The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-21

Handsome women.
Said lady not long since: az would
give up everything have II only pos
sessed physical beauty" And the cry,
for it was, came from the genuine impulse
Of the heart. 1t was caused by retro
spective survey OF disappointed life. The
woman is not handsome, sheis not mar.
ried, and she has passed that time in life
which demarks young women from cold
maids" But she has as much culture, as
much refinement, intellectual companion.
ability, and tender womanliness as any
one you will meet She Is Independent,
financially, having an honorable business
OF her own building-which Is more than
half the men in life can say for them
selves you would suppose that, ex-
Cepting husband, she had all that is
necessary 10 make life at least happy. But
she has failed to attract men; she has not
attained what is the legitimate aspiration
OF every heart, masculine or feminine, and
she would exchange all that she has in
life for that which she thinks would rem.
der her attractive 10 the opposite sex; not
SO much, perhaps, for the sake OF marriage
as for the sake OF their attention and COM
partnership.
There is q good deaf OF justice in her
deduction, but 1t is not wholly sound.
Handsome women do have many advan.
tages in life over homely ones, but not so
many US she thinks, and there is In the
actual facts much consolation for homely
women.
Beautiful women, pretty women, women
whose faces are SO modest that it is a
pleasure 10 look at them, have the advan-
tage in the beginning OF an acquaintance,
and they have the constant advantage in
large social gatherings, like a ball, in that
their faces attract notice. 1t Is o magniti.
cent thing 10 be beautiful, and women
themselves are probably as susceptible Of
the charms OF female beauty as men are.
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe somewhere
lets ont the secret that many homely
girl mas laid her head on the pillow at
night and cried herself to sleep because
she was not pretty. And there is genuine
cause for regret that there Is not some bet
ter means OF compensation.
A beautiful woman almost always has a
crowd OF gentlemen towering about her in
social gatherings, soliciting her smiles.
Strangers eagerly seek to be presented to
her. Her acquaintances are proud OF her,
and proud TO be counted as her friends.
There Is that inexplicable charm OF sym.
metry which dazzles and drawsat the first
glance, always acting TO increase her re-
tinue OF admirers. The strong feature OF
it is that it Is apparent to the glance, and
acts from the first moment OF sight;
whereas time is required to discover the
possibly superior mental and other cndow.
ments Of her palmer sister.
But, after all, the advantage Is only tenn
porary. 1t is like the college diploma
handed to boy, useful TO give him a start
in life, but entirely useless, in the absence
of his own ability, 10 keep him going;
Probably no pangs are so keen as those OF
a beautiful woman, destitute Of other at
tractive qualities, at seeing her gentleman
friends forever briet in their acquaintance,
slipping but week or month the honey
Of her looks, and then quietly leaving her.
'sThey become tired OF me so easily" one
said not long since. or coune we do.
The tendency Of the ago is for mental as
well as physical companionship in men
and women, and handsome women so sci.
dom possesses the former. They commit
the fatal error OF surprising that their
beauty and their figure are tc
accomplish for them that tremu.
Ilous task OF securing friends, and
possibly a husband; and they find
when late that men OF this age have other
needs from wife than purely domestic
ones, The husband must have person
who Is capable OF understanding him, as
well as being herself understood; who car
at least sympathize with his aspirations i
she can not share them; and who has in
tellect enough TO appreciate what he has
even il she have no desire TO equal 1t
Especially Is this last neediul to mar
whose tastes aud aspirations are at all in
tellectual. The wife OF such man mus
, be sufficiently a Judge OF intelligence t
know that II her husband does not affair
financial success in life he has at least de
. served It, and is fully worthy OF respec
:: from her. Forif, in addition to the Sigh
! OF the world, there come the unsympa
thetic GOODNESS and contempt OF his owl
: home, into what pit will he have fallen
Its trite but thorough maxim
: "Beauty is but skin deep" That is
strange mental change which comes owe
a man when he realizes 1t. Beauty ha
been to him, probably, the all.in;all, an,
he has cared for no feminine characte
which did not possess 1t. But after he ha
. sstiated and cloyed his taste with beaut
? which had nothing else, and found tina
!, while dessert Is all very well, twill nc
!, do for q steady diet, he recoils on himse
: and performs sort Of mental SUMMED
: sault. Life Is serious business, an
there is good deal of 1t, and when
comes to the crisis Of taking a wife, th
, average man will not allow beauty uni
!. dorned with mind, TO weigh too much,
; Ono trouble with social life In thI
, vicinity is the lake winds and the climat
h generally. They ruin complexions, an
!, make physical beauty SO scarce that 1t i,
in high demand. II does not feel u
necessity OF adding any other accomplish
& ment; and this is perhaps the reason VIII
i. so few handsome women have any otht
. distinctive positive qualification. A HI
!" healthy competition would be agood thir
for society,-Chicdgo e..
A...,..,., tnsl aud Na1 raOnFtar