We have different interpretations of the meaning of the word proper, I blame this on the linguistic barrier due to you being a 21st century american and I being a dane from the same century.

Offcourse virtues where something to strive and to uphold as you put it, but not just ideals to improve yourself on, they where more basic than that, a man counteracting the ideals of that period would be seen as not just a bad person, but as directly dangerous to society. Keep in mind that the word “virtue” here is’nt a new concept, nor is the english version of it particulair unique, you can find the same version of virtue in say the french author Rousseau’s works on the goverment, works that I might add, inspired to shape the french constitution and the american one before it. You can find Hume, Locke, Montesqui and several more from that century and the previous one before it writing about virtue, one of the things they have in common is the denouncement of their present societies flaws and their thoughts on how to improve them, wich is why virtue was such an important trait to them, and still should be today.

My bottomline statement however is that the virtues then held within them an appreciation of society as it was, the reason you should strive towards them where for the betterment of all, a part of this is the appreciation of the “ideal society” wich sorry to say, had very strong patriachal tones.
Women to name one, where considered the emotional beings unable of higher logical thinking, if you are interested I can find several quotations from the period by contemporary authors. (I happen to study history of ideas, and as a part of my examn preperation for this summer i’m working with authors from that period on exactly this field. This is also why I might sound arrogant though I don’t wish to: Because I do know a bit about the authors and the mindset of the period).

One of the interesting thoughts today, as a sidenote, could be to rethink virtues into a modern context, we should work to abolish previous ages ideals or many of them at least, but also consider some of them and try to strive towards them, the problem is that many of todays virtues in the mixing pot we call the postmodern society, are as of yet very undefined. Perhaps feminism could be a very worthwhile contribution to defining the virtues of todays society? I personally find that many feminists have sharp analytical minds wich would help that cause tremendously.

Regards

Lars
p.s.
Sorry for sounding arrogant in the above.

Virtues today are seen as proper, then they were a set of ideals for improving yourself, mostly as mirror images of the seven deadly vices. Virtue was more like strength than purity, which it has become today.

The polish born english sociologist Zygmunt Baumban describes how the old cultural norms of that society is being unravelled today in his book “society under siege” perhaps it could be an interesting take on the development of society in relation to gender roles and more importantly, the removal of the same. His observations at any rate are rather interesting concerning the slow disbanding of the old nation-state ideals as we move further into the postmodern “floating” society.