Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/205

Rh opinions, at firt, of every decription, were all, probably, conidered, and therefore were founded on ome reaon; yet not unfrequently, of coure, it was rather a local expedient than a fundamental principle, that would be reaonable at all times. But, mos-covered opinions aume the diproportioned form of prejudices, when they are indolently adopted only becaue age has given them a venerable apect, though the reaon on which they were built ceaes to be a reaon, or cannot be traced. Why are we to love prejudices, merely becaue they are prejudices ? A prejudice is a fond obtinate peruaion for which we can give no reaon; for the moment a reaon can be given for an opinion, it ceaes to be a prejudice, though it may be an error in judgment: and are we then advied to cherih opinions only to et reaon at defiance? This mode of arguing, if arguing it may be called, reminds me of what is vulgarly termed a woman's reaon. For women ometimes declare that they love, or believe, certain things, becaue they love, or believe them.

It is impoible to convere with people to any purpoe, who, in this tyle, only ue affirmatives and negatives. Before you can bring them to a point, to tart fairly from, you mut go back to the imple principles that were antecedent to the prejudices broached by power; and it is ten to one but you are topped by the philoophical aertion, that certain principles are as practically fale as they are abtractly true. Nay, it may be Rh