APPENDIX: “ON THE EDUCATION OF
WOMEN”
by Daniel Defoe
Behind the comic aspect of Moll
Flanders lies serious thought on the disenfranchisement of women
in eighteenth-century England and its resultant social problems.
Defoe’s short essay “On the Education of Women” (1719), written
three years before Moll Flanders, illustrates the author’s
impressively progressive views on this subject. Standing out from
contemporaneous thought and public opinion on the subject, “On the
Education of Women” outlines a convincing set of reasons why the
education of women is not only fair and just, but beneficial to all
members of society. This seminal essay, which is reprinted below,
offers readers a glimpse into the fertile mind that produced so
delicious and edifying a work of fiction as Moll
Flanders.
I have often thought of it as one of the most
barbarous customs in the world, considering us as a civilized and a
Christian country, that we deny the advantages of learning to
women. We reproach the sex every day with folly and impertinence;
while I am confident, had they the advantages of education equal to
us, they would be guilty of less than ourselves.
One would wonder, indeed, how it should happen
that women are conversible at all; since they are only beholden to
natural parts, for all their knowledge. Their youth is spent to
teach them to stitch and sew or make baubles. They are taught to
read, indeed, and perhaps to write their names, or so; and that is
the height of a woman’s education. And I would but ask any who
slight the sex for their understanding, what is a man (a gentleman,
I mean) good for, that is taught no more? I need not give
instances, or examine the character of a gentleman, with a good
estate, or a good family, and with tolerable parts; and examine
what figure he makes for want of education.
The soul is placed in the body like a rough
diamond; and must be polished, or the lustre of it will never
appear. And ‘tis manifest, that as the rational soul distinguishes
us from brutes; so education carries on the distinction, and makes
some less brutish than others. This is too evident to need any
demonstration. But why then should women be denied the benefit of
instruction? If knowledge and understanding had been useless
additions to the sex, GOD Almighty would never have given them
capacities; for he made nothing needless. Besides, I would ask
such, What they can see in ignorance, that they should think it a
necessary ornament to a woman? or how much worse is a wise woman
than a fool? or what has the woman done to forfeit the privilege of
being taught? Does she plague us with her pride and impertinence?
Why did we not let her learn, that she might have had more wit?
Shall we upbraid women with folly, when ’tis only the error of this
inhuman custom, that hindered them from being made wiser?
The capacities of women are supposed to be
greater, and their senses quicker than those of the men; and what
they might be capable of being bred to, is plain from some
instances of female wit, which this age is not without. Which
upbraids us with Injustice, and looks as if we denied women the
advantages of education, for fear they should vie with the
men in their improvements....
[They] should be taught all sorts of breeding
suitable both to their genius and quality. And in particular, Music
and Dancing; which it would be cruelty to bar the sex of, because
they are their darlings. But besides this, they should be taught
languages, as particularly French and Italian: and I would venture
the injury of giving a woman more tongues than one. They should, as
a particular study, be taught all the graces of speech, and all the
necessary air of conversation; which our common education is so
defective in, that I need not expose it. They should be brought to
read books, and especially history; and so to read as to make them
understand the world, and be able to know and judge of things when
they hear of them.
To such whose genius would lead them to it, I
would deny no sort of learning; but the chief thing, in general, is
to cultivate the understandings of the sex, that they may be
capable of all sorts of conversation; that their parts and
judgements being improved, they may be as profitable in their
conversation as they are pleasant.
Women, in my observation, have little or no
difference in them, but as they are or are not distinguished by
education. Tempers, indeed, may in some degree influence them, but
the main distinguishing part is their Breeding.
The whole sex are generally quick and sharp. I
believe, I may be allowed to say, generally so: for you rarely see
them lumpish and heavy, when they are children; as boys will often
be. If a woman be well bred, and taught the proper management of
her natural wit, she proves generally very sensible and
retentive.
And, without partiality, a woman of sense and
manners is the finest and most delicate part of GOD’s Creation, the
glory of Her Maker, and the great instance of His singular regard
to man, His darling creature: to whom He gave the best gift either
God could bestow or man receive. And ’tis the sordidest piece of
folly and ingratitude in the world, to withhold from the sex the
due lustre which the advantages of education gives to the natural
beauty of their minds.
A woman well bred and well taught, furnished with
the additional accomplishments of knowledge and behaviour, is a
creature without comparison. Her society is the emblem of
sublimer enjoyments, her person is angelic, and her conversation
heavenly. She is all softness and sweetness, peace, love, wit, and
delight. She is every way suitable to the sublimest wish, and the
man that has such a one to his portion, has nothing to do but to
rejoice in her, and be thankful.
On the other hand, Suppose her to be the very
same woman, and rob her of the benefit of education, and it
follows—
If her temper be good, want of education makes
her soft and easy.
Her wit, for want of teaching, makes her
impertinent and talkative.
Her knowledge, for want of judgement and
experience, makes her fanciful and whimsical.
If her temper be bad, want of breeding makes her
worse; and she grows haughty, insolent, and loud.
If she be passionate, want of manners makes her
a termagant and a scold, which is much at one with Lunatic.
If she be proud, want of discretion (which still
is breeding) makes her conceited, fantastic, and ridiculous.
And from these she degenerates to be turbulent,
clamorous, noisy, nasty, the devil!...
The great distinguishing difference, which is
seen in the world between men and women, is in their education; and
this is manifested by comparing it with the difference between one
man or woman, and another.
And herein it is that I take upon me to make such
a bold assertion, That all the world are mistaken in their practice
about women. For I cannot think that GOD Almighty ever made them so
delicate, so glorious creatures; and furnished them with such
charms, so agreeable and so delightful to mankind; with souls
capable of the same accomplishments with men: and all, to be only
Stewards of our Houses, Cooks, and Slaves.
Not that I am for exalting the female government
in the least: but, in short, I would have men take women for
companions, and educate them to be fit for it. A woman of sense
and breeding will scorn as much to encroach upon the prerogative of
man, as a man of sense will scorn to oppress the weakness of the
woman. But if the women’s souls were refined and improved by
teaching, that word would be lost. To say, the weakness of
the sex, as to judgment, would be nonsense; for ignorance and folly
would be no more to be found among women than men.
I remember a passage, which I heard from a very
fine woman. She had wit and capacity enough, an extraordinary shape
and face, and a great fortune: but had been cloistered up all her
time; and for fear of being stolen, had not had the liberty of
being taught the common necessary knowledge of women’s affairs. And
when she came to converse in the world, her natural wit made her so
sensible of the want of education, that she gave this short
reflection on herself: “I am ashamed to talk with my very maids,”
says she, “for I don’t know when they do right or wrong. I had more
need go to school, than be married.”
I need not enlarge on the loss the defect of
education is to the sex; nor argue the benefit of the contrary
practice. ’Tis a thing will be more easily granted than remedied.
This chapter is but an Essay at the thing: and I refer the Practice
to those Happy Days (if ever they shall be) when men shall be wise
enough to mend it.