Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/49

Rh my preent purpoe to aert, that whatever effect circumtances have on the abilities, every being may become virtuous by the, exercie of its own reaon; for if but one being was created with vicious inclinations, that is poitively bad, what can ave us from atheim? or if we worhip a God, is not that God a devil?

Conequently, the mot perfect education, in my opinion, is uch an exercie of the undertanding as is bet calculated to trengthen the body and form the heart. Or, in other words, to enable the individual to attain uch habits of virtue as will render it independent. In fact, it is a farce to call any being virtuous whoe virtues do not reult from the exercie of its own reaon. This was Roueau's opinion repecting men: I extend it to women, and confidently aert that they have been drawn out of their phere by fale refinement, and not by an endeavour to acquire maculine qualities. Still the regal homage which they receive is o intoxicating, that till the manners of the times are changed, and formed on more reaonable principles, it may be impoible to convince them that the illegitimate power which they obtain, by degrading themelves, is a cure, and that they mut return to nature and equality, if they wih to ecure the placid atisfaction that unophiticated affections impart. But for this epoch we mut wait—wait, perhaps, till kings and nobles, enlightened by reaon, and, preferring the real dignity of man to childih tate, throw off their gaudy hereditary trappings: and if then women do not reign the arbitrary power of they&ensp;