Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/115

Rh conequently they become the prey of their enes, delicately termed enibility, and are blown about by every momentary gut of feeling. They are, therefore, in a much wore condition than they would be in were they in a tate nearer to nature. Ever retles and anxious, their over exercied enibility not only renders them uncomfortable themelves, but troubleome, to ue a oft phrae, to others. All their thoughts turn on things calculated to excite emotion; and feeling, when they hould reaon, their conduct is untable, and their opinions are wavering—not the wavering produced by deliberation or progreive views, but by contradictory emotions. By fits and tarts they are warm in many puruits; yet this warmth, never concentrated into pereverance, oon exhauts itelf; exhaled by its own heat, or meeting with ome other fleeting paion, to which reaon has never given any pecific gravity, neutrality enues. Mierable, indeed, mut be that being whoe cultivation of mind has only tended to inflame its paions! A ditinction hould be made between inflaming and trengthening them. The paions thus pampered, whilt the judgment is left unformed, what can be expected to enue?—Undoubtedly, a mixture of madnes and folly!

This obervation hould not be confined to the fair ex; however, at preent, I only mean to apply it to them.

Novels, muic, poetry, and gallantry, all tend to make women the creatures of enation, and their character is thus formed during the time they are acquiring accomplihments, the only provement&ensp;