The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register. (Wilmington, Del.) 1824-1825, 1824-12-23
FROM THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE
THE LADIES.

The critics of the fair sex tell us they are
vain, frivolous, ignorant, coquettish, capri
cious, and what not. Unjust that we are
it is the fable of the Lion and the Man.
But since the ladies have become authors,
they can take their revenge, were they not
too generous for such passlon.-l hough
they have learned to paint, their sketches
Of man are gentle and kind.
But ifthe ladies were what surly misanthro-
pes call them, who is to blamcs Is IT not
We who spoil-who correCt--who seduce
them!
Is it surprising that pretty woman should
be vain, when we daily praise to her face her
charms, her taste, and her wit; Can we
blame her vanity, when we tell her that no
thing resist her attractions that there IS
nothing so barbarous which she cannot SOFT
| n,--nothing SO elevated that she cannot
subdues when we tell her that her eyes are
brighter than day,--that her form IS talrer
than summcr,--more refreshing than spring,
that her lips are vernillion,--that her SKIN
combines the whitcness OF the lily with the
/ incarnation of the rose?
/ Do we censure a fine woman as frivolous,
when we unceasnglytell her, thatno other stu
DIV becomes her, but THAT of varying herplcas-
ures, that she requires no talent but forthe ar
! rangcmcnt of new parties,--no ideas beyond
the thought of the afternoons amusement
Can we blame her fiyolity, when we tell hen
that her hands were not made to touch the
needle, or to soil their whiteness in domes-
tic empoyments? Can we blame her trivoii-
ty. when we tell her, that the look OF seri-
ousness chascs from her cheek the dimple
lin which the Loves and the Graces wanton
that reflection clouds her brow with care
and that she who thinks, sacrifices the smile
that makes beauty charm and the gaiety
that renders wit attractive!
How can pretty woman fail to be ignor-
ant, when the first lesson she istaught is that
beauty supersedes and dispcnses with every
other quality that all she needs to know, Is
that she is pretty; that to be intelligent, is t
, be petlantc; and that to be more Learned
than ones neighbour, is to incur the re-
{ proach of absurdity and affectation!
, Shall we blame her for being coquette
when the indscriminate fattery of every
man teaches her that the homage of one i
as good as that of another? 1t is the same
darts, the same flames, the same beaux, thu
same coxcomb. The man of sense, whel
he attempts to compliment, recommends thu
art Of the beau, since he condesccnds to d'
with awkwardness what monkey can d.
with grace. With all she is a goddess, am
!, all men are equally mortals How can SIN
: prefer, when there is no superiority; or b.
constant, when there IS no mert'
Is she capriciouss Can she be otherwise
:. when she hears that the universe must b
: proud % wait her COMMUNICATIVE the ut
! most of lovers hopes, is to be the hum
: blest of her saves,-that to fulfil the leas
+ of her commands, is the highest ambition .
!. her adorers?
= And are men so unjust as to censurc tn
: idols made by their own handse Let US b
!, Just; let us begin the work Of reformation
:, When men cease to Aatter, women vii
!, cease to deceive; when men are wise, wo
: men will be wise to please. The ladies' q
!, not force the state of the men; they onl
: adapt themselves to it. They may corrup
! and be corrupted they may improve an
j be improved.