The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-06-16
Female Beauty.


In society men have, from time i'm
memorial, raved about beauty in We
men, and poets in rhyme and romances
have so sung its praises that it would
be almost pardonable mistake for one
to conclude only beauty lovable in the
sex. And the proverb, " Men lose their
hearts through their eyes and women
through their cars" not only corrobo.
ates the idea, but makes it appear that,
in the one sex, he intellects predomi-
nate. Men set sufficient store, the gods
know, upon physical comeliness in wo-
man. But, after all, it tappeal, to them
as an effect rath& than as a cause, and
is out-weighed by dozen other quail
ties.
Beauty commends, but it does not
win it attracts, but it does not hold.
And if it be not answered by some in
ward beauty, soon disappoints, and
may, by constant suggestion of dishar-
mony, at last ppel, just as fair flower
invites us ; woadmire its form, its col
or, its daintilnss, but when we pluck
| it, and find ii scentless or ofan unpleas-
ant odor, a re,ction comes that borders
on disgust We feel we have been
cheated by counterfeit, and the flower
fares worse tlnn if it were less fair, but
then, as the author of "Guesses at
Truth" reminds us: "Ihe bright are
sometimes poisonous, but we believe,
never the sweet"
SO there must be something more-a
vast deal mon-than personal beauty
in woman to make her, for any length
of time, even pleasant to our eyes,
much less grateful to the heart. What
that something is, it is hard to say but
it is expressed in the word interest
which, to convey the exact idea, should
be interestedness. How or why any
one interests tB we can not determine
OF the fact wa are convinced beyond
argument, but we are incapable of an
alyzing the subtitle agencies that pro
ducc the effect. This capacity to inter
) est is not a NECESSARY concomifant o
, personal comelness, but on the con
trary, is generally Independent of it
at least, is so strong and subduing il
influence, that mere form or feature be
) comes either secondary or is lost sigh
, of altogether.
No doubt such Il thing as interest
, and of general kind, belongs to indi
9 yidual5 as it does to bookS-is as muct
Q a part of them rs amiability, courtesy
or ease of motion. Certain men AM
, women, without effort, without desire
!, or even without consciousness, almos
: universally attract others. Whereve
l. they go their triumphs follow then
d We have all of us met such persons
: We can think Of halfa.dozen, at leas
c of our acquaintances, who interest neal
o ly every one they meet, regardless
o sex. This is particularly true of eel
Z. tain women and yet how few of sue
70 are beautiful, or handsome, or eve
s. pretty, in the usually received sense!
% Nature, to her sons and daughters,
Of tritle niggardly, save when she seef
n to show the splendor of her bounty, b
y ing rarely willing to give two gre
l. gifts to the same creature. When 81
,e grants physical beauty the mind aceon
er pany it is apt to be inferior. Genius
%. are seldom beauties, beauties seldo
I'd geniuses. 1t appears, too, that WON'T
er of fine persons come to prize th'
in comeliness so much as to neglect the
ul mind and not unfrequently their ma
n ners-permitting a naturally good u
ch derstanding to run to waste for lack
ell common care and culture. Hence 1t
that the very prettiest women of soc
ty whom men optically admire, ana
ke whom you hear SO much, rarely exc
ct. any profound emotion.or win the hea
m. of strong or positive men. They cal
lis in their train many followers OF IA
~ ion are looked at and lauded as
40 ious pattern of furniture would be
ice the drawing room. But no one 10
as them. No divine fire is burned on til
an affairs. No elements of high poetry
ar grand tragedy are enlisted in II
his lives. They dwell in an atmospher
ess flattery and folly; are haunted by C
ith combs, and welded to fools,