Occasional Thoughts in Reference to a Vertuous or Christian lifeMasham, Damaris, Lady
Religion
Occasional Thoughts in Reference to a Vertuous or Christian life
Masham, Damaris, Lady
Christian life -- Anglican authors
But as such Men who think that the understanding of Religion is a
thing needless to Women, do commonly much more believe all other
rational Knowledge to be so; let us see how reasonably these same Men
who willingly allow not to Ladies any employment of their Thoughts
worthy of them as rational Creatures, do yet complain, that either
Play is their daily and expensive pastime; or that they love not to be
at home taking care of their Children, as did heretofore Ladies who
were honour'd for their Vertue; but that an eternal round of idle
Visits, the Park, Court, Play-houses and Musick Meetings, with all the
costly Preparations to being seen in publick, do constantly take up
their Time and their Thoughts. For how heavy an Accusation soever
this, in itself, is, may it not justly be demanded of such Men as we
have spoken of, what good they imagine Mothers who understand nothing
that is fit for their Children to know, should procure to them by
being much in their Company: And next, whether they indeed think it
equitable to desire to confine Ladies to spend the best part of their
Lives in the Society and company of little Children; when to play with
them as a more entertaining sort of Monkeys or Parroquets, is all the
pleasing Conversation that they are capable of having with them? For
no other Delight can ignorant Women take in the Company of young
Children; and if to desire this, is not equitable or just, must it not
be concluded, that the greatest part of those, who make the
above-mention'd Complaints, do really mean nothing else thereby, but,
by a colourable and handsome pretence, to oblige their Wives, either
to be less expensive, or to avoid, it may be, the occasions of gaining
Admirers which may make them uneasy? Neither can such, possibly, be
presum'd upon any Principle of Vertue, to disapprove those ways of
anothers spending their Time, or Mony, which themselves will either
upon no consideration forbear; or else do so only, from a preference
of things as little, or yet less reasonable; as Drinking, Gaming, or
Lew'd Company. Such Persons of both Sexes as These, are indeed but fit
Scourges to chastise each others Folly; and they do so sufficiently,
whilst either restraint on the one side begets unconquerable hatred
and aversion; or else an equal indulgence puts all their Affairs into
an intire confusion and disorder: Whence Want, mutual ill Will,
Disobedience of Children, their Extravagance, and all the ill effects
of neglected Government, and bad Example follow; till they make such a
Family a very Purgatory to every one who lives in it. And as the
Original cause of all these mischiefs is Peoples not living like
rational Creatures, but giving themselves up to the blind Conduct of
their Desires and Appetites; so all who in any measure do thus, will
accordingly, more or less, create vexation to each other, because it
is impossible that they should ever be at ease, or contented in their
own Minds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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