The Yazoo Democrat., 1852-12-29
FEMALE BEAUTY.

FEMALE BEAUTY.
what IS Beauty? Voltaire answered this
question with Characteristic sophism. and in
manner quite unworthy great philosopher
"ulch IN many respects be was. He says:
ASK a toad what is beauty the supremelv
beautiful, the To-kaIon? He will answer YOU
that 1t is his female with two large round ewes
protruding out Of its little head. a broad and fat
neck. yellow belly, and dark brown back. Ask
uuinea negro and with him beauty is greasy
black skin, hollow eyes, and a fiat nose"
This may be admirable wit, but it is very far
from being the truth. The laws of beauty exist
in nature; and men are so formed as to recognise
them. Our notions are warped somewhat bv
conyeutionality and fashion; but as eengral
law, beautiful object is recognised as such all
over the world
Whatever may be the private opinion Of the
toad, of that of the negro there is no question.
Until he sees fairer being, the women OF his
own color are doubtless charming; but no negro
would prefer statue Of Venus in ebony, nor
have her painted with lamp-black Making due
allowance for slight differences in taste and hab-
| it, men do not much differ in opinion as to the
beautiful, in woman, or any other natural pro
pronounce toad-stool to be as beautiful as the
rose, who win prefer paving stone to a pearl,
who thinks the sorry donkey handsoner ami
NAL than the noble horse, and a sooty thick
Tipped negress more lovely than a belle Of the
| highest development Of the Caucasian race, we
may admit that there is some truth in the quo
taton from the sarcastic savant.
| In bestowing this general ideal of the beauti-
! full, Nature has wisely given some diversity In
taste; as otherwise there could not be that va
riety necessary to the beauty Of whole, or there
could be little con!entment. Were all women
of the same size, FORM and complexion the want
of individuality and the monotony would be
alike insupporable. Even ugliness seems neo-
essary, for variety.
Tastes happily as varioHs as forms and
complexions One man adprires a tall woman,
another doats upon short one. This prefers
the blonde, that thinks the brunette enchant.
ing.
The Greeks praised the slender and graceful
figure--the Moors prize fatness to obesity and
their women are fatted for marriage as our tur-
keys are for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
We may notice here that wise provision Of
Nature in bestowing such varieties Of taste as
to make the sexes seek their opposites in many
of these particulars The dark match with the
light, the tall with the short, the slender with
the stout, and in the reverse order BY which ar
rangement of Providence the race is preserved
in its medium, and prevented from running into
monstrosities,
1t is probable that this association Of opposite
qualities of mind and person depends chiefly
upon the ennui of sameness, or, what is the
same things the love Of variety
Nor is it confined to the relations of the sexesf
for it is usual and natural to see tail man as
sociating with a short one, and the dwarf and
giant are proper travelling companions. A
man, satiated with his own qualities, seeks in
another those OF an opposite character.
But these various tastes have their limits
Place one of the beaasr ideals of the painter or
sculptor in a crowd, and all will pronounce it
beautiful-yet great number would have il
somewhat different 1t is the general beaur ide-
al, not the particular One would have the
Venus little shorter, another a little taller
One thinks the complexion shade too light,
another too dark but nc Que, not even Hot
tentot, viii pretend that the Hottentot Venus
is as beautiful as those Of Titan or Canova.
Apeles OF Paxiteles.