Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/52

46 learn is rather by natches; and as learning is with them, in general, only a econdary thing, they do not purue any one branch with that perevering ardour neceary to give vigour to the faculties, and clearnes to the judgment. In the preent tate of ociety, a little learning is required to upport the character of a gentleman; and boys are obliged to ubmit to a few years of dicipline. But in the education of women, the cultivation of the undertanding is always ubordinate to the acquirement of ome corporeal accomplihment; even while enervated by confinement and fale notions of modety, the body is prevented from attaining that grace and beauty which relaxed half-formed limbs never exhibit. Beides, in youth their faculties are not brought forward by emulation; and having no erious cientific tudy, if they have natural agacity it is turned too oon on life and manners. They dwell on effects, and modifications, without tracing them back to caues; and complicated rules to adjut behaviour, are a weak ubtitute for imple principles.

As a proof that education gives this appearance of weaknes to females, we may intance the example of military men, who are, like them, ent into the world before their minds have been tored with knowledge or fortified by principles. The conequences are imilar; oldiers acquire a little uperficial knowledge, natched from the muddy current of converation, and, from continually mixing with ociety, they gain, what is termed a knowledge of the world; and this acquaintance with manners and cutoms has quently&ensp;