a vindication of the rights of woman-第47章

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God　which　is　only　an　insult　to　humanity；　is　violated　in　a　brutal　manner。　　How　can　DELICATE　women　obtrude　on　notice　that　part　of　the　animal　economy；　which　is　so　very　disgusting？　　And　is　it　not　very　rational　to　conclude；　that　the　women　who　have　not　been　taught　to　respect　the　human　nature　of　their　own　sex；　in　these　particulars；　will　not　long　respect　the　mere　difference　of　sex；　in　their　husbands？　　After　their　maidenish　bashfulness　is　once　lost；　I；　in　fact；　have　generally　observed；　that　women　fall　into　old　habits；　and　treat　their　husbands　as　they　did　their　sisters　or　female　acquaintance。　Besides；　women　from　necessity；　because　their　minds　are　not　cultivated；　have　recourse　very　often；　to　what　I　familiarly　term　bodily　wit；　and　their　intimacies　are　of　the　same　kind。　　In　short；　with　respect　to　both　mind　and　body；　they　are　too　intimate。　　That　decent　personal　reserve；　which　is　the　foundation　of　dignity　of　character；　must　be　kept　up　between　women；　or　their　minds　will　never　gain　strength　or　modesty。　On　this　account　also；　I　object　to　many　females　being　shut　up　together　in　nurseries；　schools；　or　convents。　　I　cannot　recollect　without　indignation；　the　jokes　and　hoiden　tricks；　which　knots　of　young　women　indulged　themselves　in；　when　in　my　youth　accident　threw　me；　an　awkward　rustic；　in　their　way。　　They　were　almost　on　a　par　with　the　double　meanings；　which　shake　the　convivial　table　when　the　glass　has　circulated　freely。　　But　it　is　vain　to　attempt　to　keep　the　heart　pure；　unless　the　head　is　furnished　with　ideas；　and　set　to　work　to　compare　them；　in　order；　to　acquire　judgment；　by　generalizing　simple　ones；　and　modesty　by　making　the　understanding　damp　the　sensibility。　It　may　be　thought　that　I　lay　too　great　a　stress　on　personal　reserve；　but　it　is　ever　the　hand…maid　of　modesty。　　So　that　were　I　to　name　the　graces　that　ought　to　adorn　beauty；　I　should　instantly　exclaim；　cleanliness；　neatness；　and　personal　reserve。　　It　is　obvious；　I　suppose；　that　the　reserve　I　mean；　has　nothing　sexual　in　it；　and　that　I　think　it　EQUALLY　necessary　in　both　sexes。　　So　necessary　indeed；　is　that　reserve　and　cleanliness　which　indolent　women　too　often　neglect；　that　I　will　venture　to　affirm；　that　when　two　or　three　women　live　in　the　same　house；　the　one　will　be　most　respected　by　the　male　part　of　the　family；　who　reside　with　them；　leaving　love　entirely　out　of　the　question；　who　pays　this　kind　of　habitual　respect　to　her　person。　When　domestic　friends　meet　in　a　morning；　there　will　naturally　prevail　an　affectionate　seriousness；　especially；　if　each　look　forward　to　the　discharge　of　daily　duties；　and　it　may　be　reckoned　fanciful；　but　this　sentiment　has　frequently　risen　spontaneously　in　my　mind。　　I　have　been　pleased　after　breathing　the　sweet　bracing　morning　air；　to　see　the　same　kind　of　freshness　in　the　countenances　I　particularly　loved；　I　was　glad　to　see　them　braced；　as　it　were；　for　the　day；　and　ready　to　run　their　course　with　the　sun。　　The　greetings　of　affection　in　the　morning　are　by　these　means　more　respectful；　than　the　familiar　tenderness　which　frequently　prolongs　the　evening　talk。　　Nay；　I　have　often　felt　hurt；　not　to　say　disgusted；　when　a　friend　has　appeared；　whom　I　parted　with　full　dressed　the　evening　before；　with　her　clothes　huddled　on；　because　she　chose　to　indulge　herself　in　bed　till　the　last　moment。　Domestic　affection　can　only　be　kept　alive　by　these　neglected　attentions；　yet　if　men　and　women　took　half　as　much　pains　to　dress　habitually　neat；　as　they　do　to　ornament；　or　rather　to　disfigure　their　persons；　much　would　be　done　towards　the　attainment　of　purity　of　mind。　　But　women　only　dress　to　gratify　men　of　gallantry；　for　the　lover　is　always　best　pleased　with　the　simple　garb　that　sits　close　to　the　shape。　　There　is　an　impertinence　in　ornaments　that　rebuffs　affection；　because　love　always　clings　round　the　idea　of　home。　As　a　sex；　women　are　habitually　indolent；　and　every　thing　tends　to　make　them　so。　　I　do　not　forget　the　starts　of　activity　which　sensibility　produces；　but　as　these　flights　of　feeling　only　increase　the　evil；　they　are　not　to　be　confounded　with　the　slow；　orderly　walk　of　reason。　　So　great；　in　reality；　is　their　mental　and　bodily　indolence；　that　till　their　body　be　strengthened　and　their　understanding　enlarged　by　active　exertions；　there　is　little　reason　to　expect　that　modesty　will　take　place　of　bashfulness。　　They　may　find　it　prudent　to　assume　its　semblance；　but　the　fair　veil　will　only　be　worn　on　gala　days。　Perhaps　there　is　not　a　virtue　that　mixes　so　kindly　with　every　other　as　modesty。　　It　is　the　pale　moon…beam　that　renders　more　interesting　every　virtue　it　softens；　giving　mild　grandeur　to　the　contracted　horizon。　　Nothing　can　be　more　beautiful　than　the　poetical　fiction；　which　makes　Diana　with　her　silver　crescent；　the　goddess　of　chastity。　　I　have　sometimes　thought；　that　wandering　with　sedate　step　in　some　lonely　recess；　a　modest　dame　of　antiquity　must　have　felt　a　glow　of　conscious　dignity；　when；　after　contemplating　the　soft　shadowy　landscape；　she　has　invited　with　placid　fervour　the　mild　reflection　of　her　sister's　beams　to　turn　to　her　chaste　bosom。　A　Christian　has　still　nobler　motives　to　incite　her　to　preserve　her　chastity　and　acquire　modesty；　for　her　body　has　been　called　the　Temple　of　the　living　God；　of　that　God　who　requires　more　than　modesty　of　mien。　　His　eye　searcheth　the　heart；　and　let　her　remember；　that　if　she　hopeth　to　find　favour　in　the　sight　of　purity　itself；　her　chastity　must　be　founded　on　modesty；　and　not　on　worldly　prudence；　or　verily　a　good　reputation　will　be　her　only　reward；　for　that　awful　intercourse；　that　sacred　communion；　which　virtue　establishes　between　man　and　his　Maker；　must　give　rise　to　the　wish　of　being　pure　as　he　is　pure！　After　the　foregoing　remarks；　it　is　almost　superfluous　to　add；　that　I　consider　all　those　feminine　airs　of　maturity；　which　succeed　bashfulness；　to　which　truth　is　sacrificed；　to　secure　the　heart　of　a　husband；　or　rather　to　force　him　to　be　still　a　lover　when　nature　would；　had　she　not　been　interrupted　in　her　operations；　have　made　love　give　place　to　friendship；　as　immodest。　　The　tenderness　which　a　man　will　feel　for　the　mother　of　his　children　is　an　excellent　substitute　for　the　ardour　of　unsatisfied　passion；　but　to　prolong　that　ardour　it　is　indelicate；　not　to　say　immodest；　for　women　to　feign　an　unnatural　coldness　of　constitution。　　Women　as　well　as　men　ought　to　have　the　common　appetites　and　passions　of　their　nature；　they　are　only　brutal　when　unchecked　by　reason：　　but　the　obligation　to　check　them　is　the　duty　of　mankind；　not　a　sexual　duty。　　Nature；　in　these　respects；　may　safely　be　left　to　herself；　let　women　only　acquire　knowledge　and　humanity；　and　love　will　teach　them　modesty。　There　is　no　need　of　falsehoods；　disgusting　as　futile；　for　studied　rules　of　behaviour　only　impose　on　shallow　observers；　a　man　of　sense　soon　sees　through；　and　despises　the　affectation。　The　behaviour　of　young　people；　to　each　other；　as　men　and　women；　is　the　last　thing　that　should　be　thought　of　in　education。　　In　fact；　behaviour　in　most　circumstances　is　now　so　much　thought　of；　that　simplicity　of　character　is　rarely　to　be　seen；　　yet；　if　men　were　only　anxious　to　cultivate　each　virtue；　and　let　it　take　root　firmly　in　the　mind；　the　grace　resulting　from　it；　its　natural　exteriour　mark；　would　soon　strip　affectation　of　its