The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-09-04
WOMANLY DIGNITY.

from the London Saturday ReViGW0
Nature, which has given weapons o. as;
ssult or means oil defense 10 almost all
living creatures, has made man audacious,
and has endowed woman with dignity.
And dignity has the best Of 1t. In fact,
womanly dignity may DO accepted as one
among many explanations OF that legend
ary power which turned the bravcst man
to stone, and made the might Of the
strongest like water In their bones. What
can any one do against ii? AS well Try
10 penetrate tho Hrmadillo's coat OF mail
by needle, or make hole In . pachy-
lCrm by pOpgun, as Are a woman 70 pas.
sion or melt her to pity when enc; mas
once cntrcnchcd herself in the stronghold
Of her dignity. No argument can shake
her, no reasoning convince her; de.
spAir dies away In querulousncss, and
the pleadings of love Itself ialI
dull and blunted from her stately
srl(-possession like 50 many toy shafts
hurled against polished aud i'm
,icnelrabl9 surface. Indeed, how can
you rage In anger, or abase yourself IN en-
treaty, 10 u creature who is lClly pO!ile,
lonily Inmoved, not TO be gnadcdinto The
smallest demonstration which would put
her in the wrong and givGyou vantage.
pOint against her, and whose CNlm eyes
look ut you with kind OF superior scorn
which, while it maddGns you, oilers no
point Of attack? What can you do Stm-
ply nothing. The means OF defense which
Nature has given are unassaiIable, and u
jignlficd woman Is mistress OF the sttua7
ton by the very power oil negation, u BY
none other. But there arc various kinds
Il dignity, and II some are more Cxasper-
Aling than Others, some are very lovely,
and among the greatest charm5o OF woman
hood. There Is In particular that oItldig:
nifty which belongs to women who are a.
ltCliOnatC by nature and Umid by treat
mtnl, but who have reserve OF selI'res-
pect tina, defends them against themselves
Ms well as against Others. These have q
quiet dignity, tempered by much sweet
ness Of speech and manner that's the love
lest of them all, the most subtle us well nj
the most beautiful. They arc like the Lady
IN Comus, and seem to cast the spell Of res
yet on alfwith whom they arc associated.
NOman,saVe Of the Coarsest fibre, and such
rs only physiCalslrength can control could
be rude TO them In word or brutal In deed;
Tor there is something about them, very
indefinite but very strong withal, which
seems To give them special protection
from insOlencC; and "a loving woman Of
soft manners, whose mind is pure and
who respects herself, Is armed with q
power which none but the Vilest can de-
spise, This Is the woman who gels 0
precise obedience IRON her servants with
cut exOCtlng It, and whose children do
not dream OF dtsputing her wishes; who,
though so gentle and afable, stops short
Of that kind Of familiarity which breeds
contempt, and with whom no one takes o
liberty. For this one can scarcely give o
reason. She would notramp or ruvo II
,Ae was displeased, she would not scold,
she could not strike; but there Is a Ger.
lsln quality in her which We may not be
aOlc to iOrmularize, yet which would
make us ashamed 10 pass beyond the
Boundaries OF the stTiClest respect, and
which restraints others less consciously
critical than ourselves as certainly as fear,
Its the respect we pay 10 those who 70,
speCt themselves, the consideration and
honor which all'Teal purity Of nature de-
mands and obtains. This lie wOmanly
dignity in its loveliest. aspect and the
kind We all desire to see In women, whom
iIwould not harden, nor render less thar
loving.
Then there Is tho moro aggressive
sFutling, stage kind OF dignity, which we
meet IN historical romanCes chiefly, where
"aVsunt, base Caititi " Is a phrase Ol pow
Ct, and where On unprotected damsel, In
aIoOe Of rich samile bright" with heI
back hair down, and carrying a.smalI
jewelers. shop on her person, is able by
The magic Of her dignity alone TO defend
herself from the base designs Of maraud-
'0g Barons and tho depredatiOns ofmean
ing DEMONSTRATING the wild beast
among men as Una tanned her lion. Thl
sapicture Cxqusitely fascinating TO III
Young, aud firmly believed In. W.
doubt however, II any enthusiastic CIR
would find she possessed the gilt II sh
went into thieves quarter In Londo
WIN her purse in her pocket and he
IlgGity as her sole safeguard; and "
laInE she would do better TO, trust 70 ID
police This kind OF dignity, translate
mo the home life, is Troublesome sol
o. Thing; but sometimes Il ID iintenael
ouu' u one can afford the time 10 b
amused; and digni1Gd woman of th
Nsgeheroine kind, who "draws herse
up TO her lull height" as nOVeIists Say
and speaks in an octave below her usui
voice when she Is offended, Is pretty SUI
I" have plenty oil occasion for the excl
else ol her talent.
There is another kind OF dignity-tl
grim kind, rcpCllCnt and iron bound.
whereby you lecl yourself pushed baC