The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-06-15
Beauty Rules.

From ''Lady Beauty in London Society.l
"Rule One "A woman's power in the world
is measured by her power to please. Whatever
she may wish to accomplish she will best man
age it by pleasing. A woman's grand social
aim should be to please
And let me tell you how that is to be done,
Sophia said, putting her paper down for mo-
ment. ga woman can please the eye by her
appearance, her dress, her face and her figure.
She can please the ear by studying the art OF
graceful elocution, not hard to any OF us, for
by nature we speak with finer articulation than
you. She can please the mind by cultivating
her own-so far, at least, as to make good lis
tener; and as much further as she will she can
please the fancy by ladies' wit of which all of
us have share. She can please the heart by
amiability. See here" she continued, growing
grayer, "You have the key to my system.
Beauty of person is only one feature OF true
beauty. Run over these qualities. See how
small part personal beauty or the freshness
of youth plays here. I want YOU to observe
this for my ant wouIu consist not in making
women attract who are openly pretty and
Young, but in showing them that youth and
prettiness, though articles of beauty, are neith-
or the only nor the indispensable articles.
Rule Two.-Modesty is the ground on which
all woman's charms appear to the best advan-
tage. In manners, dress, conversation, remem-
Der always that modesty must never be forgot
ten"
Hardly likely to be- murmured. SIS it?'
Understand me- answered Sophia briskly.
81 mean modesty IN very EXTENDED sense.
There is nowadays tendency in women to re-
bel against old-fashioped modesty. The doc
trine of Liberty is spreading among US, for
which / thank God,' Sophia said (she was the
oldest little mixture of Tory and Wing aud
Radical ever compounded on this eccentric
earth.) "But the first effects of that doctrine
on our minds are little confusing. We are
growing moro independent and more individu-
al. Some of US fancy that to be modest Is to
be old-fashioned, and of course we want the
newest fashion in all things. / maintain"
Sophia said, growing little warm, as if she
fancied might argue back-'I maintain that
modest woman is tho reply of my sex to
brave man-you can no more have true VIC
man without modesty than true man without
courage. But remember, use the word mod
esty in high senee."
'@Just what was going to ask, said.
'Not prndery," she added. "Prudery is to
modesty what brag is to bravery. Prudery is
on the surface; modesty is in the soul. Rosa
lind in her boys suit is delightfully."- modest,
but not" Sophia said with twinkle OF her
eye-"not very prudish, is she?"
L assented, and thus made way for
"Rule Three.-Always dress up to your age
or a little beyond it. Let your person be the
youngest thing about you, not the Oldest.
Rule Four.-Remember that what women
admire in themselves is seldom what men ad-
mire in them.
In nine drawing-rooms out of ten," Sophia
said, seeing me give look of inquiry as she
read this article, miranda or Cordelia, as nov
ell heroines would be voted bores. Women
would say, I'VE utterly decline to accept these
watery girls as typical of us; we want smart
ness and life.' / don't really care much for
Miranda or Cordelia myself. Now this seems
to me to caution us against trusting too 1mpllc-
lilly or too far our WI notions about ourselves.
Another source of misunderstanding comes
from the novel-writers. We are the novel
readers, and the novelist is forced to write her
Dimes to suit our taste. He does not want to
offend us. thus it comes about that even the
male novelist is too often only depicting wo-
mems women after all. And believe scores
of modern girls are seriously misled for this
very reason. They believe they are finding
out what men think of them, when in truth
they are reading their own notions handed
back to them under pretty disguise.
Rule Fiye.--Womens beauties are seldom
mems befuties.
Which," she remarked, sis another form of
what said just now, only here speak OF per-
sonal beauty. My observation is, that II ten
men and ten women were to go into the same
company, and each sex choose the prettlest
woman there. as they thought you would rare
ly find that they chose the same. If this be so,
we ought not to trust ourselves even rs TO our
faces without considering that the sex we are
to please must settle the question, and will set
tie the question in its own way.
Rule Six.-Gayety tempered by seriousness
is the happiest manner in society.
By which / mean" Sophia said looking at
me with knitted brows, as if she were about to
explain some matter not altogether clear to her.
6elf, ''that in all oar gayety there ought to be
hint of self-recollection. Do you understand
me?"
mot quite,' said.
"This / know certainly" she replied; "the
most agreeable women I have met with-and
[ think the most regarded-have been women
of rank who have been trained with a due re-
gard for religion. Their worldly education
had made them mindful of grace and llveli-
ness; their religious education kept these quail
tiles under particular sort of control, which
is perceptibly different from mere good breed
ing. 1t seems to me that vivacity and spright-
illness are greatly enhanced by a vein of seri-
BUSINESS Certainly 70 woman ought to be
mocker
Next" she continued seeing L did not speak,
"cOmes-
Rule Seven-Always speak low.
wonder why put that down. 1t is so OBJ
vious. In support of it need only quote your
Shakespeare, who calls 1t an excellent thing
in woman
Rule Eight.-A plain woman can never be
pretty She can always be fascinating If She
takes pains.
this, to me, rather questionable assertion, "a
man who was great admirer of our sex tell
ing me that one of the most fascinating women
he had ever known was not only not pretty,
but as to her face decidedly plain-ugly, only
the word is rude. / asked my friend, How
then, did she fascinate? l well remember his
reply Her figure said he, was neat, her
dressing was faultless, her every movement
was graceful her conversation was clever and
animated, and she always tried to please. 1t
was not alone who called her fascinating;
she was one eff the most acceptable women in
society ever l knew. She married brilliantly,
and her husband, a barrisier in large practice
was devoted to her-inore than if she had been
the queen of Beauties
Now here Sophia continued, resuming her
own discourse-"here was woman who, ex-
cepting fairly neat figure, had not single
natural gift of appearance. LIS not this worth
our thinking about-those of us women who
care to please and are not beauties born?
Rule Nine-Eyery year woman lives the
more pains she should take with her dress.
The dress Of US elderly dames," Sophia said,
laughing, fought to be more of science than
it is. How often one hears woman of fifty
say, 20, my dressing days are pastP When,"
adds Sophia. "if she thought about it, they
have only we'll begun. AT least the time has
come when dress is more to her than ever.
Remember, from forty to sixty-hve is quarter
of century-the third of along life. 1t is
period through Whlcn tne majority OF grown
up people pass. And yet how little pains
women take-how little thought beforehand
to be charming then!
And now," she went on, seeing did not
speak, "here comes my last rule-as yet:
-:ule TENN all things let a woman ask
what will please the men of sense before she
asks what will please the men of fashion.
by no means intend" she added, "that a
woman is not to have regard to the opinion of
men of fashion, only she should not give it the
first place. She will carry the men of fashion
sooner by methods that please the men of sense
than men of sense by methods that please men
of fashion. And besides, listen to the men of
fashion. They always praise woman for
things which begin to perish at twenty-five.
Even the old men of seventy will talk OF a
fine gi-l-deucedly fine fgurep" Il wish
could give an idea of Sophia's slightly wicked
mimicry at this psssage). "And they will call
a woman rather on the decline, when, If she Is
on the decline, where and what are they?
You see if woman lives for the commenda-
ton of men of fashion, she will, if pretty, pi-
quaint, or what not, have reign of ten years.
But if she remembers that she has charms OF
mind aid character end taste, as well as
charms of figure aud complexion, the men OF
sense will follow her for half a century; and
In the long run the men of fashion will be led
by the men of sense.