Make them free, and they will quickly become wise and virtuous, as
men become more so; for the improvement must be mutual, or the
injustice which one half of the human race are obliged to submit to,
retorting on their oppressors, the virtue of men will be worm-eaten by
the insect whom he keeps under his feet.
Let men take their choice, man and woman were made for each other,
though not to become one being; and if they will not improve women,
they will deprave them!
I speak of the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex, for
I know that the behaviour of a few women, who, by accident, or
following a strong bent of nature, have acquired a portion of
knowledge superiour to that of the rest of their sex, has often been
over-bearing; but there have been instances of women who, attaining
knowledge, have not discarded modesty, nor have they always
pedantically appeared to despise the ignorance which they laboured
to disperse in their own minds. The exclamations then which any advice
respecting female learning, commonly produces, especially from
pretty women, often arise from envy. When they chance to see that even
the lustre of their eyes, and the flippant sportiveness of refined
coquetry will not always secure them attention, during a whole
evening, should a woman of a more cultivated understanding endeavour
to give a rational turn to the conversation, the common source of
consolation is, that such women seldom get husbands. What arts have
I not seen silly women use to interrupt by flirtation, a very
significant word to describe such a manoeuvre, a rational conversation
which made the men forget that they were pretty women.
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