'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. Then, children
of one Father, they could not err, nor misconceive one
another.
'Society is now so complex, that it is no longer possible to
educate woman merely as woman; the tasks which come to her
hand are so various, and so large a proportion of women are
thrown entirely upon their own resources.
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