The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-01-12
a Perfect Wife.

Burke, the statesman, used repeatedly TO de-
clare that every care vanished the moment se
entered under his own roof. lie wrote the Iol-
lowing beautifully descriptive prose paper, - Inc
Idea of n Perfect Wife," which he presented to
Mrs. Il. one morning on the anniversary OF their
marriage, delicately heading the paper, rs below,
leaving her to fill up the blank;
1.-THE CHARACTER Or
al intend to give my idea of n woman If it
at all answers any original, i shall be pleased;
for if such a person as | would describe really
exists, she must be far superior to my description,
and such as | must love too well to be able to
paint as l ought.
She is handsome; but it is a beauty not arising
from features. from complexion, or from shape !;
che has all three in Il high degree. but it is not
by these she touches the heart it is all that
sweetness of temper, beneyOlence, innocence, and
sensibility, which a face can express, that forms
her beauty.
She has a face that jus. raises your attention
at first sight 1t grows on you every moment,
and you wonder it did no more than raise your
attention at first.
Her eyes have a mild light, but they awe you
when she pleases; they command, like a good
man out of Office, not by authority, but by yir-
tue.
Her features are not perfectly regular; that
sort of exactness is more to be praised than to be
loved, for it is never animated.
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. without preciseness or affectatiOn.
Her gravity is IL gentle thoughtfulness that softens
the features without discomposing them she is
usually grave.
Her smiles are inexpressible.
Her voice is a low, soft music not formed to
rule in public assemblies, but to charm those who
can distinguish Il company from a crowd it has
this acknowledgement must come close to her to
hear it.
To describe her body describes her mind one
is the transcript of the other. Her understand
inc is not shown in the variety of matters it
exerts itself on, but in the goodness of the choice
she makes. She does not display it SO much in
saying or doing striking things, as in avoiding
such as she ought not TO say or do.
She discovers the right and wrong of things
not by reasoning, but sagacity most women,
and many good ones, have n closeness and some
thing selfish in their dispositions she has a true
generosity of temper the most extravagant can
not be more unbounded in their liherality, the
most c~uyetous not more cautious in the distribu-
ton.
No person of so few years can know the world
better no person was ever less corrupted by that
knowledge.
Her politeness seems rather to flow fro a nat
ural disposition to oblige than from any rules on
that subject. and therefore never fails to strike
those who understand good breeding and those
who do not.
She does not run with n girlish eagerness into
new friendships, which. as they have no f0unda-
ton in reason, serve only to multiply and embit-
ter disputes; it is long before she chooses, but
then it is fixed for ever and the first hours of
romantic friendship are not warmer than hers
after the lapse of years.
As she never disgraces her good nature by
severe reflections on anybody. 50 she never de-
grades her Judgment by immoderate or i'll placed
praises for everything violent is contrary to her
gentleness of disposition and the evenness of her
virtue.
no more from the female character than the solid
ity of marble does from its polish and luster.
She has such virtues as makes us value the
truly great of our own sex she has all the win
ming grace that makes us love even the faults we
see in the weak and beautiful of hers"