Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-06-08
MISCELL A N Y.
From the Boston Transcript

From tile Boston Transcript.
Beauty not Necessary to Love.
We believe that most novels preceding Jane
Eyre, made personal beauty prerequisite to the
gaining of a woman's heart At any rate the
idea of great personal beauty is inseparably allied
in the novel fed brain, with the idea OF sue.
cessful lover. Whether this notion with regard
to personal advantages produces much des'
pair in the minds of those not blessed with them
we are not sure. Still, as.it is liable to do SO,
we have wished to bring together here few
facts proving that Miss Bronte wrote not against
nature when she made Eyre love the homely,
disfgured and disgraced Rochester.
The celebrated lady Hamilton was probably
the most beautiful, fascinating, and accomplish
ed English woman of her time. But this wo-
man gave her heart sinfuly, it is true, but unre-
servedly and overwhelmingly, to Lord Nelson.
And what were Nelson's personal advantages
He was an inferior, homely, sckly looking man
and the additional advantages OF the loss OF an
eve and arm, never alienated lady Hamiltons s
love. Such were the personal gifts needed to
captivate and retain the most dazzling woman OF
her time. No man of his age was more success
full in captivating womans heart than John
Wilkes and yet his portrait is even frightinl !;
and his own face must have been hideous. Ro-
gers speak of his 'diabolical squint."
EQUALLY successful in the same way, was MI
rabeau. Ard he, too, was man utterly DEVOID
of any pretensions to personal beauty. In
speaking of himself, to a lady, he describes his
appearance as that of tiger who has had the
small pox. George the l., or H., OF England,
had daughter who for reasons OF ambition, was
betrothed to continental prince who came to
marry her. He was found to be so inexpressi-
bly ugly the king told his daughter he could not
ask her to marry him, and, even at that late
date. he would find some pretext for breaking
off the match. The princess declined the prof.
fered service, married the prince and proved one
of the most devotedly loving wives OF her time.
Tn Grammont's Memoirs we learn that even IN
the artificial court of Charles II the man whom the
correct, fastidious and universally sought Fran
ces Jennings most eagerly wished to marry was
:Jermyn. of Grammont says: GAS to his figure,
there was nothing advantageous in it, dc was
little: his features were not agreeable, be
was affected in his carriage and behavior. lie
heard of Miss Jennings, went to court that ne
might see her, and our author continues: In
the meantime Jermyn quietly enjoyed the hap
piness of seeing the inclinations OF the pretnest
and most extraordinary creature in England de-
clared in his favor And this triumph was IN
the midst of a crowd OF noble forms and males-
tic faces-Buckirgham Sidney, Monmouth, Tai
bot, and their compeers.'
There is most affecting and thrilling story
told, in illustration of our theme, of Commodore
Barclay, who fought the battle of Lake Erie a
gsinst Perry. He was engaged to be married to
a fine English girl. At Trafalgar, with Nelson,
he lost an arm. At Lake Erie he lost leg
On returning to England, feeling his condition
yery acutely he sent friend to his betrothed to
tell her that, under the circumstances in which
he found himself, he considered her released
from all engagements to him. The lady heard
the message, then said to the friend, Edward
thinks may wish our engagement to be broken
because of his misfortune, does bel Tell him II
he brings back body enough to hold the soul he
carried away with him, I'll marry him.
We make great mistakes in these things.
Love is one thing; mere optical admiration !;
very much another thing. The most beautiful
valentine that ever was penned has this in
structive stanza:
1T matters little outwatdly
What thou mayest be or seem,
If only thou cans'tinwardly
49, &c hrifr Aroa