Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-07-11
Nice Girls.

L
we can hardly tell why; but i
| is the only word in the language tina
can be used under the circumstances
and it is fully expressive. Everyone
! knows exactly what it means. Il
does not necessarily mean beautiful
girl, or an elegant or an accomplished
girl, except to the extent that beauty
elegance and accomplishments are
essential to niceness. Beauty in its
more queenly sense the Guenevvere
style Of beauty, for instance-is out
Of the question. Arthur's guilty
consort could not have been " nice"
In a. sense the nice girl always is,
and L think should be, pretty. Yes
she ought to have nice features
pure, Clear face it should be; and
She is certain to have nice eyes. No
matter for the colour; let them be
blue, or hazel, or black; and, again,
let them be large or small: but they
are certain to have an expression
about absolutely charming. They
will be kind eyes, sympathetic eyes,
ready to brighten at anothers s hap
pinesg, and to. grow brighter still
with "tears that leave the lashes
bright" over another's borrowings.
The nice girl is sure to have a
pretty mouth, too. There is a
secret about pretty mouths. It is
more valuable than any Of Madame
Raehel's secrets as an aid to beauty" ;"
and so is worth finding out. The
secretis is this: the mouth is of all the
features the least under the control
of the will. 1t is the truest index to
the disposition. Eyes may CLEAN ;
smiles may dimple the cheeks; amia-
biIty may be simulated with Infinite
skill but the mouth is less obliging
than the "hollow hearts Of the poet.
It will not "wear mask" and it
is only by cultivating sweetness Of
disposition that pretty mouth can
be secured. The nice girl uncon-
sciously finds out this secret, and
with a sweet mouth and kind eyes
she may be content: she has beauty
enough.
The great charm about the nice
girl is that she is SO goodtempered--
which'is a synonym for good-hearted
so amiable, so cheerful, and so
clever, in the best sense of that word.
She is the life and soul Of home. Her
presence is its sunshine. She makes
it. She is indispensable toit Says
the Fairy in the Christmas tale, speak
ing of such girl in humble life.
1.-The hearth which, but for her, were
only few stones and brisks and
rusty bars, is made through her the
altar of the home" The same thing
happens in higher circles, for the
nice girl is found everywhere. On'
thing 70 be noted Of her is, that she
is always neat You cannot surprise
her .,,, ,-lzeshnh;He- What. a .narveH IONS
smoothness of hair she has And
what immaculate cuffs and collars,
warranted never to rumple or soil
1t is difficult to believe that her
dresses are made their fit is .periec-
ton, and they seem as natural to her
as leaves to flower. There is al
ways a graceful flow about them
and as for color, she has an artists eye
in respectsto it. She uses a bright
ribbon as a painter would do, but
without knowing why. A poem
might be written on a nice girls
boots. They are never Of the snowy
kind: but how charming Gloves,
again; it doesn't matter whether
Jouvin, Houbigant, Piver, or some
unknown Brown or Jones supplies
them. They are always perfection
in fit, and, as a rule, of some neutral
tint. Catch our nice girl appearing
on the croqaetlawn in gloves Of posi-
tive yellow, or green, or, most hideous
of ali, red-that latest outrage on
good taste
The influence of the nice girl in
house is always felt, but it is not easy
to say how it is exercised. Partiof
the secret is, fancy, that she is
everywhere attended by two fairies,
who ore called Order and Grace. Their
aid is invaluable. Wherever she
goes, tidiness and neatness result,
Her touch has a magic in it: She
could not be slovenly if the tried. It
would be impossible for her to arrange
flower, place chair, loop up cur,
tain. or perform the commonest act Of
daily life in any but The right way;
Dickens had nice girl in his mind
when he drew Ruth Pinch: and who
can forget the charm with which
Ruth invested that most homely of
occupations, til: making of a meat
pudding? It's by mo means neces-
sary that the nice girl should be sim
ply domestic: but she is sure to prize
her home snd to be Of use in it. Al
ways gay busy, and cheerful, happy
in herself and devoted to those about
her. ste misses none of the refine
ments or genuine pleasures of life.
She knows all about the new poet
an3th last novel, the Opera favor
its and the popular play. She
4ows something of pictures, can
sing little and play fairly, but is
mot much given to those manipulated
fireworks under cover Of which every
body talks till the coda ceases, and
murmurs of Thank. you !" express
the general gratitude for what nobody
has heard. Of course the nice girl
dances, is clever at charades, and is
the idol Of the youngsters by reason
of her profound erudition in the mat
ter Of fairy-tales and nursery rhymes,
and the inexhaustible fertility of her
resources when games and forfeits are
in demand. In addition to these
qualifications, she is, IN all probability,
q fair horewoman, can skate, has
learned to swim at the seaside, and
perhaps, outof fondness for brother,
has mastered the difficult problem of
the cricket-feld so far as to watch his
exploits therein with an appreciatlve