The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-10-22
What 1t ID to be A Bslle.
By A BELLE.

~ ''u eio"Sh 10 Oe pretty anu INQUEST
to be belle Good manners are not the Sc
cret, neither is great beauty alone, though
that comes nearer than anything else. But
don't you know what people call tone in
pcturesl 1t isn't the color nor the draw
ing, only, it is a sort Of something not to be
described at least have asked great
many of long-haired, bad-hatted gentry who
paint pictures, and they never agreed what
it was. 1t is sort ofmellew complexion
over tho whole thing, and is rs different
from mere color as the bloom upon ripe
grape or plum is from the crude positive
hue Of the ur'ipe fruit-or didn't you ever
notice the difference2 No? Well then,
come TO Nahaut, and you can study every
variety Of blush and bloom upon ripcning
fruit in Mr.. Tudors gardens. behind those
thick-paled fences, that strain these rough
sea winds into soft zephyrs before they
touch his trees, very much as fne.tooth
comb would transform tue rulnmy breath
of an old sailor on the coast into kind Of
music before it polluted the baby's lungs.
All this mea,s TACT To be belle it i: i:
necessary to be handsome, we'll made, Of
great good manners, and Of consummate
tact. Now every girl can have almost any
thing but the chief thing. If you are not
positively squint-eyed or deformed, resolu-
ton and Madame well, the freshest French
woman-will make you handsome anl Of
good figure. Manners you must manage
:or yourself. | have found the best rule
perfec. kindncss-I mean, Of course, kind
ness Of manner. Most men arc a little BASH
tul with women. Young men get over it
by bravado-ollcr men Will, Il kind of 81
lent, superior, condescending air. Now if
you study never to take advantage Of this
shyness, which makes men Goubly sensitive
SO that many clever man is conscious
Of being perfect fool with women--if you
never wound them by look, or word, or in
situations, or implication, and never seem
IN league with any one man against any
other-why, a little judicious fat,ery Of
manner only, not of words, does The whole
Gusness-the man is yours.
Have you never noticed thai very "smart'
women are never bellies? There are of.
course, what may be called "loud" young
ladies from some Western cities, AMI from
i New York, sometimes, who smoke and
drink sherry cobblers at night, and call the
gentlemen by their Christian names, and
who are always very conspicuous; but there is
the Same difference between such people
and bellies that there is between notoriety
and fame.
The difficulty is, that tact is not 10 be
taught 1t is the subiimest sympathy con-
stantly on the alert. lis aim is to please
positively, by saying and doing what is
agreeable; and negatively, by emitting all
alusions that are not so. Never speak of
hemp to man whose father was hanged"
is the negative way Of stating tact. "Al
things to all men," is the positive way
There is no need of asking me about the
morality Of this. I am treating on bellies
and manners, not Of saints and moral philos-
ophe,s
One thing, however, am free to say to
you, in strict confidence and that is, that
good manners are not always indicative of
good morals. mean, Of course, using the
word manners in the usual sense. If you
see a man or woman every day, you would !
naturally presently discover their sympa-
thies and tastes. They would bctray them
involuntarily. For instance, if a man cared
nothing for children-,f lie were impatient
or i'll tempereL-he could conceal It for
some time, but not for long time, unless he !
has some very desirable end to serve by
playing huge and difficult game.
But for all that, if the great D--should
ever come to'Nahant, or Newport, or Sara
toga, which Of course he never does-for
where could he stay. what couldhe do9-and
entering his name upon the book as the
Reverued Mr.. Lamb, should minge in the
charming groups that swarm along the pi-
azza or sit so amiably in the parlor, I think
the manners Of the reverend gentleman
would be SO winning and entertaining that
the young men would view him without
Jealousy, and the old without cyucsm.-
The young woman would consider disparity
Of years nothing where hearts were truely
united and the old ladies would seriously
ponder how much they might reduce the
necessary figures for. their daughters, in con.
sidsratiep ofcertaiu advantages iu the huss
band. Old and young would 60 to bed
charmed with the manners of their new nc.
qaaiptaace nor, among tile other dreams
Ssthe night would the fancy obtrude itself
that Shen the Rev. Lamb went of. he dis.
appeared in'smoke, and that the gentle
nanly cotnpaDiod of.the evening could ss0h
an awfnf tafs unfold. @''7 .I3:S'is3@. 4 4sloa.
m tho otko. k.aI ~ SYttt..S