Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/153

Rh 'The common attachment and regard of a mother, nay, mere habit, will make her beloved by her children, if he does nothing to incur their hate. Even the contraint he lays them under, if well directed, will increae their affection, intead of leening it; becaue a tate of dependence being natural to the ex, they perceive themelves formed for obedience.'

This is begging the quetion; for ervitude not only debaes the individual, but its effects eem to be tranmitted to poterity. Conidering the length of time that women have been dependent, is it urpriing that ome of them hug their chains, and fawn like the paniel? 'Thee dogs,' oberves a naturalit, 'at firt kept their ears erect; but cutom has upereded nature, and a token of fear is become a beauty.'

'For the ame reaon,' adds Roueau, 'women have, or ought to have, but little liberty; they are apt to indulge themelves exceively in what is allowed them. Addicted in every thing to extremes, they are even more tranported at their diverions than boys.'

The anwer to this is very imple. Slaves and mobs have always indulged themelves in the ame excees, when once they broke looe from authority.—The bent bow recoils with violence, when the hand is uddenly relaxed that forcibly held it; and enibility, the play-thing of outward circumtances, mut be ubjected to authority, or moderated by reaon.

'There reults,' he continues, 'from this habitual retraint a tractablenes which the women have occaion for during their whole lives, as Rh