E X T E N S I O N A PLEA 1 FOR WOMEN S EDUCATION I may be accused of arrogance; still I must declare what I firmly believe, that all the writers who have written on the subject of female education and manners [... ] have contributed to render women more artificial, weak characters, than they would otherwise have been; and consequently, more useless members of society. [...] my objection extends to the Mary Wollstonecraft whole purport2 of those books, which tend, in my opinion, to degrade one-half of the human species, and render women pleasing at the expense of every solid virtue. [...] Many are the causes that, in the present corrupt state of society, contribute to enslave3 women by cramping4 their understandings and sharpening5 their senses. One, perhaps, that silently does more mischief6 than all the rest, is their disregard7 of order. To do everything in an orderly manner is a most important precept, which women, who, generally speaking, receive only a disorderly kind of education, seldom attend to with that degree of exactness that men, whom from their infancy are broken into method, observe. [...] What they learn is rather by snatches8; and as learning is with them in general only a secondary thing, they do not pursue any one branch with that persevering ardour necessary to give vigour to the faculties and clearness to the judgement. In the present state of society a little learning is required to support the character of a gentleman, and boys are obliged to submit to a few years of discipline. But in the education of women, the cultivation of the understanding is always subordinate to the acquirement of some corporal accomplishment9. [...] I love man as my fellow; but his sceptre, real or usurped, extends not to me, unless the reason of an individual demands my homage; and even then the submission is to reason, and not to man. In fact, the conduct of an accountable being must be regulated by the operations of its own reason; or on what foundation rests the throne of God? Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. plea: appello. purport: significato, senso generale. enslave: rendere schiavo. cramp: bloccare. sharpen: acuire. 6. 7. 8. 9. 22 mischief: cattiveria. disregard: inosservanza. by snatches: a pezzi, brandelli. accomplishment: realizzazione.