Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-12-24
Female Observation-Disclosures.


Of all the charms which Irvine themselves
about the female character, none is more
loving, more touching, more worthy to be hon
ored and admired, than simplicity-the gen.
tle yet frank open-heartedness of character,
which seems to make the soul place Of light
and purity, like the mild, sweet radience Of
spring morning, amid budding leaves and
opening flowers. How exquisitely beautiful,
how unspeakably delicate, says late writer,
is the loneliness of woman unaccostomed to
the world Unscathed by the chilling in
fuence of blasted hopes, of wounded affection,
her sharply defined feelings manifest them
selves in all their freshness, with warmth
unchecked by the dictates of jealous prudence
or the wary suggestions Of calculating mar
row-minded, selfprotecting interest. For
her to think, is to give utterance to her
thoughts ; and to feel, is to give expression
to her emotions, with guileless simplicity,
unsuspicious of ill-natured misrepresentation,
and fearless, because unconscious of the pos
sibility of misconstructien.
Compare this sweet and touching simplici.
ty, which makes the life but the expressive
countenance of the soul, with artifce, that
hateful weed which often takes root so vigor.
ously, even, in early life, hardening and black.
ening the soil in which it grows, till nothing
is seen but smut and stubble. Compare q
subtle, contriving, tortuous, snaky thing
with her crafty, satin-spoken words, her quick
furtive glances her readily changing brow
and her artificial softness of demeanor-the
heartless syren Of the dance, who lures on hel
victim with deceitful smiles, and clustering
ringets, and jewellod fingers, and tho patter
ing of tiny feet clothed in slippers of the
choicest satin-the false-hearted, smooth-faceG
creature, who attunes her shrill voice "by q
4 system of polite Soyteggio," and conceals the
sharpness Of her talons under feline velve
tude of paw--compare the words and looks
of such being with the unconstrained and
artless vvacity, the open looks of fair sim
plicity-of the guileess being, who knows
no restraint but that deicacy which has grown
up with her inmost thoughts. shading but
not concealing them, like the sheath of gilt
tering green around the exquisite lily of the
valley No, no simplicity is the very sou
of beauty-thc sweet spirit of fascination
which makes us love what otherwise we could
but at the most admire All arti6ce or af
lection Of character all prettiness. all ex
quiste and elaborate contrivances to rive
the enchanted gaze of the beholder-whethel
displayed in the dress or the manners-cal
never so bewitch as Natures self. In female
dress, when youth and beauty appear arrayeC
in simple white, with perhaps single boque
reposng on the bosom of innocence-how in
tinitely does such vision outshine the mer
earthen image, tricked out in all the pufs ant
p06lIotes, all the dangling bows and tresses
all the glittering ribbons and sparkling paste
which wealth Or fashion, vanity Or folly, cal
string together
1t is a grand defect of the science of fe
male education, in this country, that it is to
much the science Of mere behavior. Instea
Of educating the feelings, we are critical
ddactic as to the mode of their expression
the sentiment and disposition reigning With
are not constantly visible by the external dt
pertinent We do not encourage intrepidit
and independence of thought-there is moth
ing original nothing fervent-nothing whic
may prolong the delicate spell of respectfi
tenderness and admiration, by casting upo
the everyday occurrences of life the glow {
feeling and the charm of novelty. Som
minds there are by nature so strong and ela
tic as to rebound from the pressure of educ
ton into the beautiful region of natural Ell
thusasm and innocent rue-heartedness bt
the mass are so moulded that they are ofte
but pasteboard, buckram and whalebor
things; creatures Of pufery and arti6c
whose every word, look and act--everythir
they dds but trick of custom.