The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-11-25
THE FEMALE CHAR ACTEs.
DEDICATION.


selves about the female character, mono is
more lovely, more touching, more wor-
thy to be honered and admired, than
silnplicity-the gentle, yet open-hearted-
ness of character, which seems to mako
the soul place Of light and purity Ike
tho mild, sweet, bright radiance Of g
spring morning amid budding leaves
aud opening flowers. How exquisitely
beautiful, how unspeakably delicate,
says late writer, is the loneliness Of a
woman unaccustomed to world ''Un-
scathed by the chilling influence Of blast
ed hopes, of wounded affection, her sharp
ly-defned feelings manifest themselves
in all freshness, with warmth uncheck
cd by the dictates of jealous prudence, or
the wary suggestions Of calculating, mar
row-m nded, self protecting interest For
her to think, is to give utterance to her
thoughts; and to feel, is to give express
sion to her emotions, with a guileless sim
plicity, unsusp;eious Of i'll natu ell nnisrep
resentation, and fearless, because uncon-
sous of the possibility OF misconstructio1.
Compare this sweet and touching simple
itv, which makes the life but an express
siye countenance of the soul, with art fec
that hateful weed, which often takes root
so vigorously, even in early life, harden
ing and blackening the soil in which it
grows, till nothing is seen but smut and
stubble. Compare g subtle, continuing
tortuous, snaky thing-with her crafty
satin.spoken words, her qnick, furtive
chances. her readily-changed brow, and
her artificial softness Of domeanor-the
syren of the dance, who lures on her vic
tim with deceitful smiles, and clustering
ringlets anil jewelled fingers and the
pattering Of tiny feet, clothed in slippers
Of the choicest satin---the false-heartod,
smooth faced creature, who attunes her
sweet voice 'by system Of polite so!teg-
gi;o ;" and conceals the sharpness Of her
talons under feline velvetude Of paw
compare the words and looks Of such q
being with the unconstrained ani artless
viyacity, the open looks Of fair simplicity
of the guileless being who knows no
restraint but that delicacy which has
grown up with her Utmost thoughts sha-
ding but not concealing item, like the
sheath of sheltered green around the
exquisite lily of the valley! No, no. sim
plicity is the very sodl of beauty--the
sweet spirit of fascination which makes
us love what otherwise we could but at
the most admire. All artifice or affactation
of character, all prettlness, all exquisite
and elaborate contrivances to rlYet the
enchanted gaze of the beholder-wheth-
er displayed in the dress or manners-can
never so bewitch US as Natures sell. In
female DRESS when youth and beauty ap-
pear arrayed in simple white, with per-
haps single boquet reposing on the bo-
som Of nnocence-how infinitely does
such a vision outshine the mere earthen
image, tricked out in all the puffs and
popiuotes, all the dangling bows and
II esses, all the glttcring ribbons and
sparkling paste, which wealth o. fashion,
vanity or folly can string together.
lit is a grand defect of the science OF
female education in this country that It IS
too much the science OF mere 6ehautor.
Instead of educating the feelings. we are
critically didaetic as the mode of their ex-
pressioa: the sentiment and disposition
reigning within are not constantly visible
in the external department. We do not
encourage intrepidity and independence
of thoueht-there is nothing original
nothing fervent-nothing which may pro-
long the delicate spell OF respectful ten
derness and admiration, by casting upon
the everyday occurrences Of life the glow
Of feeling and the charm of novelty.
Some mis~ls there arc by nature 50 strong
and elastic avto rebound from the pres