Hence it is quite natural that woman should feel in the depths of
her heart a gnawing desire to please and be agreeable, for in that
she only obeys the instinct of her nature. Still, woman would be
abusing that instinct, and acting contrary to the designs of
Providence, if she sought to please by means unworthy of her.
Before plunging Adam into that mysterious sleep, God brought all the
animals before him, that he might see and know the extent of his
dominion. The sacred writer remarks, that among all those animals
Adam did not find a single being that resembled himself. He could
find in none of those animals a sociable companion, because none of
them had a soul like his, and consequently, could not share in the
sweet joy that arises from an interchange of thoughts and sentiments,
which constitutes the charming pith of life.
Many of them surpassed him in bodily strength, fleetness and
agility, many attracted his attention by the beauty of their form, by
their wonderful instinct and industry. And God, through His unbounded
goodness, had planted in their very nature a desire or want of
attachment, an instinctive gratitude and fidelity, such, that it
seemed impossible to desire anything more exquisite of the kind.
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