Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/248

242 with a enual gut. The feelings of a parent mingling with an intinct merely animal, give it dignity; and the man and woman often meeting on account of the child, a mutual interet and affection is excited by the exercie of a common ympathy. Women then having necearily ome duty to fulfil, more noble than to adorn their perons, would not contentedly be the laves of caual appetite; which is now the ituation of a very coniderable number who are, literally peaking, tanding dihes to which every glutton may have acces.

I may be told that great as this enormity is, it only affects a devoted part of the ex—devoted for the alvation of the ret. But, fale as every aertion might eaily be proved, that recommends the anctioning a mall evil to produce a greater good; the michief does not top here, for the moral character, and peace of mind, of the chater part of the ex, is undermined by the conduct of the very women to whom they allow no refuge from guilt: whom they inexorably conign to the exercie of arts that lure their hubands from them, debauch their ons, and force them, let not modet women tart, to aume, in ome degree, the ame character themelves. For I will venture to aert, that all the caues of female weaknes, as well as depravity, which I have already enlarged on, branch out of one grand caue—want of chatity in men.

This intemperance, o prevalent, depraves the appetite to uch a degree, that a wanton timulus is neceary to roue it; but the parental deign of nature is forgotten, and the mere peron, and&ensp;