Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/94

88 A double duty devolves on her; to educate them in the character of both father and mother; to form their principles and ecure their property. But, alas! he has never thought, much les acted for herelf. She has only learned to pleae 'In the union of the exes, both purue one common object, but not in the ame manner. From their diverity in this particular, aries the firt determinate difference between the moral relations of each. The one hould be active and trong, the other paive and weak: it is neceary the one hould have both the power and the will, and that the other hould make little reitance.

'This principle being etablihed, it follows that woman is expresly formed to pleae the man; if the obligation be reciprocal alo, and the man ought to pleae in his turn, it is not o immediately neceary: his great merit is in his power, and he pleaes merely becaue he is trong. This, I mut confes, is not one of the refined maxims of love; it is, however, one of the laws of nature, prior to love itelf.

'If woman be formed to pleae and be ubjected to man it is her place, doubtles, to render herelf agreeable to him, intead of challenging his paion. The violence of his deires depends on her charms; it is by means of thee he hould urge him to the exertion of thoe powers which nature hath giving him. The mot uccesful method of exciting them, is, to render uch exertion neceary by their reitance; as, in that cae, elf-love is added to deire, and the one triumphs in the victory which the other obliged to acquire. Hence arie the various modes of attack and defence between the exes; the boldnes of one ex and the timidity of the other; and, in a word, that bahfulnes and modety with which nature hath armed the weak, in order to ubdue the trong.' Roueau's Emilius.

I hall make no other comment on this ingeniusingenious [sic] paage, than jut to oberve, that it is the philoophy of laciviounes. men, to depend gracefully on them; yet, encumbered with children, how is he to obtain another protector—a huband to upply the place of reaon? A rational man, for we are not treading on romantic ground, though he may think her a pleaing docile creature, will not chooe to marry a family for love, when the world contains many more pretty creatures. What is then to become of her? She either falls an eay prey to ome mean fortune-hunter, who defrauds her children of their paternal inheritance, and renders her mierable; or becomes the victim of tent&ensp;