a vindication of the rights of woman-第69章

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wdry　finery。　　And　I　have　seldom　known　a　good　male　or　female　servant　that　was　not　particularly　fond　of　dress。　　Their　clothes　were　their　riches；　and　I　argue　from　analogy；　that　the　fondness　for　dress；　so　extravagant　in　females；　arises　from　the　same　causewant　of　cultivation　of　mind。　　When　men　meet　they　converse　about　business；　politics；　or　literature；　but；　says　Swift；　〃how　naturally　do　women　apply　their　hands　to　each　others　lappets　and　ruffles。〃　And　very　natural　it　isfor　they　have　not　any　business　to　interest　them；　have　not　a　taste　for　literature；　and　they　find　politics　dry；　because　they　have　not　acquired　a　love　for　mankind　by　turning　their　thoughts　to　the　grand　pursuits　that　exalt　the　human　race　and　promote　general　happiness。　Besides；　various　are　the　paths　to　power　and　fame；　which　by　accident　or　choice　men　pursue；　and　though　they　jostle　against　each　other；　for　men　of　the　same　profession　are　seldom　friends；　yet　there　is　a　much　greater　number　of　their　fellow…creatures　with　whom　they　never　clash。　　But　women　are　very　differently　situated　with　respect　to　each　otherfor　they　are　all　rivals。　Before　marriage　it　is　their　business　to　please　men；　and　after；　with　a　few　exceptions；　they　follow　the　same　scent；　with　all　the　persevering　pertinacity　of　instinct。　　Even　virtuous　women　never　forget　their　sex　in　company；　for　they　are　for　ever　trying　to　make　themselves　AGREEABLE。　　A　female　beauty　and　a　male　wit；　appear　to　be　equally　anxious　to　draw　the　attention　of　the　company　to　themselves；　and　the　animosity　of　contemporary　wits　is　proverbial。　Is　it　then　surprising；　that　when　the　sole　ambition　of　woman　centres　in　beauty；　and　interest　gives　vanity　additional　force；　perpetual　rivalships　should　ensue？　　They　are　all　running　the　same　race；　and　would　rise　above　the　virtue　of　mortals　if　they　did　not　view　each　other　with　a　suspicious　and　even　envious　eye。　An　immoderate　fondness　for　dress；　for　pleasure　and　for　sway；　are　the　passions　of　savages；　the　passions　that　occupy　those　uncivilized　beings　who　have　not　yet　extended　the　dominion　of　the　mind；　or　even　learned　to　think　with　the　energy　necessary　to　concatenate　that　abstract　train　of　thought　which　produces　principles。　　And　that　women；　from　their　education　and　the　present　state　of　civilized　life；　are　in　the　same　condition；　cannot；　I　think；　be　controverted。　To　laugh　at　them　then；　or　satirize　the　follies　of　a　being　who　is　never　to　be　allowed　to　act　freely　from　the　light　of　her　own　reason；　is　as　absurd　as　cruel；　for　that　they　who　are　taught　blindly　to　obey　authority；　will　endeavour　cunningly　to　elude　it；　is　most　natural　and　certain。　Yet　let　it　be　proved；　that　they　ought　to　obey　man　implicitly；　and　I　shall　immediately　agree　that　it　is　woman's　duty　to　cultivate　a　fondness　for　dress；　in　order　to　please；　and　a　propensity　to　cunning　for　her　own　preservation。　The　virtues；　however；　which　are　supported　by　ignorance；　must　ever　be　waveringthe　house　built　on　sand　could　not　endure　a　storm。　　It　is　almost　unnecessary　to　draw　the　inference。　　If　women　are　to　be　made　virtuous　by　authority；　which　is　a　contradiction　in　terms；　let　them　be　immured　in　seraglios　and　watched　with　a　jealous　eye。　　Fear　not　that　the　iron　will　enter　into　their　soulsfor　the　souls　that　can　bear　such　treatment　are　made　of　yielding　materials；　just　animated　enough　to　give　life　to　the　body。　〃Matter　too　soft　a　lasting　mark　to　bear；　And　best　distinguish'd　by　black；　brown；　or　fair。〃　The　most　cruel　wounds　will　of　course　soon　heal；　and　they　may　still　people　the　world；　and　dress　to　please　manall　the　purposes　which　certain　celebrated　writers　have　allowed　that　they　were　created　to　fill。　SECTION　13。4。　Women　are　supposed　to　possess　more　sensibility；　and　even　humanity；　than　men；　and　their　strong　attachments　and　instantaneous　emotions　of　compassion　are　given　as　proofs；　but　the　clinging　affection　of　ignorance　has　seldom　any　thing　noble　in　it；　and　may　mostly　be　resolved　into　selfishness；　as　well　as　the　affection　of　children　and　brutes。　　I　have　known　many　weak　women　whose　sensibility　was　entirely　engrossed　by　their　husbands；　and　as　for　their　humanity；　it　was　very　faint　indeed；　or　rather　it　was　only　a　transient　emotion　of　compassion；　　〃Humanity　does　not　consist　in　a　squeamish　ear；〃　says　an　eminent　orator。　　〃It　belongs　to　the　mind　as　well　as　the　nerves。〃　But　this　kind　of　exclusive　affection；　though　it　degrade　the　individual；　should　not　be　brought　forward　as　a　proof　of　the　inferiority　of　the　sex；　because　it　is　the　natural　consequence　of　confined　views：　　for　even　women　of　superior　sense；　having　their　attention　turned　to　little　employments；　and　private　plans；　rarely　rise　to　heroism；　unless　when　spurred　on　by　love；　and　love　as　an　heroic　passion；　like　genius；　appears　but　once　in　an　age。　　I　therefore　agree　with　the　moralist　who　asserts；　〃that　women　have　seldom　so　much　generosity　as　men；〃　and　that　their　narrow　affections；　to　which　justice　and　humanity　are　often　sacrificed；　render　the　sex　apparently　inferior；　especially　as　they　are　commonly　inspired　by　men；　but　I　contend；　that　the　heart　would　expand　as　the　understanding　gained　strength；　if　women　were　not　depressed　from　their　cradles。　I　know　that　a　little　sensibility　and　great　weakness　will　produce　a　strong　sexual　attachment；　and　that　reason　must　cement　friendship；　consequently　I　allow；　that　more　friendship　is　to　be　found　in　the　male　than　the　female　world；　and　that　men　have　a　higher　sense　of　justice。　　The　exclusive　affections　of　women　seem　indeed　to　resemble　Cato's　most　unjust　love　for　his　country。　　He　wished　to　crush　Carthage；　not　to　save　Rome；　but　to　promote　its　vain　glory；　and　in　general；　it　is　to　similar　principles　that　humanity　is　sacrificed；　for　genuine　duties　support　each　other。　Besides；　how　can　women　be　just　or　generous；　when　they　are　the　slaves　of　injustice。　SECTION　13。5。　As　the　rearing　of　children；　that　is；　the　laying　a　foundation　of　sound　health　both　of　body　and　mind　in　the　rising　generation；　has　justly　been　insisted　on　as　the　peculiar　destination　of　woman；　the　ignorance　that　incapacitates　them　must　be　contrary　to　the　order　of　things。　　And　I　contend；　that　their　minds　can　take　in　much　more；　and　ought　to　do　so；　or　they　will　never　become　sensible　mothers。　　Many　men　attend　to　the　breeding　of　horses；　and　overlook　the　management　of　the　stable；　who　would；　strange　want　of　sense　and　feeling！　think　themselves　degraded　by　paying　any　attention　to　the　nursery；　yet；　how　many　children　are　absolutely　murdered　by　the　ignorance　of　women！　　But　when　they　escape；　and　are　neither　destroyed　by　unnatural　negligence　nor　blind　fondness；　how　few　are　managed　properly　with　respect　to　the　infant　mind！　　So　that　to　break　the　spirit；　allowed　to　become　vicious　at　home；　a　child　is　sent　to　school；　and　the　methods　taken　there；　which　must　be　taken　to　keep　a　number　of　children　in　order；　scatter　the　seeds　of　almost　every　vice　in　the　soil　thus　forcibly　torn　up。　I　have　sometimes　compared　the　struggles　of　these　poor　children　who　ought　never　to　have　felt　restraint；　nor　would；　had　they　been　always　held　in　with　an　even　hand；　to　the　despairing　plunges　of　a　spirited　filly；　which　I　have　seen　breaking　on　a　strand；　　its　feet　sinking　deeper　and　deeper　in　the　sand　every　time　it　endeavoured　to　throw　its　rider；　till　at　last　it　sullenly　submitted。　I　have　always　found　horses；　an　animal　I　am