Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/42

36 drapery. An air of fahion, which is but a badge of lavery, and proves that the oul has not a trong individual character, awes imple country people into an imitation of the vices, when they cannot catch the lippery graces, of politenes. Every corps is a chain of depots, who, ubmitting and tyrannizing without exerciing their reaon, become dead weights of vice and folly on the community. A man of rank or fortune, ure of riing by interet, has nothing to do but to purue ome extravagant freak; whilt the needy gentleman, who is to rie, as the phrae turns, by his merit, becomes a ervile paraite or vile pander.

Sailors, the naval gentlemen, come under the ame decription, only their vices aume a different and a groer cat. They are more poitively indolent, when not dicharging the ceremonials of their tation; whilt the inignificant fluttering of oldiers may be termed active idlenes. More confined to the ociety of men, the former acquire a fondnes for humour and michievous tricks; whilt the latter, mixing frequently with well-bred women, catch a entimental cant.—But mind is equally out of the quetion, whether they indulge the hore-laugh, or polite imper.

May I be allowed to extend the comparion to a profeion where more mind is certainly to be found; for the clergy have uperior opportunities of impovementimprovement [sic], tho' ubordination almot equally cramps their faculties? The blind ubmiion impoed at college to forms of belief erves as a novitiate to the curate, who mut obequiouly repect the opinion of his rector or patron, if he means&ensp;