a vindication of the rights of woman-第11节

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g　the　inferiority　of　woman；　according　to　the　present　appearance　of　things；　I　shall　only　insist；　that　men　have　increased　that　inferiority　till　women　are　almost　sunk　below　the　standard　of　rational　creatures。　　Let　their　faculties　have　room　to　unfold；　and　their　virtues　to　gain　strength；　and　then　determine　where　the　whole　sex　must　stand　in　the　intellectual　scale。　　Yet；　let　it　be　remembered；　that　for　a　small　number　of　distinguished　women　I　do　not　ask　a　place。　It　is　difficult　for　us　purblind　mortals　to　say　to　what　height　human　discoveries　and　improvements　may　arrive；　when　the　gloom　of　despotism　subsides；　which　makes　us　stumble　at　every　step；　but；　when　morality　shall　be　settled　on　a　more　solid　basis；　then；　without　being　gifted　with　a　prophetic　spirit；　I　will　venture　to　predict；　that　woman　will　be　either　the　friend　or　slave　of　man。　　We　shall　not；　as　at　present；　doubt　whether　she　is　a　moral　agent；　or　the　link　which　unites　man　with　brutes。　　But；　should　it　then　appear；　that　like　the　brutes　they　were　principally　created　for　the　use　of　man；　he　will　let　them　patiently　bite　the　bridle；　and　not　mock　them　with　empty　praise；　or；　should　their　rationality　be　proved；　he　will　not　impede　their　improvement　merely　to　gratify　his　sensual　appetites。　He　will　not　with　all　the　graces　of　rhetoric；　advise　them　to　submit　implicitly　their　understandings　to　the　guidance　of　man。　　He　will　not；　when　he　treats　of　the　education　of　women；　assert；　that　they　ought　never　to　have　the　free　use　of　reason；　nor　would　he　recommend　cunning　and　dissimulation　to　beings　who　are　acquiring；　in　like　manner　as　himself；　the　virtues　of　humanity。　Surely　there　can　be　but　one　rule　of　right；　if　morality　has　an　eternal　foundation；　and　whoever　sacrifices　virtue；　strictly　so　called；　to　present　convenience；　or　whose　DUTY　it　is　to　act　in　such　a　manner；　lives　only　for　the　passing　day；　and　cannot　be　an　accountable　creature。　The　poet　then　should　have　dropped　his　sneer　when　he　says；　〃If　weak　women　go　astray；　The　stars　are　more　in　fault　than　they。〃　For　that　they　are　bound　by　the　adamantine　chain　of　destiny　is　most　certain；　if　it　be　proved　that　they　are　never　to　exercise　their　own　reason；　never　to　be　independent；　never　to　rise　above　opinion；　or　to　feel　the　dignity　of　a　rational　will　that　only　bows　to　God；　and　often　forgets　that　the　universe　contains　any　being　but　itself；　and　the　model　of　perfection　to　which　its　ardent　gaze　is　turned；　to　adore　attributes　that；　softened　into　virtues；　may　be　imitated　in　kind；　though　the　degree　overwhelms　the　enraptured　mind。　If；　I　say；　for　I　would　not　impress　by　declamation　when　reason　offers　her　sober　light；　if　they　are　really　capable　of　acting　like　rational　creatures；　let　them　not　be　treated　like　slaves；　or；　like　the　brutes　who　are　dependent　on　the　reason　of　man；　when　they　associate　with　him；　but　cultivate　their　minds；　give　them　the　salutary；　sublime　curb　of　principle；　and　let　them　attain　conscious　dignity　by　feeling　themselves　only　dependent　on　God。　　Teach　them；　in　common　with　man；　to　submit　to　necessity；　instead　of　giving；　to　render　them　more　pleasing；　a　sex　to　morals。　Further；　should　experience　prove　that　they　cannot　attain　the　same　degree　of　strength　of　mind；　perseverance　and　fortitude；　let　their　virtues　be　the　same　in　kind；　though　they　may　vainly　struggle　for　the　same　degree；　and　the　superiority　of　man　will　be　equally　clear；　if　not　clearer；　and　truth；　as　it　is　a　simple　principle；　which　admits　of　no　modification；　would　be　common　to　both。　　Nay；　the　order　of　society；　as　it　is　at　present　regulated；　would　not　be　inverted；　for　woman　would　then　only　have　the　rank　that　reason　assigned　her；　and　arts　could　not　be　practised　to　bring　the　balance　even；　much　less　to　turn　it。　These　may　be　termed　Utopian　dreams。　　Thanks　to　that　Being　who　impressed　them　on　my　soul；　and　gave　me　sufficient　strength　of　mind　to　dare　to　exert　my　own　reason；　till　becoming　dependent　only　on　him　for　the　support　of　my　virtue；　I　view　with　indignation；　the　mistaken　notions　that　enslave　my　sex。　I　love　man　as　my　fellow；　but　his　sceptre　real　or　usurped；　extends　not　to　me；　unless　the　reason　of　an　individual　demands　my　homage；　and　even　then　the　submission　is　to　reason；　and　not　to　man。　　In　fact；　the　conduct　of　an　accountable　being　must　be　regulated　by　the　operations　of　its　own　reason；　or　on　what　foundation　rests　the　throne　of　God？　It　appears　to　me　necessary　to　dwell　on　these　obvious　truths；　because　females　have　been　insulted；　as　it　were；　and　while　they　have　been　stripped　of　the　virtues　that　should　clothe　humanity；　they　have　been　decked　with　artificial　graces；　that　enable　them　to　exercise　a　short　lived　tyranny。　　Love；　in　their　bosoms；　taking　place　of　every　nobler　passion；　their　sole　ambition　is　to　be　fair；　to　raise　emotion　instead　of　inspiring　respect；　and　this　ignoble　desire；　like　the　servility　in　absolute　monarchies；　destroys　all　strength　of　character。　　Liberty　is　the　mother　of　virtue；　and　if　women　are；　by　their　very　constitution；　slaves；　and　not　allowed　to　breathe　the　sharp　invigorating　air　of　freedom；　they　must　ever　languish　like　exotics；　and　be　reckoned　beautiful　flaws　in　nature；　let　it　also　be　remembered；　that　they　are　the　only　flaw。　As　to　the　argument　respecting　the　subjection　in　which　the　sex　has　ever　been　held；　it　retorts　on　man。　　The　many　have　always　been　enthralled　by　the　few；　and；　monsters　who　have　scarcely　shown　any　discernment　of　human　excellence；　have　tyrannized　over　thousands　of　their　fellow　creatures。　　Why　have　men　of　superior　endowments　submitted　to　such　degradation？　　For；　is　it　not　universally　acknowledged　that　kings；　viewed　collectively；　have　ever　been　inferior；　in　abilities　and　virtue；　to　the　same　number　of　men　taken　from　the　common　mass　of　mankindyet；　have　they　not；　and　are　they　not　still　treated　with　a　degree　of　reverence；　that　is　an　insult　to　reason？　　China　is　not　the　only　country　where　a　living　man　has　been　made　a　God。　　MEN　have　submitted　to　superior　strength；　to　enjoy　with　impunity　the　pleasure　of　the　momentWOMEN　have　only　done　the　same；　and　therefore　till　it　is　proved　that　the　courtier；　who　servilely　resigns　the　birthright　of　a　man；　is　not　a　moral　agent；　it　cannot　be　demonstrated　that　woman　is　essentially　inferior　to　man；　because　she　has　always　been　subjugated。　Brutal　force　has　hitherto　governed　the　world；　and　that　the　science　of　politics　is　in　its　infancy；　is　evident　from　philosophers　scrupling　to　give　the　knowledge　most　useful　to　man　that　determinate　distinction。　I　shall　not　pursue　this　argument　any　further　than　to　establish　an　obvious　inference；　that　as　sound　politics　diffuse　liberty；　mankind；　including　woman；　will　become　more　wise　and　virtuous。

CHAPTER　3。　THE　SAME　SUBJECT　CONTINUED。　Bodily　strength　from　being　the　distinction　of　heroes　is　now　sunk　into　such　unmerited　contempt；　that　men　as　well　as　women；　seem　to　think　it　unnecessary：　　the　latter；　as　it　takes　from　their　feminine　graces；　and　from　that　lovely　weakness；　the　source　of　their　undue　power；　and　the　former；　because　it　appears　inimical　with　the　character　of　a　gentleman。　That　they　have　both　by　departing　from　one　extreme　run　into　another；　may　easily　be　proved；　but　it　first　may　be　proper　to　observe；　that　a　vulgar　error　has　obtained　a　degree　of　credit；　which　has　given　force　to　a　false　conclusion；　in　which　an　effect　has　been　mistaken　for　a　cause。　People　of　genius　have；　very　frequently；　impaired　their　constitutions　by　study；　or　careless　inattention　to　their　health；　and　the　violence　of　their　passions　bearing　a　proportion　to　the　vigour　of　their　intellects；　the　sword's　destroying　the　scabbard　has　become　almost　proverbial；　and　superficial　observers　have　inferred　from　thence；　that　men　of　genius　have　commonly　weak；　or　to　use　a　more　fashionable　phrase；　delicate　constitutions。　　Yet　the　contrary；　I　believe；　will　appear　to　be　the　fact；　for；　on　diligent　inquiry；　I　find　that　strength　of　mind　has；　in　most　cases；　been　accompanied　by　superior　strength　of　body；　natural　soundness　of　constitution；　not　that　robust　tone　of　nerves　and　vigour　of　muscles；　which　arise　from　bodily　labour；　when　the　mind　is　quiescent；　or　only　directs　the　hands。　Dr。　Priestley　has　remarked；　in　the　preface　to　his　biographical　chart；　that　the　majority　of　great　men　have　lived　beyond　forty…five。　And；　considering　the　thoughtless　manner　in　which　they　lavished　their　strength；　when　investigating　a　favourite　science；　they　have　wasted　the　lamp　of　life；　forgetful　of　the　midnight　hour；　or；　when；　lost　in　poetic　dreams；　fancy　has　peopled　the　scene；　and　the　soul　has　been　disturbed；　till　it　shook　the　constitution；　by　the　passions　that　meditation　had　raised；　whose　objects；　the　baseless　fabric　of　a　vision；　faded　before　the　exhausted　eye；　they　must　have　had　iron　frames。　　Shakespeare　never　grasped　the　airy　dagger　with　a　nerveless　hand；　nor　did　Milton　tremble　when　he　led　Satan　far　from　the　confines　of　his　dreary　prison。　　These　were　not　the　ravings　of　imbecility；　the　sickly　effusions　of　distempered　brains；　but　the　exuberance　of　fancy；　that　〃in　a　fine　phrenzy〃　wandering；　was　not　continually　reminded　of　its　material　shackles。　I　am　aware；　that　this　argument　would　carry　me　further　than　it　may　be　supposed　I　wish　to　go；　but　I　follow　truth；　and　still　adhering　to　my　first　position；　I　will　allow　that　bodily　strength　seems　to　give　man　a　natural　superiority　over　woman；　and　this　is　the　only　solid　basis　on　which　the　superior