The Letters of John Stuart Mill Volume . 2

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910 Excerpt: ...a perfectly good answer to say that, if this be a fact, things will adjust themselves to it under free competition, and also that without free competition we cannot know whether it is a fact or not, many will ask and many more will feel, "Why make a great change and disturb people's minds, only to give women leave to do what there is no probability that they either can or will do? Why make a revolution on the plea that it will do no harm, when you cannot show that it will do any good?" Even if on no other account than this, it is thoroughly time to bring the question of women's capacities into the front rank of the discussion. But there is a still stronger reason. The most important thing women have to do is to stir up the zeal of women themselves. We have to stimulate their aspirations--to bid them not despair of anything, nor think anything beyond their reach, but try their faculties against all difficulties. In no other way can the verdict of experience be fairly collected, and in no other way can we excite the enthusiasm in women which is necessary to break down the old barriers. This is more important now than to conciliate opponents. VOL. II. O 1869 But I do not believe that opponents will be at all exastaT 63 Perated by taking this line. On the contrary, I believe the point has now been reached at which, the higher we pitch our claims, the more disposition there will be to concede part of them. All I have yet heard of the reception of the new book confirms this idea. People tell me that it is lowering the tone of our opponents as well as raising that of our supporters. Everything I hear strengthens me in the belief, which I at first entertained with a slight mixture of misgiving, that the book has come out at the right time, and that no par...