Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/202

196 earthy dros, by teaching him to love the centre of all perfection; whoe widom appears clearer and clearer in the works of nature, in proportion as reaon is illuminated and exalted by contemplation, and by acquiring that love of order which the truggles of paion produce?

The habit of reflection, and the knowledge attained by fotering any paion, might be hewn to be equally ueful, though the object be proved equally fallacious; for they would all appear in the ame light, if they were not magnified by the governing paion implanted in us by the Author of all good, to call forth and trengthen the faculties of each individual, and enable it to attain all the experience that an infant can obtain, who does certain things, it cannot tell why.

I decend from my height, and mixing with my fellow-creatures, feel myelf hurried along the common tream; ambition, love, hope and fear, exert their wonted power, though we be convinced by reaon that their preent and mot attractive promies are only lying dreams; but had the cold hand of circumpection damped each generous feeling before it had left any permanent character, or fixed ome habit, what could be expected, but elfih prudence and reaon jut riing above intinct? Who that has read Dean Swift's diguting decription of the Yahoos, and inipid one of Houyhnhnm with a philoophical eye, can avoid eeing the futility of degrading the paions, or making man ret in contentment?

The youth hould act; for had he the experience of a grey head he would be fitter for death than life, though his virtues, rather reiding in his&ensp;