A  W. I. Thomas source page

Originally published as:

William Isaac Thomas. "Review of Mary Wollstonecraft and the Rights of Women by Emma Rauschenbusch-Clough." American Journal of Sociology 4 (1899): 694-695.

Review of A Study of Mary Wollstonecraft and the Rights of Woman

A Study of Mary Wollstonecraft and the Rights of Woman. By EMMA RAUSCHENBUSCH-CLOUGH, PH.D. London : Longmans, Green & Co., 1898. Pp. iv + 234.

WE rather expect on taking up a book with this title by a woman to encounter some extreme views and statements, but we find nothing of the kind in this case. The volume is a very careful and sufficiently exhaustive study of a remarkable and lovable woman, a kindred spirit of Shelley, Byron, Tom Paine, Godwin, and the revolutionists of her day, but one whose impatience of social restraint was tempered with a most striking and consistent display of good sense-so far as her theories are concerned, at any rate : in her practices she was less fortunate.

---

( 695)

She was at variance with her times, but at this day the most of us would not hesitate to say that in her points of difference with the world Mary Wollstonecraft was in the main right and the world wrong. For the gist of her quarrel with the world was that the activities of women did not have free play.

The volume treats of: (1) her life; (2) her literary work; (3) her religious and ethical views ; (4) the rights of man, and her reply to Edmund Burke; (5) the rights of woman, and her polemics against writers on female education; (6) her investigation of the causes of woman's intellectual inferiority ; (7) her discussion of woman's moral inferiority; (8) her demands for the education of woman; (9) her vindication of the civil rights of woman ; (10) the relation of her views to those of Godwin and later socialists; (11) the reception of her work in Germany. Her biographer points out in conclusion that many of the conceptions of Mary Wollstonecraft have been adopted by society, but wisely refrains from insisting that the changes are directly traceable to her influence and writings. It is perhaps unfortunate that the title should suggest that the volume treats of the question of woman's rights aside from the relation of Mary Wollstonecraft to this question, for the views of Mrs. Rauschenbusch-Clough are not very elaborately expressed and are so reasonable that they perhaps demand no expression in print.

W. I. THOMAS.

Notes

No notes

 

©2007 The Mead Project.

 

The original published version of this document is in the public domain. The Mead Project exercises no copyrights over the original text.

 

This page and related Mead Project pages constitute the personal web-site of Dr. Lloyd Gordon Ward (retired), who is responsible for its content. Although the Mead Project continues to be presented through the generosity of Brock University, the contents of this page do not reflect the opinion of Brock University. Brock University is not responsible for its content.

 

Fair Use Statement:

 

Scholars are permitted to reproduce this material for personal use.  Instructors are permitted to reproduce this material for educational use by their students.

Otherwise, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, for the purpose of profit or personal benefit, without written permission from the Mead Project. Permission is granted for inclusion of the electronic text of these pages, and their related images in any index that provides free access to its listed documents.

 

The Mead Project, c/o Dr. Lloyd Gordon Ward, 44 Charles Street West, Apt. 4501, Toronto Ontario Canada M4Y 1R8