The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-10-16
Interesting to the Ladies.

MESSRS. EDITORS :-1hlS is TO let you KNOW
that am one of a numerous class of young
women who have not the most distant preten-
sons to beauty. 1t has pleased heaven to
make me plain-OOking, and also to endow me
with too much good sense to be ashamed Of a
circumstance so purely accidental. But while
/ am frank to confess l am homcly, must be
bold to assure you that consider myself pos
sessed of intelligence, education, and an anna
BILE disposition, becoming lady, and which l
would not barter for the countenance OF Mary
Queen of Scots, or the far-famed Grecian He
len. shall pass over the poor estimation in
which | have been compelled to hold many a
reputed gentleman of talents, on observing him
pass an evening by the side of some pretty
simpleton, in the most nonsensical discourse,
to the neglect of others who could have enter
tanned him with rational conversation, or at
least who would not have treated him to such
unmeaning absurdities as must afford the most
contcmptuous opinion of our sex. Nor do |
write this to complain that no street coxcomb
looks under nv bonnet twice, nor that l am
certain not to be asked to dance at party till
all the pretty countenances in the room are
taken possession Of These are trivial evils,
TO which have long since become accustom-
ed. But there is an evil of q more general ma
tur:, into which you literary gentlemen have
fallen. You write US if our sex were all cast
In the mould of Hebc or a Venus. You
never address yourselves to one of us particu-
larly. but we are your fair or pretty reader.
One would think, by your discourses, that all
the females who honor themselves by perusing
your miscellany, were the most beautiful cre;-
fures in the universe, that one who was not es-
pecially handsome you did not consider wo-
man. or at least you did not desire her to med
die with your paper. Pray inform US what
decree of loveliness we must possess, before
We NAV presume to class ourselves among your
readers, whom you n.;'er speak to but to COM
pliment them for their radiant eyes, their
ripe, pouting and perfect mouths their long
lashes,' and their pretty feet Now this is
to inform you that for one am not handsome.
My eyes are not radiant My mouth may be
ripe enough to be sure, for the mouths of
women ought to be who have seen both sides
of fvc-anG-:wcnty but it is not particularly
'pouting,' and by 10 means perfect especial
" since | have lost one of my conspicuous
teeth And my foot is of such liberal dimcn-
sions, that although scOrn to be ashamed OF
it, am not so strongly tempted as some to
curtail my wearing apparel; and you will not
find me sticking it out Oh all ottoman for any
male admircr of symmetry to look at. l an
settled in the opinion that my eyes could never
do serious injury to any susceptible youth, LEI
NE look up at him ever so suddenly from my
reading or my sewing and though divers pro
missing personagcs with whiskcrs have done me
the honor to take my hand in the dance,
never could perceive that they were thrilled,
though the inexperienced might conclude, from
your descriptions of the secret pressures Oh
such occasions that every boarding-school mis-:
.yoc f,ll Lob alpctrifvinO machine
was some time since reading to several of m,
family and one or two visitors, when the allu
sions to the beautiful readers tender eyes ant
pouting lips put the hearers to some trouble
to suppress a smile, and, until called refiec
ton to my aid ovcrcame myself with confu
sion.
Pray Messrs. Editors, use your influence
with authors to abandon this silly STYLE
have known a modest girl thus beguiled int
reading praises of her golden locks when SIN
had red hair and another uttering compli
ments to her unshadowed forehead at all
Writers should learn to address themselves t,
women of warm hearts and clear understand
ings, rather than to sylphs and nymphs Wit
poutng lips and dangerous eyes. Certainl
intellect will be of more assistance to them il
unrayeling the meaning of an abstruse argu
ment, and in approaching a piece of elegall
sentiment or sly turn of humOr, than all tn
graccs of appearance though Que would SUI
pose, from your various appeals to girls fac
and figure, that little foot must amazingl
help her through an elaborate essay, or pal
of dark long lashes assist her in seeing into
pathetic description. am, with great re
spect, yours,
POLLY PLA1NwAY.