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Article FEMALE CHARACTER ← Page 2 of 4 →
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Female Character
It has been already shewn , that the influence of beauty ceases with enjoyment ; that the permanent influence of woman over man , as far as is requisite to give stability to his attachment to her , is absolutely necessary to the existence of a moral state of society . Let us now endeavour to point out how that degree of influence is to be obtained . . The love of virtue and the detestation of vice , should be
interwoven as much as possible in the mind of your fair pupil ; and her mental faculties should be so far cultivated as not only to make her a rational companion ; but also to enable her to divest vice of any specious form it may assume to effect its baneful purposes . Hence she will detect the profligate , though , Proteus-like , he should put on a thousand insidious disguises to destroy her peace ; or confound the systematic voluptuary by the veiy arguments with which he attempts to seduce her . *
But a still more beneficial effect will result to society from her having received this kind of education . She will influence the characters of those who may wish to obtain her favour . For as the qualities she will then possess will be in an especial manner calculated to create esteem , none but those who are capable of appreciating the worth of them will have any chance of possessing her ; consequently , if her personal charms are so alluring as to attract some of a lihter
g chafacter , they will endeavour to assimilate their manners to hers , and as the attempt must convince them of their own inferiority , they will probably be led to such a sincerity of attachment as may woric a total revolution in their habits of thinking and living , and make them consider that system of conduct which they assumed merely to deT ceive , as the only path to true happiness , and legitimate dignity of character .
Now , if it were possible to endow every individual of the female sex with such dispositions , what a wonderful change would be wrought in the whole character of mankind . The insect tribe of foplings , the insidious flatterer , and the shameless profligate , would be driven from the footing they at present possess in society , or be obliged to reform their conduct in order to maintain it ; while modest merit would lift up its headand receive that just reward of which it
, had been deprived by the impudent pretensions of the worthless . Thus would society gradually approach to that state of perfection so ardently wished for and looked up to by the philosophic mind , as the ultimatum of human felicity ; and that by means of one of the most amiable instruments- that the Almighty could have selected for the purpose .
As I have only asserted generally that the cultivation of the female mind , in conjunction with innate virtue , was essential to the welldirecting of her influence over the moral state of . society , I shall now enter more particularity into the nature of that system of education .which appears to me best calculated to attain so desirable an end . Metaphysics and politics I would banish from her studies , as being apt to give an acidity to the temper by generating a love of disputation
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Female Character
It has been already shewn , that the influence of beauty ceases with enjoyment ; that the permanent influence of woman over man , as far as is requisite to give stability to his attachment to her , is absolutely necessary to the existence of a moral state of society . Let us now endeavour to point out how that degree of influence is to be obtained . . The love of virtue and the detestation of vice , should be
interwoven as much as possible in the mind of your fair pupil ; and her mental faculties should be so far cultivated as not only to make her a rational companion ; but also to enable her to divest vice of any specious form it may assume to effect its baneful purposes . Hence she will detect the profligate , though , Proteus-like , he should put on a thousand insidious disguises to destroy her peace ; or confound the systematic voluptuary by the veiy arguments with which he attempts to seduce her . *
But a still more beneficial effect will result to society from her having received this kind of education . She will influence the characters of those who may wish to obtain her favour . For as the qualities she will then possess will be in an especial manner calculated to create esteem , none but those who are capable of appreciating the worth of them will have any chance of possessing her ; consequently , if her personal charms are so alluring as to attract some of a lihter
g chafacter , they will endeavour to assimilate their manners to hers , and as the attempt must convince them of their own inferiority , they will probably be led to such a sincerity of attachment as may woric a total revolution in their habits of thinking and living , and make them consider that system of conduct which they assumed merely to deT ceive , as the only path to true happiness , and legitimate dignity of character .
Now , if it were possible to endow every individual of the female sex with such dispositions , what a wonderful change would be wrought in the whole character of mankind . The insect tribe of foplings , the insidious flatterer , and the shameless profligate , would be driven from the footing they at present possess in society , or be obliged to reform their conduct in order to maintain it ; while modest merit would lift up its headand receive that just reward of which it
, had been deprived by the impudent pretensions of the worthless . Thus would society gradually approach to that state of perfection so ardently wished for and looked up to by the philosophic mind , as the ultimatum of human felicity ; and that by means of one of the most amiable instruments- that the Almighty could have selected for the purpose .
As I have only asserted generally that the cultivation of the female mind , in conjunction with innate virtue , was essential to the welldirecting of her influence over the moral state of . society , I shall now enter more particularity into the nature of that system of education .which appears to me best calculated to attain so desirable an end . Metaphysics and politics I would banish from her studies , as being apt to give an acidity to the temper by generating a love of disputation