Owyhee bullion. [volume] (Silver City, I.T. [Idaho]) 1866-1867, 1867-03-28
a PERFECT WIFE.

following beautifully descriptive prose
paper 'The Idea Of Perfect Wife,
which he presented to Mrs. b one morn
ing on the anniversary of their marriage,
delicately heading the paper, as below,
leaving her to fill up the blank;
THE CHARACTER Or,
4 intend to give my idea of a woman,
if it at all answers any original | shall be
well pleased-f6r if such person as /
would describe really exists, she must be
far superior to my description, and such
as l must love too well to paint as l
ought.
She is handsome, but it is a beauty
not arising from features, from complex.
ion, Oh from shape she has all three in ii
high degree, but it is not by these touch
es the heart; it is all that sweetness of
temper, benevolence, innocence and sens
Utility, which a face can express, that
forms he. beauty.
'She has a face that just raises your
attention at first sight; it grows on you
every moment, and you wonder it did
no more than raise your attention at first.
'Her eyes have mild light, but they
awe you when she pleoses; they COM
mand, like good man out of office, not
by authority, but by virtue.
Her features are not perfectly regu.
lar-that sort of exactness is more to be
praised than loved, for it is never ami
mated.
Her stature is not tall; she is made to
be the admiration of everybody, but the
happiness of one.
She has all the frmness that does not
exclude delicacy; she has all the softness
that does not imply weakness.
There is often more of the coquette
shown in an affected plainness than a
tawdry finery; she is always clean with
out preciseness or affection Her CRAWL
ty is gentle thoughtiulness that softons
the TEXTURES without discomposing them;
she is usually grave.
Her smiles are inexprcssible
Her voice is low, soft music; not form
ed to rule III public assemblies, but to
cham those who can distinguish COM
pany from n crowd; it las this advantage
you must come close to her to hear it.
10 describe her body, describe her
mind one is the transcript Of the other.
Her understanding is not shown in the
variety Of matters it exerts itself on, but
in the goodness ofthe choice she max es.
She does not display it so much in say
ing or doing striking things, as in avoid
ing such as she ought not say or do.
She discovers the right and wrong of
things not BY reasoning, but sagacity
most women, and many good ones, have
a closeress and something selfish in their
dispositions she has true generosity
of temper the most extravagant cannot
be more unboundcd in their liberality,
the most covetous not more cautious in
the distribution.
NO person Of so few years can know
the world better; no person was ever less
corrupted by that knowledge.
Her politeness seems TO flow from
natural disposition to obligc than from
any rules on that subject, and therefore
never fails to strike those who do not.
She does not run with a girlish ca
gerness into new friendship, which as
they have no foundation in reason, serve
only to multiply and imbitter disputes;
it is long before she chooses, but then it
is fixed forever; and the first hours Ct
friendship are not warmer than
hers after the lapse of years.
AS she never disgraces her good ma
ture by severe reflections on anybody,
SO she never degrades her judgment by
immoderate orillplaced praises. for ev-
violent is contrary to her gen.
tleness of disposition and the evenness
of her virtue.
'She has steady and firm mind, which
takes no more from the female character
than the solidity ofmarble does from its
polish and lustre.
She has such virtues as makes us
value the truly great of our own sex; she
has all the winning grace that makes us