Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/146

140 the mallet burthens, and would bluh to be thought robut and trong. To what purpoe is all this? Not merely for the ake of appearing delicate, but through an artful precaution: it is thus they provide an excue beforehand, and a right to be feeble when they think it expedient .'

I have quoted this paage, let my readers hould upect that I warped the author's reaoning to upport my own arguments. I have already aerted that in educating women thee fundamental principles lead to a ytem of cunning and laciviounes.

Suppoing woman to have been formed only to pleae, and be ubject to man, the concluion is jut, he ought to acrifice every other conideration to render herelf agreeable to him: and let this brutal deire of elf-preervation be the grand pring of all her actions, when it is proved to be the iron bed of fate, to fit which her character hould be tretched or contracted, regardles of all moral or phyical ditinctions. But, if, as I think, may be demontrated, the purpoes, of even this life, viewing the whole, are ubverted by practical rules built upon this ignoble bae, I may be allowed to doubt whether woman was created for man: and, though the cry of irreligion, or even atheim, be raied againt me, I will imply declare, that were an angel from heaven to tell me that Moes's beautiful, poetical comogony, and the account of the fall of man, were literally true, I could not believe what my reaon told me was derogatory to the character of the&ensp;