With respect
to virtue, to use the word in a comprehensive sense, I have seen
most in low life. Many poor women maintain their children by the sweat
of their brow, and keep together families that the vices of the
fathers would have scattered abroad; but gentlewomen are too
indolent to be actively virtuous, and are softened rather than refined
by civilization. Indeed, the good sense which I have met with, among
the poor women who have had few advantages of education, and yet
have acted heroically, strongly confirmed me in the opinion that
trifling employments have rendered woman a trifler. Man, taking her*
body the mind is left to rust; so that while physical love enervates
man, as being his favourite recreation, he will endeavour to enslave
woman:- and, who can tell, how many generations may be necessary to
give vigour to the virtue and talents of the freed posterity of abject
slaves?*(2)
* 'I take her body,' says Ranger.
*(2) 'Supposing that women are voluntary slaves- slavery of any kind
is unfavourable to human happiness and improvement.'- Knox's Essays.
In tracing the causes that, in my opinion, have degraded woman, I
have confined my observations to such as universally act upon the
morals and manners of the whole sex, and to me it appears clear that
they all spring from want of understanding. Whether this arise from
a physical or accidental weakness of faculties, time alone can
determine; for I shall not lay any great stress on the example of a
few women* who, from having received a masculine education, have
acquired courage and resolution; I only contend that the men who
have been placed in similar situations, have acquired a similar
character- I speak of bodies of men, and that men of genius and
talents have started out of a class, in which women have never yet
been placed.
Pages:
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133