Indeed, all that is wanting
is, that Man should prove his own freedom by making her free. Let him
abandon conventional restriction, as a vestige of that Oriental
barbarity which confined Woman to a seraglio. Let him trust her
entirely, and give her every privilege already acquired for
himself,--elective franchise, tenure of property, liberty to speak in
public assemblies, &c.
Nature has pointed out her ordinary sphere by the circumstances of her
physical existence. She cannot wander far. If here and there the gods
send their missives through women as through men, let them speak
without remonstrance. In no age have men been able wholly to hinder
them. A Deborah must always be a spiritual mother in Israel. A Corinna
may be excluded from the Olympic games, yet all men will hear her
song, and a Pindar sit at her feet. It is Man's fault that there ever
were Aspasias and Ninons. These exquisite forms were intended for the
shrines of virtue.
Neither need men fear to lose their domestic deities. Woman is born
for love, and it is impossible to turn her from seeking it. Men should
deserve her love as an inheritance, rather than seize and guard it
like a prey. Were they noble, they would strive rather not to be loved
too much, and to turn her from idolatry to the true, the only Love.
Pages:
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389