Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-21
Intellectual Women.

other sex. But il is not true. lie Is
not wholly governed by the senses in
any of the relations of life. Even the
average man has noble instincts, mental
tastes and desires, and is often drawn
to women with more understanding and
| enlightenment than he owns himself
He likes them when intellectual better
than he knows, for he frequently fails to
penetrate the special source OF their
Willingness.
While many an intellectual or scholar
| w women is tedious, ungraceful, I'M
| loyable, il is apt to be because she lacks
/ other qualities of an inviting kind. She
/ is not in herself too intellectual or
/ scholarly, but her intellect or scholar
ship is wholly disproportioned to her
/ amiability, tact, sympathy, refinement,
| viyacity, or some other charm OF her sex.
| Such woman is apt to be unbalanced,
TO make constant display of her mental
| gifts and requirements, and to become
/ unpleasant on this account. ANY man
/ OF that order would be prosy and weari-
some Likewise, so that II IS want oil
harmOny and discipline, not the pres
/ ence OF intellect, which, with such COM
/ binations, constitutes uninterestingness.
/ The intellectual woman that most OF US
/ hold in our imagination is OF the stamp
/ named. She talks eruditely OF triiles;
| her erudition is out of place; she is
| ponderous; she is careless and without
| taste in dress; she needs softness,
affection, iemineity. She appears to be
/ OF the nuter gender, she excites antagon-
/ ism, and is usually voted bore.
That is a type of the past, il such in
| tellectual women ever existed, anu 1t
has come down to us with numberless
ironical illustrations. 1t is the blue
stocking of another era, with inky fin
gers, hair disheveled, awkward gait,
/ harsh voice, repellant manner. The
/ blue-stocking OF to-day is a silken one,
! and il often covers handsome ankle.
\ The intellectual woman OF the latter half
/ OF this century has little resemblance to
\ the semi.fanciful being OF bygone age.
She is not shut up with musty books
from morning TO night; she does not
look at life through blue glasses; she Is
not a marvel Of uncouthness. She is
/ known and enjoyed in society; the At
| mosphere Of the drawing-room is con-
genial TO her; she has too much mind to
attempt its exhibition. Her under
standing has ripened; her nature is
mellow; good sense and delicate instinct
are her portion. She is so soundly in
tellectualt that her intimates seldom think
OF her as specially intellectual. They
see and feel the result OF her inteilec',
and are vividly conscious OF its charm.
IL shows in her judgment, her taste,
her opinions, her courtesy, in the aroma
Of her presence and influence.
The intellectual woman, as she IS now,
does not depend on youth and freshness
for her high acceptance. She keeps her
admirers when there are lines IN her
face and silver in her hair. They who
deem it privilege to be her friends hard
ly remember she is no longer young, and
il they do, cannot be pursuaded that
she was ever loveler than in her
noble maturity. She draws dull, ordinary
men, not less than bright, remarkable
men; but neither class considers IN
tellect the secret of her magnetism. In
tellect is her animatins principle; IT IN
forms her life, shapes her purposes, con-
trolls her impulses, adjusts her to sur
roundings. Intellect often hardens man
by suppressing his emotions, by train
ing him to feel through his mind, by
steadily chilling his blood. II acts dit
Ierently on the majority OF women, and
acts in their behalf by increasing their
spiritual strength and insight, AMI round
ing their character. The most observ-
ing of US seldom suspect, even in our
daily intercourse with them, how many
delightful women OF our acquaintance
owe their delightfulness both directly
and Indirectly to their intellect.
woman's intellect is great preserver
OF attractiveness. and an augmenter oil
il, too. Physical beauty has always been
g.orified in woman; but there IS doubt
II il is so alluring, even while II lasts, as
intellect. 1t may inspire passion; 1t
NAV intoxicate; il may madden; yet 1t
reacts, ana is liable TO pail, and the pail
of beauty is permanent and distressing.
Intellect, on the other hand, tends 10
sweeten, purify, to expand, elevate; 1t is
not a fire, but il may restain fire and
direct il to fine and ample use. Ii Is so
wholesome and corrective OF weakness,
yaywardness, all manner Of folly, in
deed, that il is capable OF working reyolu-
tons in every nature. Many a woman
exemplifies this. In youth her intel
lect may not be developed, but at
maturity il is dominant enough to give
new tone and temper h her entire being,
TO lend her a serenity, an equipoise, an
sgreeableness that had not before been
visible. The la:e-linger:ng charm OF
certain women is frequently wondered
at and seldom explained. Ii is ascribed
TO tact, insight, amiability, social ex-
perience; it may be due to something
Of each or all of these; but these are due
to intellect.
Much OF the old prejudice against IN
tellectnal woman remains, because the
average man continues 10 regard them
as inseparable from bookish dowdiessnd
pedsn,ic cyclists, from tumbled hair,
solid cuts, and personal intelligence.
lie has not learned thst intellect no
longer expresses itself-if, in truth, 1t
ever did-in such form and fashion. tie
may have an intellectual wife and be
ignorant OF the fact, since she fails to
discuss Greek roofs and comic sections,
and since she fully appreciates the adj
vantage OF clothes. His romantic de-
votion to her is proverbial; nc rejoices
In the coz sciousness that he loves her,
otter years after marriage, more than
he loved her on their wedding day. He
never imagines that he is under the pei
maStRt spell OF her intellect, and there
are thousands of men OF his nebulous
intelligence. The woman who knows
how to use her intellect has guarantee
Tor the final loyalty OF lover or husband.
tie may swerve or wander, but she can
be patient and undis.urbed; the forces
| OF her mind, working at distance, will
| in due time bring the truant, contrite
| and chagrined, 60 her ever-welcome
| arms.
The intellectual woman, properly
/ balanced, is, in all the relations of life,
| the best and longest loved, and is always
| most genial and attractive. He who de-
clares that he detest intellectual women