctioning　an　error？　　Yet　we　must　either　allow　these　impious　conclusions；　or　treat　with　contempt　every　promise　to　restore　health　to　a　diseased　body　by　supernatural　means；　or　to　foretell；　the　incidents　that　can　only　be　foreseen　by　God。　SECTION　13。2。　Another　instance　of　that　feminine　weakness　of　character；　often　produced　by　a　confined　education；　is　a　romantic　twist　of　the　mind；　which　has　been　very　properly　termed　SENTIMENTAL。　Women；　subjected　by　ignorance　to　their　sensations；　and　only　taught　to　look　for　happiness　in　love；　refine　on　sensual　feelings；　and　adopt　metaphysical　notions　respecting　that　passion；　which　lead　them　shamefully　to　neglect　the　duties　of　life；　and　frequently　in　the　midst　of　these　sublime　refinements　they　plunge　into　actual　vice。　These　are　the　women　who　are　amused　by　the　reveries　of　the　stupid　novelists；　who；　knowing　little　of　human　nature；　work　up　stale　tales；　and　describe　meretricious　scenes；　all　retailed　in　a　sentimental　jargon；　which　equally　tend　to　corrupt　the　taste；　and　draw　the　heart　aside　from　its　daily　duties。　　I　do　not　mention　the　understanding；　because　never　having　been　exercised；　its　slumbering　energies　rest　inactive；　like　the　lurking　particles　of　fire　which　are　supposed　universally　to　pervade　matter。　Females；　in　fact；　denied　all　political　privileges；　and　not　allowed；　as　married　women；　excepting　in　criminal　cases；　a　civil　existence；　have　their　attention　naturally　drawn　from　the　interest　of　the　whole　community　to　that　of　the　minute　parts；　though　the　private　duty　of　any　member　of　society　must　be　very　imperfectly　performed；　when　not　connected　with　the　general　good。　　The　mighty　business　of　female　life　is　to　please；　and；　restrained　from　entering　into　more　important　concerns　by　political　and　civil　oppression；　sentiments　become　events；　and　reflection　deepens　what　it　should；　and　would　have　effaced；　if　the　understanding　had　been　allowed　to　take　a　wider　range。　But；　confined　to　trifling　employments；　they　naturally　imbibe　opinions　which　the　only　kind　of　reading　calculated　to　interest　an　innocent　frivolous　mind；　inspires。　　Unable　to　grasp　any　thing　great；　is　it　surprising　that　they　find　the　reading　of　history　a　very　dry　task；　and　disquisitions　addressed　to　the　understanding；　intolerably　tedious；　and　almost　unintelligible？　　Thus　are　they　necessarily　dependent　on　the　novelist　for　amusement。　　Yet；　when　I　exclaim　against　novels；　I　mean　when　contrasted　with　those　works　which　exercise　the　understanding　and　regulate　the　imagination。　　For　any　kind　of　reading　I　think　better　than　leaving　a　blank　still　a　blank；　because　the　mind　must　receive　a　degree　of　enlargement；　and　obtain　a　little　strength　by　a　slight　exertion　of　its　thinking　powers；　besides；　even　the　productions　that　are　only　addressed　to　the　imagination；　raise　the　reader　a　little　above　the　gross　gratification　of　appetites；　to　which　the　mind　has　not　given　a　shade　of　delicacy。　This　observation　is　the　result　of　experience；　for　I　have　known　several　notable　women；　and　one　in　particular；　who　was　a　very　good　womanas　good　as　such　a　narrow　mind　would　allow　her　to　be；　who　took　care　that　her　daughters　（three　in　number）　should　never　see　a　novel。　　As　she　wa