Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1863-06-06
Coquette.


A coquette has been defined as woman
who wants to enSage the men without engag-
ing herself. She is composition Of levity
and vanity, whose chief aim is to b. thought
agreeable, handsome, and amiable, whether
she reilly is or not. Awitty author compared
such / woman to fire eater, who makes
show of handling, and even chewing live Goals
without receiving any danger from the fire.
Seis always playing the part Of love, with.
oderealizing its passion. Moore has given the
following excellent description ofthe coquette: !:
"slow to be warm'd, and quick to rove,
From folly blind, from cunning 10th;
Too cold for bliss too weak for love,
Yet feigning all that's best i'll BOTH
There is veni-ridi-viici spirit in this sort of
wolran, her whole object being to make con-
ques, She much prefers crowd of lovers to
the eality Of love. Fresh triumphs form the
salt IF her existence, and hecatomb of suit
ors would not satisfy her. Her affections can
nevG rest on one, her object being to enslave
man.. She is like her looking glass, which
receives all images without retaining any.
"O,c lover to another still succeed
Andhcr-and another after that
Andthat last fool is welcome the former;
| Till llhaving loved his hour out, he gives place
And mngles with the herd that went before him."
Ills woman is " fisher of men," who Of
fers Ter bait so adroitly that the victim sees
neither the hook nor the line. with infinite
skill she adjusts her curls, moistens her. lips,
langrishes towards the fated object with her
eyes, ana throws her body into the most
graceful attitude to catch fool. Soon as the
victim nibbles the bait is withdrawn; and
whenthe sly angler becomes sure of having
hooked her fish, she begins to play him up
and down the streap with as much delight as
hungry Englishman reels in spotted trout
of the brook.
Like Tasso's Armida she knows every art
to allure passion.
" Each varied art to win the soul she tries,
To this, to that, different mein applies;
Now scarcely dares her modest eyes advance,
And now she rules them with wantOn glance
She these repels aud those incites to love,
AS various passions various bosoms move.
While thus she gives alternate frosts and fires,
And joy, and hope, and grief and fear inspires,
With cruel pleasure she their fate surveys,
Exalting in those ills her power could raise"
Dean Swift treated this ridiculous subject
with an almost ridiculous solemuity, land grave
ly asserted that coquetry is among the chief
est sources Of human misery, and he added,
" The reason why SO few marriages are hap
py, is because young ladies' spend their time
in making nests-not making cages" Their
skill is directed to tho means of catching,
rather than keeping husband. But it is
rarely the case that coquette makes real
conquest. Her triumphs are sham as her
own love. Dr. johnson land Addison some-
where expresses himself in nearly the same
words) defines coquetry, can affectation of
amorous advances" Such women as gem
eral thing get nothing but an affectation Of
love in return. In both cases the passion is
nothing but base coin. The woman who
aims least at conquest. is often the one who
does the most execution in the war of hearts.
"unaiming charms with edge resistless fall
And she who means no mischief, does it all !"
Burns calls coquetry "a trap which the
vanity of women sets for men,"
Varrnne says :" 1t is continued lie that
renders honest women more detestable and
more dangerous than courtesan who does
not tell lies.
Old Scarron humorously defines coquettcs
"charlatans Of love-" ~
Rochpedre remarks that they care some.
times the dupes Of themselves-when they
grant what their actions PROMISE"
And Dupuy bitterly says that an old CO.
quettc has all the faults Of young one with
out having the pleasure"
But Horace gives the most figltful picture
Of an old coquette:
"Thou art old, md vet by awkward ways does strive
That unwilling passion to revive;
Dost dance and drink, and thump upon the Tyre,
And all to catch some silly country squire.
In vain with wondrous art and mighty care,
You strive your ruined beauty to repair.
No far-fctched silks one minute restore
What time has added to the endless score:
No precious stones though nc'cr 80 bright
They shine with their own natve light,
Will but disgrace thee noY, and but enhance thy night
Ah, me where now that fmcn that face!
That shape that air! that very grace!
That color whose enchanting red
Me to loves tents cnptive led
Strange turn Of fate, that she
Who from myself so of has stolen me,
Now, through the just revenge Of time, stol'n from
herself should be:
Thou, like some old commander in disgrace,
Surviving the past conqucsts ofthy face
Now the great business Of Thy life is done,
Review with griefthe troubles thou hast won."
SHREwD-The Boonville correspondent Of
the Cincinnati Da;lv Commercial writes: