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Female Character
FEMALE CHARACTER
No . II . 015 THE BEST MOflE 0 E DIRECTING THE INFLUENCE OF THE
ON THE ' MORAL STATE OF SOCIETY , BY MR , W . ARTAUD . HEAD JULY 31 , 1794 .
IN pursuing an inquiry into the best manner of directing the influence which the female character is acknowledged to possess over the moral state of society , whether we think it probable or not that there are subtile differences in the organization ofthe two sexes , which have a considerable share in forming certain original qualities that constitute the peculiar character of each of them yet it must
; in general be acknowled ged , that by far the greater p ;; rt of those peculiar qualities arise from the great leading- circumstances of their existence , which circumstances evidently spring from such palpable sexual differences as clearly point out their respective natural destinations . I shallthereforechieflconfine observations to those
circum-, , y my stance ' s ; and consider Woman , First , in a state of pucelage , when her external beauty operates most- powerfully on Man ; Secondl y , under the character of a Wife , when beauty has lost much of its influence ; and , Lastl y , under the character of all others the most important to the welfare of society , that of a Mother .
J-he influence of those attractive graces , which nature has in a peculiar -manner bestowed on the fair sex , is quickly recognized and felt by man . He prostrates himself before the shrine of female beauty , with the profoundest adoration ; and is transported with rapture , or sunk with despondency , as his hopes of possessing , or his fears of losing , her who is endowed with it operates upon him . But as this homage which he so devoutl to it arises solel
y pays y from the instinctive princi ples of his nature , he will of course be ' capricious with respect to the object of it ; for as nature has not confined the gift of beauty to a single individual , he will be instinctively attached to all who are beautiful ; which circumstance , joined with the satiety that ever follows enjoyment , would infallibly give him a continual thirst for varietyand consequentlrender him
in-, y constant in his attachments ; so that the great bend of union between the sexes , on which the moral state of society depends , would never be cemented , or , if cemented , would fail of producing those excellent effects for which it was instituted .
i he power , therefore , of permanently fixing the attachments of men , as it . does not reside in beauty , must be derived from something else , and as that something must be acquired p . evious to marriage ( for it is necessary to prevent / the satiety attendant on enjoyment ) , it will properly come under our first head . of inquiry ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Female Character
FEMALE CHARACTER
No . II . 015 THE BEST MOflE 0 E DIRECTING THE INFLUENCE OF THE
ON THE ' MORAL STATE OF SOCIETY , BY MR , W . ARTAUD . HEAD JULY 31 , 1794 .
IN pursuing an inquiry into the best manner of directing the influence which the female character is acknowledged to possess over the moral state of society , whether we think it probable or not that there are subtile differences in the organization ofthe two sexes , which have a considerable share in forming certain original qualities that constitute the peculiar character of each of them yet it must
; in general be acknowled ged , that by far the greater p ;; rt of those peculiar qualities arise from the great leading- circumstances of their existence , which circumstances evidently spring from such palpable sexual differences as clearly point out their respective natural destinations . I shallthereforechieflconfine observations to those
circum-, , y my stance ' s ; and consider Woman , First , in a state of pucelage , when her external beauty operates most- powerfully on Man ; Secondl y , under the character of a Wife , when beauty has lost much of its influence ; and , Lastl y , under the character of all others the most important to the welfare of society , that of a Mother .
J-he influence of those attractive graces , which nature has in a peculiar -manner bestowed on the fair sex , is quickly recognized and felt by man . He prostrates himself before the shrine of female beauty , with the profoundest adoration ; and is transported with rapture , or sunk with despondency , as his hopes of possessing , or his fears of losing , her who is endowed with it operates upon him . But as this homage which he so devoutl to it arises solel
y pays y from the instinctive princi ples of his nature , he will of course be ' capricious with respect to the object of it ; for as nature has not confined the gift of beauty to a single individual , he will be instinctively attached to all who are beautiful ; which circumstance , joined with the satiety that ever follows enjoyment , would infallibly give him a continual thirst for varietyand consequentlrender him
in-, y constant in his attachments ; so that the great bend of union between the sexes , on which the moral state of society depends , would never be cemented , or , if cemented , would fail of producing those excellent effects for which it was instituted .
i he power , therefore , of permanently fixing the attachments of men , as it . does not reside in beauty , must be derived from something else , and as that something must be acquired p . evious to marriage ( for it is necessary to prevent / the satiety attendant on enjoyment ) , it will properly come under our first head . of inquiry ,