Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/287

Rh feelings are of more ue, in a moral ene, than any other emotion of tate; but I contend that the theatrical pomp which gratifies our enes, is to be preferred to the cold parade that inults the undertanding without reaching the heart.

Amongt remarks on national education, uch obervations cannot be miplaced, epecially as the upporters of thee etablihments, degenerated into puerilities, affect to be the champions of religion.—Religion, pure ource of comfort in this vale of tears! how has thy clear tream been muddied by the dabblers, who have preumptuouly endeavoured to confine in one narrow channel, the living waters that ever flow towards God—the ublime ocean of exitence! What would life be without that peace which the love of God, when built on humanity, alone can impart? Every earthly affection turns back, at intervals, to prey upon the heart that feeds it; and the puret effuions of benevolence, often rudely damped by man, mut mount as a free-will offering to Him who gave them birth, whoe bright image they faintly reflect.

In public chools, however, religion, confounded with irkome ceremonies and unreaonable retraints, aumes the mot ungracious apect: not the ober autere one that commands repect whilt it inpires fear; but a ludicrous cat, that erves to point a pun. For, in fact, mot of the good tories and mart things which enliven the pirits that have been concentrated at whit, are manufactured out of the incidents to which the very men labour to give a droll turn who countenance the abue to live on the poil. There&ensp;