Those who forbade their child to steal a toy, permit him to steal the honor and repose of human beings!
Those who shamed their son for falsehood, permit him to deceive poor young girls!
Those who made it a crime in their son to oppress those weaker than themselves, permit him to be oppressive and perfidious toward women!
Then they complain later that their sons treat them ill; that they dishonor and ruin themselves;
That they desire the death of their parents, in order to enrich the usurers from whom they have borrowed money to maintain their mistresses in luxury.
They complain that they destroy their health, and give their mothers puny grandchildren, for whose existence they are in continual anxiety.
Ah! ladies, you have only what you deserve; bear the weight of a joint responsibility which you cannot escape. You authorized your sons to sow their wild oats; endure the consequences.
But a mother cannot be the confident of her son, it is said.
Why not, madam, if you have brought him up in such a way as to have no dishonorable confidence to make to you.
He would have none to make, if you had accustomed him to conquer himself, to respect every woman as though she were his mother, every young girl as though she were his sister; to treat others as he would think it right to be treated by them; if you had fully inculcated on him that there is but one system of morality, which both sexes are equally bound to obey; if you had caused him to honor, love and practice labor; if you had told him that we live to improve ourselves, to practise justice and kindness, and to render back to humanity what it does for us in protecting us, enlightening us, rendering us moral, surrounding us with security and comfort; that in fine our glory lies in subjecting ourselves to the great law of Duty.