The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-06-12

WOMEN.

never neal VI any CluE1 eP"A0' "PS
to them. They are not said to be pref
tv, nor amiable, nor clever, though they
may be all three, but simply charming
which we take as a kind Of verbal anal
AGAIN, the concentration ana convection
of all praise. The main feature Of al
these charming III is their iutens<
feminalty. There is no b.urr;ng # the
outlines here no confusion Of qaa!iti'':
admirable enough in themselves, bal
slightly out Of place, considering the
sex; no AmaZonlan virtues which leave
one in doubt as to whether We have not
before us 4 youth in pett:cya:S, rather
than q soft and tender onau
A charming woma is all over, on:
who places her glory in being g woman,
and has nc desire to be anything else.
She is o woman rather than a Lumaa
being and a lady rather than a oua
One of her characteristics is the soft
ness and exquisite grace Of her manner,
which so sweetly represents the tender
nature within. She has not an angle
anywhere. If she we're to be expressed
geometrically, Hogarth's line Of beauty
is the sole figure that could be used for
her. She is flowing, graceful, bending
in mind as in body; she is neither self
asserting, nor aggressive, neither rigid
nor narrow; she is a creature who glides
gracefully through life, and adjusts her
self to her company and her circum-
stances in a manner little less than
marvellous; working her own way with
out tumult or sharpness, creeping round
insuperable obatacles, and quietly wear
ing down more triable opposition with
that gentle persistency which does so
much more than turmoil and disturbance.
Even if enthusiastic-which she is for
art, either as music, as painting, or as
poetry-she is enthusiastic in such a
sweet and graceful way that no one can
be offended by a fire which shines and
does not burn. There is no touch of
scorn about her, and no assumption of
superior knowledge. She speaks to you.
poor Ignorant Philistine, with the most
fattering conviction that you follow her
in all her flights; and when she comes
out, quite naturally, with her pretty
little bits of reconcile lore or profession
t~echnicalities, you cannot be so boor-
ish as to ask for an explanation of these
everyday matters, which she makes so
sure you must understand. Are you
not an educated person with a soul to be
saved, and can you, then, be ignorant of
with which every one of culture
Is familiarl She discourses confden-
tally of musicians and painters unknown
10 fame, and speaks as if she knew the
sacred doings Of the conservatoire and
B.. A. council chamber alike. The
and the methods, the loves and
he hates of the whole artistic world are
o her things of every day life, and you
cannot tell her that she is shooting her
shafts wide of the mark, and
hat you know no more of what she
means than if she wee talking in the
Arabic.
If she has been abroad-and she {
has been more or Iess-she {
will pour out her tender little rhapsodies
bout palazzi and vile of which you
ave never heard, but every room of t
which she assumes you know by heart; {
nd she will speak of the out of-the-way t
and grim old castles perchedu 6
pom the vine-clad mounts, as if YOU 8
ere as well acquainted with them as e
18th your native hamlet and she will y
ring into her discourse all manner of n
Italian technicalities, as if you under '
God the subject as well as she herself
Understands it; though your learning. is
mited to a knowledge of how much
as done in jute and tallow, or how "
any pockets of hops went off in the a
arket last week. IF she has a liking n
r high life and titles-and what char II
ing woman has not?-she will mention a
10 names of all manner Of counts and P
likes and monsignors unknown in En- a
ish society, as though they were her b
Others; but if you were to interrupt d
10 gentle ripple of her speech with al
On rude break-waters as "who?" and b
the charming woman would st
ink you a horid bore, and 10 man "
ould willingly face that. One may be tn
rhinoceros in his own haunts, but as or
e fable tells US, even rhiuoceroses are W
named Of their parentage when among r:a
zelles:-Never self-asserting, never sa
ntradictory, only sweet and tenderly w
tting you right when you blunder, We
e charming woman, nevertheless makes &c
u feel her superiority. True, she tn
rs herself, as it were, at your feet, and m
yes you a thousand delicate batteries tic
indeed, among her specialities is that DIR
being able to set you on good terms sh
tn yourself, and her art of subtle fat of
y; but, despite her own self-abase- is,
mt and your exaltation, you can but pr
that, she is your superior, and that. 70,
hough she is too charming to acknowl- er
&c what would wound your pride, yet wi
8 feelsit. too, and tries to hide it; all I'M
which has the effect of making you
mire her still more for the grace and
IT she has displayed aD.a- T.
Meaker SAWS that eGS.u ~