The Constitutional. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1860-1861, 1861-03-30
LADIES' DEPARTMENT.
MEN AND WOMEN.
Beauty and Manners as Elementi
Of success.

| an article on " success" In the December
number of the Cornhill Magazine
1t has been said that any man car
have any woman" The meaning %
which hold to be, that the preserving
pursuit of any object must eventually bg
crowned with success. Labor omnia vinlc
cit, as the copy-book text has it, as the
proverbs of well nigh every country haver
it in other words. TO set your minds res
olutely upon the accomplishment of any
purpose, is to go half way to its attainj
ment. Now, it commonly happens, tor
pursue the illustration wherewith / CONF
menced this passage, that they who are,
most successful with women, are not thei
handsomest men. And the reason of this
is obvious. Handsome men rely over
much on their handsomeness. To use al
metaphor, rather expressive than eloquent.s
they expect all the pretty women will
"jump down their throats." But pretty
women will not jump down theirs
threats. This process of deglutition is,
not affected by them. They have no
notion of being quietly absorbed. They
must be won--bravely, labOriously, and
with becoming sense of what is due TO
them. Are we to think that we have onlyi
to sit quietly in our easy chairs, TO twirl
our moustaches 7 Beauty is divine gif 4
let whatsoever possess it be thankful. (.
Madame De Stael, one of the most gifted !!
of mortals, said that she would surrender
all that she possessed in possession for IL. |
But Madame Do Stael was a woman; and
| am now writing about men. Every
body knows that men care more about
personal beauty in the other sex than
women do, and for this reason, that pleas
ant sights and sweet sounds, and every
thing soft and gentle, is delight and a
refreshment to them. But the ordinary
environments of women are soft and gem
tie. They lead comparative passive lives;
and that which most fascinates them in
the other sex, is a sense of acting power
What is softnoss and smoothness to them
Bless them, they like the grit. Even the
hardness on mans face---the pallow, nay,
the less interesting sallowness of his cheek
are interesting to them if they denote
power. l repeat, that personal beauty is
great gift, even to a man. But it is
only as an accompaniment to other gifts
that it contributes to success. Everybody
knows what Wilkes, the ugliest man in
England, said to Townshend, the hand
soonest And it was not mere idle boast.
Whether you govern best by reserv-
ed, digni6ed demeanor, or by an open,
CHEEKY manner, may be aYuestion. Each
has its advantage, and each is very effect
i've in its occasional deviations into the
system of the other. The genialities of
stern men, and the asperities Of genial
ones, are each very impressive i'll their
way. Indeed the question of manner in
connection with my present. topic of dis
course, is one of such high importance,
that / cannot summarily dismiss it. / do
not say that it is thing to be studied.
To lay down any rules on the subject is
vain thing. People who shape their out
ward behavior with elaborate design gen.
orally overreach themselves. Nothing but
a really natural manner is genuinely sue
cessful in the long run. Now the natural
manner OF some people is good-of others
hopelessly bad, though there may be little
difference in the good beneath. 1t is hard
that we should be prtjudiced by what is
merely superficial bus we are. | have
beard it said this is not prejudice-for the
manner is the outward aud visible sign of
the man. But there are very excellent
people in the world with manners the re-
verse Of pleasant-people shy and reserv-
ed, or brusque and boorish, with whom
personal interC curse is by no means n de-
light. Others, again, there are, with
whom half an hours talk is ike an invig-
Grating sunshine. In this last there is an
element of success. There is another sue
cessful manner, too-onc which impresscs
every one with sense Of your power. II
YOU have both manner at once gracious
and powerful, you have everything that
you can wish as an outward aid to success.
A thoroughly good manner will often do
much TO neutralize the ill-eifects of an I'M
preposscssing appearance. But an i'll
favored countenance may be stumbling
block ut the out-sts3 that is never sur
mounted. 1t repels at the first start
There are people described as unpresent-
able" who have giants to contend against
ut their first start in life. When they
have once made their way in the world,
the insignihcance or grotesGueness OF their
appearance is a matter Of no nonent.-
Nay, indeed, we may not unfairly assign
some additional credit to the man who has
Forced his way to the front, in spite of all
his physical defects and personal draw
| backs. But it is an awful thing for a
young beginner to have to contend against
the impedments Of a bad face, an insig-
nificant or an ungainly figure, aud bad
manner in the presence Of others.
For LADIES WHO PAIXT.-1he cuta-
neous torture which Dejanara inflicted Oh
the contemptuous Hercules, modern danes
of fashion prepare fer themselves. The
pearl powders, the bloom of roses, the
blanc de Venus, de Cytherc, Rouge de
Pompadour, and the like, arc, as they
have been often told, but will never be pro-.
perly believed, compounds Of bismuth,