Letter Second. BELOVED EL HASSAN, FALSE philosophy, striving to im press upon mankind the conviction, that it foars above common pleasures, and common ideas, has ever affected to despise and to degrade that fex, which the great BRUMMA has given us to alleviate, by. their delightful tenderness, all the pains, and to animate all the joys of this life.. Knowing, as thou doft, my warm partial. ity for this lovlieft, best part of creation, thou canst not be surprised, that in all the countries through which I have paffed, their happiness has been among the earliest fubjects of my investigation. KNOW then, that a total renovation of the female character, and a destination in fociety, totally new, is one grand object contemplated by that new philofophy, of which, in my last epistle, I gave fome fmall account. MARY Woolftonecraft, a female philofopher of the new School, has written, within these few years paft, a book, which The named "A vindication of the Rights of Woman;" compofed, for the express purpofe of roufing her sex from their inglorious repofe, and of stimulating them to a vigorous exertion of their native energies. SHE difcards all that fexual tenderness, delicacy and modefty, which constitute the female lovelinefs; boldly pronounces them equal to the rougher fex in every thing but bodily ftrength; and even imputes their deficiency, in this particular, principally to a falfely refined education. She afferts that a husband is a paltry bauble, compared with the attainments of reaLon; that the female should be fubject, or fuperior to the male, juft in proportion to thofe attainments; and that the want of them conftitutes the only obligation for the fubmiffion of the wife to the huf. band. This female philofopher indignantly rejects the idea of a fex in the foul, pronouncing the fenfibility, timidity and tenderness of women, to be merely artificial refinements of character, introduced and foftered by men, to render fenfual pleasure more voluptuous. She indeed profeffes a high regard for chastity; but unfortunately the practice of her life was at war with her precepts. She admitted one sentimental lover after another, to the full fruition of her charms, and proved the attainments of reafon, to be, in her view, fources of pleasure, far inferior, in value, to the pleasures of fenfe. IN fhort, polluted as fhe was by the laft crime of woman, MARY ftepped forth as the champion and reformer of her sex; she wished to ftrip them of every thing feminine, and to affimilate them, as fast as poffible, to the mafculine character. O, My dear El Haffan, how opposite her views to every thing, which we deem lovely in the fex! O, lovely ALAGRA, the brightest gem that fparkles on the beauteous plains of AGIMERE, how would thy virgin foul fhrink back at the contemplation of a female foul unfexed a man in female form! A COMPLETE exhibition of the regenerating fyftem of this female lunatic, would fatigue thy patience, and occupy too large a portion of these epistles. so fingular, however, is her fyftem and fo directly oppofed to the received opinions of mankind, that I cannot refrain from tracing an imperfect outline. Not fatisfied with masculine ideas, and mafculine habits, Mary Wolftonecraft wifhed, as the confummation of female independence, to introduce the fex into the Camp, the Roftrum and the Cabinet; and although she does not recommend a total dereliction of the household good, Aill fhe would not cramp the female energies by an occupation fo much beneath their dignity, except fo far, as ftern neceffity commands. SHE seriously advocates the right of female representation-for in this country, and in fome parts of Europe, the right of representation, which in an epiftle from England, I have already explained, is fully established. SUPPOSE, my dear friend, that a band of female representatives, beautiful as the thirty RAGINIS,* who, crowned with flowery wreaths, dance to the mufe of NARED, among the spicy groves of MalDOOVAN, should mix with a Legislative band; would not the cares of Legislation be excluded by the witchcraft of love! The charms of the fair Orator would plead more powerfully than her tongue, and gallantry would induce compliance, where reafon would have ftimulated to ftrenuous oppofition. IN the Cabinet, their fway would be ftill more complete. Smiles, tears and fighs would decide the fate of nations; and beauty would direct the march of armies on the frontiers, and the courfe of navies upon the ocean. " IT is true that in defenfive war only, Mifs Woolftonecraft indulges the idea, which even he allows to be an enthufiaftic one, of seeing the exploits of ancient * Female Paffions. C ་ |