Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/272

266 I hall more fully dicus this ubject when I treat of private education, I now only mean to init, that unles the undertanding of woman be enlarged, and her character rendered more firm, by being allowed to govern her own conduct, he will never have ufficient ene or command of temper to manage her children properly. Her parental affection, indeed, carcely deerves the name, when it does not lead her to uckle her children, becaue the dicharge of this duty is equally calculated to inpire maternal and filial affection: and it is the indipenable duty of men and women to fulfil the duties which give birth to affections that are the uret preervatives againt vice. Natural affection, as it is termed, I believe to be a very faint tie, affections must grow out of the habitual exercie of a mutual ympathy; and what ympathy does a mother exercie who ends her babe to a nure, and only takes it from a nure to end it to a chool?

In the exercie of their maternal feelings providence has furnihed women with a natural ubtitute for love, when the lover becomes only a friend and mutual confidence takes place of overtrained admiration—a child then gently twits the relaxing cord, and a mutual care produces a new mutual ympathy.—But a child, though a pledge of affection, will not enliven it, if both father and mother are content to transfer the charge to hirelings; for they who do their duty by proxy hould not murmur if they mis the reward of duty—parental affection produces filial duty. .&ensp;