The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-04-17
FEMININE AMENITIES.

from the London Saturday Review.j
The ways of women with each other
more than all else, show the great differ
ence between their morale and that O
men. They hatter and coax as mer
could not do, but they are also more
rude to each qAher than any man woul'
be to his fellow. 1t is amazing to SET
the things they can bear and do-ehing:
Ghich no man would dream of standing
and which no man would dare to at
tempt This is because they are not
taught to respect each other, and because
they have no fear of consequences. II
one woman is insulted by auos1er, she
cannet denXnd satisfaction or knock the
offender down, and it is unladylike to
swear and call names. She must bear
what she can only repay in kind; but. to
do her justice, she repays in manner
undeniably effective and to the point
There is nothing very pronounced about
the feminine mode Of aggression and re-
laliation, and yet it is eloquent, and suf-
fcient for its purpose. 1t may only be
stare, shrug. toss of the head; but
women can throw an intensity of dis
dain into the simplest gesture. which
answers the whole end perfectly. The
uuabash bed serenity and unfinchiug con-
stancy'with which one w4pan can stare
down another, is in itself an art that
requires certain amount of natural ge-
MUS, as we'll as careful cultivation. She
puts up her eye-glass-not being short
sighted-and surveys the enemy stand
ing two feet from her, with sublime
contempt for her whole condition. or
with still more sublime ignoring of her
existence altogether, that no words could
give. If the enemy is sensitive and un-
used to this kicd of thing. she is abso-
lutely crushed, destroyed for the time,
and reduced to the most pi'iable state of
self-abasement. If she is of tougher
fibre, and has had some experience of
feminine warfare, she returns the stare
with a corresponding amount of con-
tempt or obliviousness; and from that
moment contest is begun which never
ceases, and which continually gains in
bitterness. The stare is the weapon of
offence most in use among women. and
is especially favored by the experienced
against the younger and less seasoned.
1t is one of the instructive arms native
to the sex; and we have only have to
watch the introduction of two gills to
each other to see this, and to learn how
even in you'll is begun the exercise
which tk>s and use raise to such deadly
perfection.
In the conversations of women with
each other We again meet with examples
of their peculiar amenities to their own
sex. They never refrain from showing
how much they are bored they contra
dict fatty, without the flimsiest veil of
apology to hide their rudeness ; and they
interrupt ruthlessly, whatever the sub
ject in hand may be- One lady was
giving another minute account of how
the bride looked yesterday when she
was married to Mr.. A, of somewhat for
midable repute, and with whom, if re-
port was to be trusted, her listener had
had sundry tender passages which made
the mention of his marriage a VIGOROUSLY
sore subject. "Ah! | see you have ta-
ken that old 81 k which Madame Joseph
inc tried to palm off on me last year
said the tortured listener. brusquelv |
breaking into the narrative without a
lead OF any kind; and the speaker was
silenced. In this case it was the inter-
change of doubtful courtesies, wherein
neither deserved pity; but to make a
remark about a gown, in
revenge for turning knife in wound.
was thoroughly feminine manner of re-
and one that would not have
touched man. Such Shafts would fall
united against the rugged skin of the
coarser creatures; and the date or pat
tern of bit of cloth would not have told
much against the loss of lover. But as
most women passionately care for dress,
their toilet is one of the E.ost vulnerable
parts. Ashamed to BE- questionable,
they tolerate anything in each other
rather than shabbiueSs or eccentricity,
even when picturesque; hence a sarcas-
tic allusion to the age Of few yards of
silk is return wound of considerable
depth when cleverly given. |
Women can do each other NJ end of
despite in a small way in society, not to
speak OF mischief of a graver kind. A
hostess who has grudge against one Of
her guests can always insure her dis
appointe- evening under cover of doing
her supreme houor and paying her extra
attention. If she See the enemy engag-
ed in pleasant conversation with one of
the male stars, down she swoops, and in