The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-11-27
S,Bfthing .IbOut the Fluctuations Of
Women Not Young.

The success Of the performance gwen
lately at the Theatre Ventadour, tos the
benefit of Miss Virginia Dejazet may be
source of consolation to persons of the
gentler sex, who dread the age when
their charms a.e lessening. Although
the beneficiary is seventy i've years of
age, the press and the public unanimous
ly acknowledged her unequalled talent
on that occasion, when she seemed as
fascinating and graceful as she was even
in the times of the illustrious French
songster, Beranger. Bat history Is full
of the accounts OF the fascInati0Ds of
women who were no longer young.
Thus, Helen of Troy was over forty
when she perpetrated the most famous
elopement on record and, as the siege
of Troy lasted a decade, sbe could not
have been very juvenile when the i'll for
tune of Paris restored her 10 her hus-
band, who is reported to have received
her with unquestioning love and graft
tude. Pericles welded the cOurtesan
Aspasia, when she was thirty.six, and
yet she afterwards, for thirty years or
more, welded an undiminlshed reputa-
ton for beauty. Cleopatra was past
thirty when Antony fell under her spell,
which never lesseDed uutil her death,
nearly ten years after; and Liyla was
thirty.three when she won the heart of
Augustus, over whom she maintained
her ascendancy, to the last Turning to
more modern history, where it is possible
to verify dates more accurately, We have
the extraordinary Diane de Poitiers,
who was thirty-six when Henry II. then
Duke of Orleans, md Just balf her age)
became attached TO her; and she was
held as the first lady and most beautiful
woman at court, up to the period of
the monarch's death ar1 of the acces
sion to power of Cathe.ine of Medics
Anne of Austria was thirty.eight when
she was described as the hand4omest
queen of Europe, and when Buckingham
and Rchelieu were her jealous admirers.
Ninon de lEnclos, the most celebrated
wit and beauty of her day, was the idol
of three generations of the golden youth
of France, and she was seventy.two
when the Able de Bernis fell in love
with her True it is that in the case OF
this lady, rare combination of culture,
talents and personal attractions endowed
their possessor seemingly with tho gifts
of eternal youth. Blanca Capello was
thirty ight when the Grand Duke Fran
cisco of Florence fell captive TO her
charms and made her hIs wife, though
he was five years her junior Louis
XIV. welded Nine. de Maintenon when
she was forty-three years of age Cath
crime II. OF Russia was thirty-three
when she seized the empire OF Russia
and captivated the dashing young Gen.
Orloff. Up to the time of her death,
lat sixty.seven), she seems TO have re-
tanned the same bewitching powers, for
the lamentations were heartfelt. among
all those who had ever known her per-
sonally Mile. Mars, the celebrated
French tragedienne, only attained the
zenith of her beauty and power between
, forty and forty five. At that period
the loveliness of her hands and arms es-
pecially were celebrated throughout Eu-
rope. The famous Nine. Recamier was
thirty.eight when Barras was ousted
from power, and she was, without dis,
pute, declared to be the most beautiful
woman in Europe, which rank she held
for fifteen years. Although this list
might be still further extended, our
readers-those interested especially-
will see from it that woman need not
/, lose her attractions though youth be
gone and above all, that il her mind be
cultivated, her talents real, aud her
heart kindly, she will retain q power of
never-failing fascination.