The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-28
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the cultivation Of art and literature is, for the
most part, now and always has been to a still
greater extent in the hands of a man, while
WIN woman the function OF beauty, |. e.,
,ove, constitutes the main object of life
Moreover, male beauty differs in essepti
rom female beauty, being, as it were. its -,
ar ahtithesis, so that in the admrer of
ulae beauty high degree of artistic abstrac-
,s",>Is, s,on - necessary to make him appreciate
RE,op1'Iy Tue excellencies of manly beauty.
foi 'uo nian, VINO sees the ideal of beauty in
woman ohiy, beauty is synonymous with
full freshness, and as he does not meet ,s;,h
these features in himself and in his sex. bnt
in their stead, in the best case. with strength
intelligence, firmness, it Is, indeed, very nat
ura for him to look for beauty in woman
only. But in this train of ideas the fact is
overlooked that woman thinks with female
brain. and that consequently her IDEAL of
beauty is essentially different from that of
man. The question whether to the female
sex the palm of victory, with regard to beauty
objectvely considered, is due, cannot be an
swered with & categorical 'yes" or mo-" no
more than the kindred question, whether man
is naturally womail's superior. Each has
what the other lacks, and the two sexes be-
ing intended to complete each other, each Is
imperfect without the other, and the ques-
tion OF superiority and iDferiority is entirely
out OF place; and the same must be said with
reference to male and female beauty; each is
what it should be; and while man admires
female beauty, woman Is equally determined
to award the palm to the other SEX Let us
hear, however, what poets and philosophers
have said on the subject:
AnacreOn, the TeOu poet, sings 'sWhile
beautiful nature has given to the bull, horns,
to the horse, hOOts, to the hare, swiftness, to
the lion, courage, to the bird, wings, to man,
wisdom, he has furnished to woman for de-
tense aud protection, beauty" OF this sem
timent we have merely to say that Anacreon
was poet, not a philosopher, and that he
was in love when he penned this beautiful
ode,
Philosophers disagree on this point and
have fatty c0ntradicted one another Viscber
unhesitatin2ly decides the question in favor
of man, saying, ''Woman is indistinct as to
body and mind, like piece of halterased
writing" According to others, female beau
ty approaches the Ideal of beauty more than
in all beauty, because no organ in woman is
unduly developed at the expense of the other
organs, whereby higher degree of physical
unity is realized.
Very graceful, but at the same time, rath-
er unsatisfactory, is W. Won Humboldt's an
swer leaving, as il does, the real point un-
touched, and seeking to please both parties.
He says: 'Like the ideal of human perfection
is that of human beauty, Distributed between
the two sexes i'll such a manner that of the
two principles which constitute beauty, one
prevails in one sex, the other in the other.
Male beauty is moIe satisfactory to the intel
lect. through the predominance OF the form
(fOrmOsitds), and the marked expression of
the features, while female beauty rather
charms the feeling through the filllness of its
material and the lovely gracefulness of its
features (renustas)."
Beauty is unquestonably the highest gift
which nature has given to woman for her ca
reer through life. 1.-The temporal happiness
of many maidens, 2says Sohappenhauer, ''has
been decided by a slight upward or down.
ward bent Of the chin, and that justly, since
this constitutes the type of the genus" The
ancients were with respect to this point more
truth loving and frank tnan the moderns.
Our Christian Germanc era is rather inclin-
ed to underrate bodily beauty in favor of
physical excellence. We pretend to make
little account of the "outward FORMS" aud
claim to comprehend love from higher stand
points But while it would certainly be fool
ish to lay undue stress on outward beauty, it
would be still more so, and even black ingrat-
itude to nature, to underrate a gift which
has, in all conditions of life, the force of let
ter of commendatiOn, and guarantees, as IL
were, goodness Of heart and nobility of mind.
The trite argument, that beauty is no merit,
applies with nearly equal force TO all qualities
| of intellect and character, as man is no more
the author of his brain than OF his external
| appearance. We must not forget to mention
that women more than men pretend to look
with pity on beauty. Madam Gerwarcy
| writes: ''Beauty is poor uncertain thing.
A woman that would like to rule long ought
not to build her empire upon this treaeher-
Gus basis" Similar passages are found in
the writings of English, German and other
French ladies, yet it must not be forgotten
that these writings had their origin in timts
when the experience of many women of rank
gave utterance to such sentiments.
But whether solid or not, this basis is ney-
ertheless, the principal, if not the only one
upon which woman can raise the superstruct-
ure of her power. Contradiction and reason
ing and philosopbizing are of no avail-the
law of nature is more potent than reason.
Woman also feels herself at no time happier
than when she works through her beauty.
Neither honor, nor glory. nor outward power
avails to indemnify her for the loss of this
highest of all enjoyments, and it is even
princess first object to please, and to know
that she pleases.-Courier Journal.