Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1863-01-02

COMPLIMENTS.-lt is very mucn ~ NC
wished for the benefit of bashful men, that
society would come to some general agree
ment upon the subject of compliments. AT
present, the whole social law upon the
subject is in state of confusion which is
mere ptfall for the uhwary. There are
some occasions when a compliment is very
little less than an insult and there are
others when it is scarcely less insulting to
omit the compliment and the distinction in
principle between the two sets of occasions
is not very obvious. To compliment lady
on her dress is rude familiarity. A pan
egyrc upon her beauty is only tolerated if
she belong to the emaciated sisterhood of
s. fast girls" and is apt to be resented even
then. if there are many listeners to over
hear it. But seat her at a piano forte, and
everything is changed. Compliments cease
to be rude on one side or repulsive on the
other The man who would stand at the
pianoforte listening to song, and omit at
the end of it to calculate Beautiful!
would be condemned by every right-think-
ing mind as unworthy the name of man
and of Briton. Compliments on such oc-
casions are not simply permissible, but they
are exacted with rigor as an item of the or
binary tribute of civility which man owes
to woman. You might as well let lady
stand for want of a chair while you are sit
ting down, as allow the music to languish
for want of plentiful supply Of eulogy.
And the young lady who would blush and
bride if she was told she was pretty, sub
mits with smiling impassibility to the most
fulsome fattery on the subject of her sing.
ing. Ia fact, if the song did not close amid
chorus Of admiration, every one would
feel that there was an awkward silence
People would force conversation fitfully
and uneasily, as if somebody had uttered {
startling improperly; and the pelforme
would be perfectly justified in founcin
away from the pianoforte, and passing tn
rest of the evening in dumps. The ide
appears to be that public performance
incompatible with retiring modesty. 1t
a proclamation that the young lady is ne
satisfied to remain unnoticed in the ihronI
but wishes TO attract special attention
herself and it naturally follows that 81
desires some assurance that her efforts ha'
not been in vain. The world is too goo
natured to refuse compliments to any OF
who professedly caters for them and, 70
tunately, there are people who derive pc
! tive pleasure from the act of flattering OF
.ers. Their souls are living well Of b'
ter, and little of it escapes on every pa
er by. Probably they begun the pract
from calculation, to secure as many frier
as possible at cheap cost; but the ha
soon grows upon Them and clings to tn
long after the hope OF getting on in
world has lost its power. They are VI
disagreeable people 10 meet in society,
on ordinary occasions, for they are alw
putting somebody out of countenance,
their real mission in the world is to att
TO musical parties. They should be jamr
in between the panoforte and the wall
left there. So placed, they are in a p
ton to perform services, which, in their
>~sehce, it would be impossible to supply
complmentins does not come by nature,
the master OF the house who should II
for the first time, in ignorance OF the {
cal,ies of the attempt. and without pr
preparation, is very liable to come to
unseemly halt in the very middle OF
pretty speeeh.-LOndOn Saturday Res