An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex/Section 2

Our Company is generally by our Adveraries repreented as unprofitable and irkome to Men of Sene, and by ome of the more vehement Sticklers againt us, as Criminal. Thee Imputations as they arsare [sic] unjut, epecially the latter, o they favour trongly of the Malice, Arrogance and Sottihnes of thoe, that mot frequently urge &rsquo;em; who are commonly either conceited Fops, whoe ucces in their Pretences to the favour of our Sex has been no greater than their Merit, and fallen very far hort of their Vanity and Preumption, or a ort of moroe, ill-bred, unthinking Fellows, who appear to be Men only by their Habit and Beards, and are carce ditinguihable from Brutes but by their Figure and Riibility. But I hall wave thee Reflections at preent, however jut, and come cloer to our Argument. If Women are not quallified for the Converation of ingenious Men, or, to get yet further, their friendhip, it mut be becaue they want ome one condition, or more, necearily requiite to either. The neceary Conditions of thee are Sene, and good nature, to which mut be added, for Friendhip, Fidelity and Integrity. Now if any of thee be wanting to our Sex, it mut be either becaue Nature has not been o liberal as to betow &rsquo;em upon us; or becaue due care has not been taken to cultivate thoe Gifts to a competent meaure in us.

The firt of thee Caues is that, which is mot generally urg&rsquo;d againt us, whether it be in Raillery, or Spight. I might eaily cut this part of the Controvery hort by an irrefragable Argument, which is, that the expres intent, and reaon for which WomenWoman [sic] was created, was to be a Companion, and help meet to Man; and that conequently thoe, that deny &rsquo;em to be o, mut argue a Mitake in Providence, and think themelves wier than their Creator. But thee Gentlemen are generally uch paionate Admirers of themelves, and have uch a profound value and reverence for their own Parts, that they are ready at any time to acrifice their Religion to the Reputation of their Wit, and rather than loe their point, deny the truth of the Hitory. There are others, that though they allow the Story yet affirm, that the propagation, and continuance of Mankind, was the only Reaon for which we were made; as if the Widom that firt made Man, cou&rsquo;d not without trouble have continu&rsquo;d thatthe [sic] Species by the ame or any other Method, had not this been mot conducive to his happines, which was the gracious and only end of his Creation. But thee uperficial Gentlemen wear their Undertandings like their Clothes, always et and formal, and wou&rsquo;d no more Talk than Dres out of Fahion; Beau&rsquo;s that, rather than any part of their outward Figure hou&rsquo;d be damag&rsquo;d, wou&rsquo;d wipe the dirt off their hoes with their Handkercher, and that value themelves infinitely more upon modih Nonene, than upon the bet Sene againt the Fahion. But ince I do not intent to make this a religious Argument, I hall leave all further Coniderations of this Nature to the Divines, whose more immediate Buines and Study it is, to aert the Widom of Providence in the Order, and ditribution of this World, againt all that hall oppoe it.

To proceed therefore if we be naturally defective, the Defect mut be either in Soul or Body. In the Soul it can&rsquo;t be, if what I have hear&rsquo;d ome learned Men maintain, be true, that all Souls are equal, and alike, and that conequently there is no uch ditinction, as Male and Female Souls; that there are no innate Idea&rsquo;s, but that all the Notions we have, are deriv&rsquo;d from our External Senes, either immediately, or by Reflection. Thee Metaphyical Speculations, I mut own, Madam, require much more Learning and a tronger Head, than I can pretend to be Mitres of, to be conider&rsquo;d as they ought; Yet o bold I may be, as to undertake the defence of thee Opinions, when any of our jingling Opponents think fit to refute &rsquo;em.

Neither can it be in the Body, (if I may credit the Report of learned Phyicians) for there is no difference in the Organization of thoe Parts, which have any relation to, or influence over the Minds; but the Brain, and all other Parts (which I am not Anatomit enough to name) are contriv&rsquo;d as well for the plentiful conveyance of Spirits, which are held to be the immediate Intruments of Senation, in Women, as Men. I ee therefore no natural Impediment in the tructure of our Bodies; nor does Experience, or Obervation argue any: We ue all our Natural Faculties, as well as Men, nay, and our Rational too, deducting only for the advantages before mention&rsquo;d.

Let us appeal yet further to Experience, and oberve thoe Creatures that deviate leat from imple Nature, and ee if we can find any difference in Sene, or undertanding between Males and Females. In thee we may ee Nature plainet, who lie under no contraint of Cutom or Laws, but thoe of Paion or Appetite, which are Natures, and know no difference of Education, nor receive any Byas by prejudice. We ee great ditance in Degrees of Undertanding, Wit, Cunning and Docility (call them what you pleae) between the everal Species of Brutes. An Ape, a Dog, a Fox, are by daily Obervation found to be more Docile, and more Subtle than an Ox, a Swine, or a Sheep. But a She Ape is as full of, and as ready at Imitation as a He; a Bitch will learn as many Tricks in as hort a time as a Dog, a Female Fox has as many Wiles as a Male. A thouand intances of this kind might be produc&rsquo;d; but I think thee are o plain, that to intance more were a uperfluous labour; I hall only once more take notice, that in Brutes and other Animals there is no difference betwixt Male and Female in point of Sagacity, notwithtanding there is the ame ditinction of Sexes, that is between Men and Women. I have read, that ome Philoophers have held Brutes to be no more than meer Machines, a ort of Divine Clock-work, that Act only by the force of nice uneen Springs without Senation, and cry out without feeling Pain, Eat without Hunger, Drink without Thirt, fawn upon their Keepers without eeing &rsquo;em, hunt Hares without Smelling, &c. Here Madam is cover for our Antagonits againt the lat Argument o thick, that there is no beating &rsquo;em out. For my part, I hall not envy &rsquo;em their refuge, let &rsquo;em lie like the wild Irih ecure within their Boggs; the field is at leat ours, o long as they keep to their Fatnees. But to quit this Topick, I hall only add, that if the learnedet He of &rsquo;em all can convince me of the truth of this Opinion, He will very much tagger my Faith; for hitherto I have been able to oberve no difference between our Knowledge and theirs, but a gradual one; and depend upon Revelation alone, that our Souls are Immortal, and theirs not.

But if an Argument from Brutes and other Animals hall not be allow&rsquo;d as concluive, (though I can&rsquo;t ee, why uch an Inference hould not be valid, ince the parity of Reaon is the ame on both ides in this Cae.) I hall deire thoe that hold againt us to oberve the Country People, I mean the inferiour ort of them, uch as not having Stocks to follow Husbandry upon their own Score, ubit upon their daily Labour. For amongt thee, though not o equal as that of Brutes, yet the Condition of the two Sexes is more level, than amongt Gentlemen, City Traders, or rich Yeomen. Examine them in their everal Buinees, and their Capacities will appear equal; but talk to them of things indifferent, and out of the Road of their contant Employment, and the Ballance will fall on our ide, the Women will be found the more ready and polite. Let us look a little further, and view our Sex in a tate of more improvement, amongt our Neighbours the Dutch. There we hall find them managing not only the Dometick Affairs of the Family, but making, and receiving all Payments as well great as mall, keeping the Books, ballancing the Accounts, and doing all the Buines, even the nicet of Merchants, with as much Dexterity and Exactnes as their, or our Men can do. And I have often hear&rsquo;d ome of our coniderable Merchants blame the conduct of our Country-Men in this point; that they breed our Women o ignorant of Buines; whereas were they taught Arithmetick, and other Arts which require not much bodily trength, they might upply the places of abundance of luty Men now employ&rsquo;d in edentary Buines; which would be a mighty profit to the Nation by ending thoe Men to Employments, where hands and Strength are more requir&rsquo;d, epecially at this time when we are in uch want of People. Beide that it might prevent the ruine of many Families, which is often occaion&rsquo;d by the Death of Merchants in full Buines, and leaving their Accounts perplex&rsquo;d, and embroil&rsquo;d to a Widdow and Orphans, who undertanding nothing of the Husband or Father&rsquo;s Buines, occaions the Rending, and oftentimes the utter Confounding a fair Etate; which might be prevented, did the Wife but understand Merchants Accounts, and were made acquainted with the Books.