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Men, in general, seem to employ their reason to justify prejudices, which they have imbibed,
Soldiers, as well as women, practice the minor virtues with punctilious politeness. Where is then the sexual difference, when the education has been the same; all the difference that I can discern, arises from the superior advantage of liberty which enables the former to see more of life.
But should it be proved that woman is naturally weaker than man, from whence does it follow that it is natural for her to labour to become still weaker than nature intended her to be?
Girls and boys, in short, would play harmless together, if the distinction of sex was not inculcated long before nature makes any difference.
Solitude and reflection are necessary to give to wishes the force of passions, and enable the imagination to enlarge the object and make it the most desirable.
"Educate women like men," says Rousseau, "and the more they resemble our sex the less power will they have over us." This is the very point I aim at. I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves.
The female understanding has often been spoken of with contempt, as arriving sooner at maturity than the male. I shall not answer this argument by alluding to the early proofs of reason, as well as genius, in Cowley, Milton, and Pope, (Many other names might be added.) but only appeal to experience to decide whether young men, who are early introduced into company (and examples now abound) do not acquire the same precocity.
by calling the attention continually to the body, cramps the activity of the mind.
Nay, it may be inferred, that reason has whispered some doubts, for it generally happens that people assert their opinions with the greatest heat when they begin to waver; striving to drive out their own doubts by convincing their opponent,
They who live to please must find their enjoyments, their happiness, in pleasure!
It is a trite, yet true remark, that we never do any thing well, unless we love it for its own sake.
Weak minds are always fond of resting in the ceremonials of duty,
Parental affection, indeed, in many minds, is but a pretext to tyrannize where it can be done with impunity, for only good and wise men are content with the respect that will bear discussion. Convinced that they have a right to what they insist on, they do not fear reason, or dread the sifting of subjects that recur to natural justice:
If parents discharge their duty they have a strong hold and sacred claim on the gratitude of their children; but few parents are willing to receive the respectful affection of their offspring on such terms. They demand blind obedience, because they do not merit a reasonable service:
"My mamma has been scolding me finely this morning, because her hair was not dressed to please her." Though this remark was pert, it was just. And what respect could a girl acquire for such a parent, without doing violence to reason?)
The desire of living in the same style, as the rank just above them, infects each individual and every class of people, and meanness is the concomitant of this ignoble ambition;
The elements of religion, history, the history of man, and politics, might also be taught by conversations, in the socratic form.
they should be sent to school to mix with a number of equals, for only by the jostlings of equality can we form a just opinion of ourselves.
A female beauty and a male wit, appear to be equally anxious to draw the attention of the company to themselves;
because it is obvious, that we are little interested about what we do not understand.
