Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-10-09
Flirting.

The tlirt is known by unmistakable
| signs TO any one of the smallest perceD-
| ton. All are familiar with the nnmer-
| olS varieties of the species. We need
only mention a few, and very few words
! will suffice to indicate the neculiaritias Of
each There is the noisy, boisterous ssfast
girl, whose flirting is but one of her
characteristics, along with her extrava-
CANT dress. slang speeches and general
uncOnYentionGlity of demeanor and dis
regard of appearances. There is the COM
mon vulgar hirt, who has neither intel
lect nor education sufficient to qualify her
even for the exercise of the very low art
which size processes. This style we are
chiefly familiar within the person of the
maid-Of-an-work in her intercourse with
the millIman or the policeman. But girls
of better class often remind us of her,
their flirting merely consisting of pert,
Saucy speeches and tOSses of the head.
Then there is the sly, quiet fiirt, less OBJ
jectionable to society in general, though
perhaps more dangerous and designing
than the open holden. Among this class
may be found the Becky Sharps and
Blanche AmOFys who, since the advent
of ThaCkeFay's novels, have come to be
regarded as the types of artful woman
kind. These are fond OF hooks and cor
ners; their batteries are little soft fat
tering speeches, demure Glances and an
innocence; and their victims are gener-
ally young unwary lads or easily gulled
old gentlemen. There is the practical
designing fiirt, who sets herself deliber-
ately and with malice prepense to entrap a
husband, or at least an admirer, with the
variety-chiefiy found, happily, in SEN
satiOnal nOVels-of the gill who has an
additional zest lent to h8r game if she
can interfere with the claims of other
women, either wives or sweethearts.
Some would, perhaps, include the uacon-
sct0uS tiirt, if such thing can be; that
is, the girl who is naturally gay, and has
little winning, cOaXing ways, which, il
aided by pretty person, make her spe-
cialIy attractive, if not dangerous.
Having said so much regarding the CO.
quette, it WOuld be unfair to conclude
without passing condemnation uDon the
male hirt or I" cOquet.'' A most Objec-
tiOnable being; but one, to do men ius-
tice, seldom met with, at least i'm its worst
fOrm--thaG is, the lady-killer. We do not
at all mean the ladies' man." There
are very few girls, even of the sedate
type, who do not like man who tries to
make himself agreeable to ladies, even to
the extent of soft speeches and harmless
gaIlantries. Indeed, man who is not
fond of ladies' society is generally fond
Of much worse things. And that which
would be flirting in woman is not fIirt-
1 ing III a man, or even meant for it, for
some license must be allowed to the sex
| which ought to take the ''initiative, g -
| But there is a degraded type of man who
| goes much further, and often has the
breaking of hearts to atone for; one who
does so with his eyes open, and knowing
! well the consequences of his procedure
| There are men who set themselves to the
task of winning hearts for the pleasure
Of the game, and who will go to great
| pains and artifices to do so. They gen
orally exercise their art on young unso-
| phisticated- girls-where they can find
! such-as more fresh and interesting, and
| easier to deceive than those who are an
fqit in the practices OF coquetry them
| selves. These are the g handsome men, .
who, by means of a flattering tongue,
can easily, in a few pointed speeches.
| just keeping clear of an actual declara-
| tiOn-make simple girl think herself
the chosen and beloved one. If he mean
nothing serious, what can be more un-
manly, more ungenerous, than such a
course of conduct on mans part? The
male jill can be called to account for his
actions; but the mere flirt, the lady
! killer" plays his heartless game in secret,
! quite unsuspected-if he be very artful
| and Wary-even by the girls family; his
| deiinquencies may be known only to the
sufferer herself, who, of course, can moi
@ make her moan,'' even if she would dc
so, as he has given her no hold over him.
He has had his little amusement: and
/ when he tires he leaves his victim to seel
anOEbpr.