Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/212

206 weakened by being employed in unfolding intead of examining the firt aociations, forced on them by every urrounding object, how can they attain the vigour neceary to enable them to throw off their factitious character?—where find trength to recur to reaon and rie uperiour to a ytem of oppreion, that blats the fair promies of pring? This cruel aociation of ideas, which every thing conpires to twit into all their habits of thinking, or, to peak with more preciion, of feeling, receives new force when they begin to act a little for themelves; for they then perceive that it is only through their addres to excite emotions in men, that pleaure and power are to be obtained. Beides, all the books profeedly written for their intruction, which make the firt impreion on their minds, all inculcate the ame opinions. Educated then in wore than Egyptian bondage, it is unreaonable, as well as cruel, to upbraid them with faults that can carcely be avoided, unles a degree of native vigour be uppoed, that falls to the lot of very few amongt mankind.

For intance, the everet arcams have been levelled againt the ex, and they have been ridiculed for repeating 'a et of phraes learnt by rote,' when nothing could be more natural, conidering the education they receive, and that their 'highet praie is to obey, unargued’— the will of man. If they are not allowed to have reaon ufficient to govern their own conduct—why, all they learn—mut be learned by rote! And when all their ingenuity is called forth to adjut their dres, 'a paion for a carlet coat,' is o natural, that&ensp;