The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-23
IDEAL MEN.

A treatise upon ideals, in two parts-name-
ly, l, Mans ideal woman; and 2, Womsn's
ideal man could hardly fail to contain much
matter not only instructive to the philosopher,
but also in the last degree useful to persons
intending to marry and we strongly recon-
mend the idea to the notice of any young as
piring author in search of a subject Part
two will of course be the one most interesting
to the male reader; and what vista, when we
come to reflect upon it, does it not open out
There is often an attractive ndiUete
about lady novelists which enables Us to see
more deeply into their views on these subjects
than is possible with their male compeers,
who are too apt in their character
sketches to allow their imaginations to be
hampered by impertinent considerations of
naturslness and reality. From the lady novel
ist, therefore, there is much to be cleaned on
the subject Of ideals The true specimen Of
idealism, however, is scarcely to be met with
among the lady novelist Of our own day. We
find the ideal man in his perfection in such
novels as Miss Burneys and her imitators,
for Miss Burney had crowds of imitators, who
have since been consigned to complete and
happy oblivion. Such ideals as these may
we'll put man Of any modesty to the blush.
Can it be possible that these sweet, unsophls-
ticated souls ever expect to find such walking
catalogues of virtue among us? The thought
seems too overwhelming till we observe that
the ideals of these days were always noblemen.
We have ground for hoping that even then no
commoner could have been found to conform
to such standard.
We may trust therefore, that when these
delightful authoresses got married the. awak-
ening was not so complete, nor the dlsap-
pointment so bitter as might have been sup
which we may call the romantic, or romantic
chivalrous, ideal, seems to be quite dead
among us now. Nothing, SO far as we can
Judge, could be more completely out of fash
ion. This is, however, by no means saying
that he may not suddenly tnrn up again, if
not in the same, in very slightly altered
form. For not only does our study OF Ideals
show us that these airy creations have their
changes and fashions just as much as coats or
bonnets have-indeed is it not this very fact
which lends such Importance to the study we
are recommending but we also find that
the ideal man changes from age to age with a
rapidly and sbrubtness in no way inferior to
the changes in ladies' costumes.
Now in mems costumes we know that there
is q certain traceable order Of modification.
The evolution of the hat has been treated OF
BY philosophers; but who has ever dared to
predict or in any way account for the fashion
Of the next years bonnets? All we do kno W
is that we shall be surprised. II very small
bonnets are the fashion one year, we may
safely swear that very big Eats will take their
place the next; but to say whether these will
be vast in height or length or breadth deties
augury. 1t is just SO with the ideal man.
Who could have foreseen that when the TO
mantle type began to get tedious, Jane Eyre
would have arisen with her inimitable, though
IN IF
nance, before or since, has had such time
Of it as this great picture Of idealized brutali-
ty, or has been honored by one 1.-THE of the
number of imitators.
His popularity supports Thackeray's theory,
that women always adore the husbands who
beat them; q doctrine, however, which. IN
view of the expected legislation touching
otfenses against the person, it were better per-
haps not to promulgate 100 widely. He is
still alive and hourishing among US, this IRON
jswed hero. Only the other day we met with
q gentleman "devouring his meal in COM
plete silence" and only taking notice of those
about him to "sternly motion away the mus.
tard- pot"- mustard, we suppose, not
being to his liking. There is no installing
real greatness. 1t will out. Whether he be
quelllng untamed bloodhounds by glance,
or only quelling offending mustard-pots, the
true hero stands confessed. In revenge for
the iron-iawed style of hero, however, we
have the utterly blase and eff inmate hero,
who seems to be rather favorite just at pres
ent; and heaven only knows what new types
our la y novelists may have in store for Us.
1t must be admitted that these violent
changes of fashion in the case of the ideal
man are little difficult to account for. 1t
does not seem clear to the eye of reason why
all the lady novelists of one generation should
have fancy for uniting themselves with the
high-fown, the accomplished, the, in fact,
elegant nobleman who has all those polished
virtues which we know are never found in
perfection but under coronet, and why all
the ladies of the next generation should be
seized with an unaccountable passion for the
man with iron jaw and iron muscles, who
seems ready to knock down the heroine at a
moments notice, and, indeed, commits
toward her every sort of brutality short OF
personal violence. The reason of this, we
say, is not plain to the philosopher, but the
fact itself can not be too strongly impressed
on the minds OF the ingenious of the period.
It should provoke them to q much more
careful and serious study Of women's ideals
than they give at present. And the duty If
more imperative nowadays because We have
forms the ideas of all the young ladies of the
Byronic days, for instance, the days of Lady
Bessington, the days of the Books Of
Beauty ideal man was not difficult to
arrive at. He required almost no making-up
loose collar, long hair, bend of the shout
ders, and the thing was done. But now it is
more difficult matter. The young aspiran!
has a good many ideals to choose from, and
he can scarcely hope without careful study te
hit upon the right one. Saturday Reuie,o.
PRoTEsTANTIsM IN RoME.-The elegant edi
fee of the American Episcopal Church now
building in Rome, which will be ready fol
conservation by the 25th Of March, is re-
markably beautiful church, even in that city
of churches. 1t is built (says correspondent
in the Italian Gothic style, and will have {
chime of twenty three bells, whose tones viii
summon to Protestant worship in the hear
of the Utmost stronghold and abiding
place of Catholicism, and in sight of The
Vatican. There is q new church edifce nearly
completed, with money furnished by the
Methodist denomination in the United States