Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/339

Rh One triking intance of the folly of women mut not be omitted.—The manner in which they treat ervants in the preence of children, permitting them to uppoe that they ought to wait on them, and bear their humours. A child hould always be made to receive aitance from a man or woman as a favour; and, as the firt leon of independence, they hould practically be taught, by the example of their mother, not to require that peronal attendance, which it is an inult to humanity to require, when in health; and intead of being led to aume airs of conequence, a ene of their own weaknes hould firt make them feel the natural equality of man. Yet, how frequently have I indignantly heard ervants imperiouly called to put children to bed, and ent away again and again, becaue mater or mis hung about mamma, to tay a little longer. Thus made lavihly to attend the little idol, all thoe mot diguting humours were exhibited which characterize a poiled child.

In hort, peaking of the majority of mothers, they leave their children entirely to the care of ervants; or, becaue they are their children treat them as if they were little demi-gods, though I have always oberved, that the women who thus idolize their children, eldom hew common humanity to ervants, or feel the leat tendernes for any children but their own.

It is, however, thee excluive affections, and an individual manner of eeing things produced by ignorance, which keep women for ever at a tand, with repect to improvement, and make many of them dedicate their lives to their dren&ensp;