a vindication of the rights of woman-第33节
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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 superinductions of art that have smothered nature。 Every thing that they see or hear serves to fix impressions; call forth emotions; and associate ideas; that give a sexual character to the mind。 False notions of beauty and delicacy stop the growth of their limbs and produce a sickly soreness; rather than delicacy of organs; and thus weakened by being employed in unfolding instead of examining the first associations; forced on them by every surrounding object; how can they attain the vigour necessary to enable them to throw off their factitious character?where find strength to recur to reason and rise superior to a system of oppression; that blasts the fair promises of spring? This cruel association of ideas; which every thing conspires to twist into all their habits of thinking; or; to speak with more precision; of feeling; receives new force when they begin to act a little for themselves; for they then perceive; that it is only through their address to excite emotions in men; that pleasure and power are to be obtained。 Besides; all the books professedly written for their instruction; which make the first impression on their minds; all inculcate the same opinions。 Educated in worse than Egyptian bondage; it is unreasonable; as well as cruel; to upbraid them with faults that can scarcely be avoided; unless a degree of native vigour be supposed; that falls to the lot of very few amongst mankind。 For instance; the severest sarcasms have been levelled against the sex; and they have been ridiculed for repeating 〃a set of phrases learnt by rote;〃 when nothing could be more natural; considering the education they receive; and that their 〃highest praise is to obey; unargued〃the will of man。 If they are not allowed to have reason sufficient to govern their own conductwhy; all they learnmust be learned by rote! And when all their ingenuity is called forth to adjust their dress; 〃a passion for a scarlet coat;〃 is so natural; that it never surprised me; and; allowing Pope's summary of their character to be just; 〃that every woman is at heart a rake;〃 why should they be bitterly censured for seeking a congenial mind; and preferring a rake to a man of sense? Rakes know how to work on their sensibility; whilst the modest merit of reasonable men has; of course; less effect on their feelings; and they cannot reach the heart by the way of the understanding; because they have few sentiments in common。 It seems a little absurd to expect women to be more reasonable than men in their LIKINGS; and still to deny them the uncontroled use of reason。 When do men FALL IN LOVE with sense? When do they; with their superior powers and advantages; turn from the person to the mind? And how can they then expect women; who are only taught to observe behaviour; and acquire manners rather than morals; to despise what they have been all their lives labouring to attain? Where are they suddenly to find judgment enough to weigh patiently the sense of an awkward virtuous man; when his manners; of which they are made critical judges; are rebuffing; and his con