The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-03
MATURE SIRENS.
IFrom the Saturday Review

make them understand 1t. In their eyes, O
woman is out of tho pale Of personal affection
altogether when she has once lost the shining
gloss OF youth, that exquisite freshness Of
skin, and suppleness of limb, which to them, in
the insolent plenitude of their unfaded beauty,
constitute the chief claims to admiration OF
their sex. And yet they cannot conceal from
themselves the fact that the belle of eighteen
is often deserted for the woman Of forty,
and that the patent witchery OF their
own youth and prettiness goes for moth
ing against the mysterious charms of a
mature siren. What AN they say to such
an anomaly? There is no good in going
about the world disdainfuly wondering how on
earth man could ever have taken up with
suoh an antiquated creature e-suggestivey
asking their male friends what could he see in
a woman Of her age, old enough to be their
mother2 There the fact stands, and facts are
been coveted by more than one golden-haired
girl, has married O. woman twenty years her
senior, and the middle-aged siren has actually
carried off the prize which n1ymphs in their
teens have frantlcaly desired to win. What
is the secret? How is it done2 The world,
even Of silly girls, has got past any belief in
spells and talsmans, such as Charlemagne's
mistress wore, and yet the mans fascination
seems to them quite as miraculous and almost
as unholy as if it had been brought about by
the black art. But if they had any analytical
power, they would understand the didb,e,'5e Of
the mature sirens clearly enough, for it is not
so difficult to understand when ono put ones
mind to it.
In the first place, woman of ripe age has
knowledge OF the world, and certain suavity
of manner and moral fexiblllty, wholly want
most part. all ange]s-.harsh in their judg-
ments. stiff in thoir prejudices, and narrow In
their sympathies. They are full Of combatlve-
ness and self-assertion If they are Of one kind
they belong to another kind. They are talk
nothing Veil and truly known; or they Has are
monosyllabic dummies who stammer out Yes
and No at random, and whose brains be-
come hopelessly confused at the first sem
tence a stranger utters. They are generally
without pity; their want Of experience MAX
scarcely understand, and let us charitably
hope. to certain extent, ignorant Of the pain
they infiict. That famous article in the Times
on the cruelty Of young girls, apropos.o of Con-
stance Kents confession, though absurdly exag-
gerated, had 4 it the core Of truth which gives
the sting to such papers, which makes them
stick, and which is the real cause Of the out
cry they create. Girls are cruel; there is no
question about it. If more passive than ac-
tive, they are simply indifferent to the suffer-
ings of others; Ii of more active tempera-
ment, they find positive pleasure in giving
pain. A girl will say the most cruel things to
her dearest friend, and then laugh at her. be-
cause she cries. Even her own mother she
will hurt and humiliate if she can; whe as for
any unfortunate aspirant not approved OF,
were he as tough-skinned as rhinoceros she
would find means to make him vince. But all
this acerbity is toned down in the mature wo.,
man. Experience. has enlarged her sympa.
thies, and knowledge and suff ,ring has soften
ed her heart to the sufferings or others. Her
lessons Of life, too, have taught her tact, aud
tact is one of the most valuable lessons that a
man or woman can learn. She secs ut glance
where are the weak points aud sore places In
her companion, and she avoids them; orif sho
passes over them, it is with hand so soft and
tender. touch so inexpressibiy soothing. that
shc cssans instead OF irritatns. girl wouli
ILL., wp sSs lsea a7liars
and would have torn the bandlges OF the sore
never felt wound, aud deriding the sybari-
tlsm OF dyachylon because ignorant OF the
anguish it conceals. Then the mature siren is
thoughtful for others. Girls are self-asserting
the instinct which prompts them to try their
strength with all comers, and to get the best
Of everything everywhere. is so lnexpressible,
that they are often disagreeable because of
thair instructive selishness, and the craving,
natural to the young, Of taking all and giving
back nothing. But tho mature siren knows
better than this. She knows that social sue
cess depends entirely on what each of us can
throw into the comon fund Of society; that the
surest way. to be considerate ourselves is
to be considerate for others; that sympathy
begets liking, and self-suppression leads to ex-
altation; and that five want to gain love we must
first show how we'll we can give 1t. Her tact,
then, and her sympathy, her moral fexibllity
and quick comprehension Of character, her
readiness to give herself to others, are some
Of the reasons among others, why the society
OF q cultivated, agreeable woman Of certain
age is sought by those men to whom women
are more than mere mistresses or toys Be-
sides, she is a good conversationalist. She
has no pretensions to any special or deep
learning-tor, If pedantic, she is spoilt as q
most things; at all events, she knows enough
to make hsr a pleasant companion, and able to
keep up the ball when thrown. And men Ike
to talk 10 intelligent women. They do not
like to be taught or corrected by them,. but
which follows them readily, and that amount
Of knowledge which makes q comfortable
cushion for their own. And mature slren
who knows what she is about would never do
more than this, even il she could.
Though the mature siren rests her claim to
admiration on. moro than mere personal
charms, and appeals to something beyond the
senses. yet she ls personable and we'll preserv-
ed, and, in o favorable light, looks nearly as
young IS ever. So the men say who knew her
when she was twenty /; who loved her then,
and bave gone on loving her with difference.
despite the twenty years that lie between this
and then. Girls, indeed, despise her charms be-
may be even more beautiful than youth. She
knows all the little niceties Of dress, and with
out ne0ing into the vulgar trickery OF paint and
dye hich would make her hideous, is up to
the best arts Of the toilet, by which every point
given its fullest value. For part OF the art and
mystery Of sirenhood la an accurate perception
OF times and conditions, and careful avoid
ance Of that suicidal mistake OF which Ia
tefSsnse pGssee is 30 often guilty--namely, sot-
ting herself in confessed rivalry with the
young by trying to look like them, and 80
losing the good Of what she has retained, and
showing tn sasyages q time BY the son-
She knows exactly what she has and
what she can do, and before ali things avolds