Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/57

Rh What nonene! when will a great man arie with ufficient trength of mind to puff away the fumes which pride and enuality have thus pread over the ubject! If women are by nature inferior to men, their virtues mut be the ame in quality, if not in degree, or virtue is a relative idea; conequently, their conduct hould be founded on the ame principles, and have the ame aim.

Connected with man as daughters, wives, and mothers, their moral character may be etimated by their manner of fulfilling thoe imple duties; but the end, the grand end of their exertions hould be to unfold their own faculties and acquire the dignity of concious virtue. They may try to render their road pleaant; but ought never to forget, in common with man, that life yields not the felicity which can atisfy an immortal oul. I do not mean to ininuate, that either ex hould be o lot in abtract reflections or ditant views, as to forget the affections and duties that lie before them, and are, in truth, the means appointed to produce the fruit of life; on the contrary, I would warmly recommend them, even while I aert, that they afford mot atisfaction when they are conidered in their true ubordinate light.

Probably the prevailing opinion, that woman was created for man, may have taken its rie from Moes's poetical tory; yet, as very few, it is preumed, who have betowed any erious thought on the ubject, ever uppoed that Eve was, literally peaking, one of Adam's ribs, the deduction mut be allowed to fall to the ground; Rh