The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-09-30

7
! of youth plays here want you to observe
Ghis; for my art would consist not in making
women attractive who are openly pretty and
young, but in showing them that youth and
prettiness, though articles Of beauty, are
! neither the only nor the indispensable artl-
clesn
"In that case" l remarked, "you will
hardly illustrate your system in person."
To this she vouchsafed a smile and mock
courtesy, and read:
"Rule TUo. .-Modesty is the ground on
| which all a womans charms appear to the
| best advantage In manners, dress, CONVEX
sation, remember always that modesty must
never be forgotten.
"Hardly likely to be-" Imurmured. "Is itl"
Understand me, answered Sophia briskly,
@I mean modesty in very extended sense.
There is nowadays a tendency in women to
rebel against old-fashioned modesty. The
doctrine of liberty is spreading among us, for
which I thank God" Sophia said Cshe was the
oldest little mixture of Tory and Wing and
Radical ever compounded on this eccentric
earthy "But the first effects Of that doctrine
on our minds are little confusing We are
growing more independent and more individ-
w ANNNNNSb
be old-fashioned, and, of course, we want the
| newest fashions in all things. maintain"
Sophia said, growing a little warm, as if she
fancied might argue back-I maintain that
modest woman is the reply Of my sex to
brave man-you can no more have true
woman without modesty than true man
without courage. But remember, use the
! word modesty in high sense"
,InA 7 fO aclr n uafd
"Not prudery," she added. "Prudery Is
to modesty what brag is 10 bravery. Pru-
derry is on the surface modesty is in the
soul. Rosalind in her boys suit is delight
fully modest, but not" Sophia said with a
sheYn
assented, and thus made way for
"Rule Three.-So the womans aim is to
please, and modesty is the first principle in
the art Of pleasing.
"Have you anything to say to thatln she
demanded.
"Not a syllable, replied. 81 play dis
ciple this morning"
every well," she rejoined. eve come,
then, to
"Rule Four.-Always dress up to your
age or little beyond it. Let your person
be the youngest thing about you, not the
Oldest
"a very important lesson for women of
forty" Sophia remarked, speaking with a
seriousness which amused me. The at
tempt to dress for young almost invariably
leads to a reaction in the spectators mind,
and the traces of years become more pal
pable and more significant. But slight and
graceful assumption of years in ones dress
has an effect directly opposite. May this
rule pass?"
l bowed, and she went on:
"Rule FiUe. Ue.-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 a look of inquiry as she
read this article, Miranda or Cordelia, as
novel heroines, would devoted bores. Women
would say: I'VE utterly decline to accept
these watery girls as typical of us; we want
smartness and life I don't really care much
for Miranda or Cordelia myself. Now, this
seems to me 10 caution us against trusting
too implicitly or too far our own notions
about ourselves Another source Of misun-
derstanding comes from the novel writers.
We are the novel readers, and the novelist is
forced to write heroines 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 women's women, after all.
And l 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
a pretty disguise"
"Like the cheap wine," ventured to OBJ
serve "made in England, exported to a
foreign country to be blessed, and then re-
turned as fine old sherry-highly finished
wine"
Sophia laughed with me at this, and read
on:
"Rule Sir-Womens beauties are seldom
mems beauties.
(which" she remarked, 'is another form
of what 1 said just now, only here 1 speak of
personal beauty. My observation is that if
ten men and ten women were to go into the
same company, and each sex choose the pref
test woman there, as they thought, you
would rarely find that they chose the same
If this be so, we ought not to trust ourselves
even as to our faces without considering that
the sex we are to please must in the end set
tie the question, and will settle the question
in its own way.
"Rule Seren.-Gayety tempered by serious.
ness 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 herself, "that in all our gayety there ought |
to be hint Of self-recollection. Do you un-
derstand me ?"
"Not quite" said.
"This know certainly" she replied; 'the
most agreeable women have met with-and |
think the most regarded-have been women |
Of rank, who have been trained with due |
regard for religion. Their worldly educa- |
tion had made them mindful Of grace and |
their religious education kept these
qualities under a particular sort of control, |
which is perceptibly different from mere
good breeding. 1t seems to me that vivacity |
and sprightliness are greatly enhanced by |
vein Of seriousness. Certainly no woman |
ought to be a mocker.
"Next," she continued, seeing I did not |
speak, Comes
"Rule Ei0ht-Always speak low.
II wonder why put that down. 1t is so
obvious. In support of it need only quote |
your Shakespeare, who calls it 'an excellent |
thing in woman"
"Rule Nine.-A plain woman can never be |
pretty. She can always be fascinating if she |
takes palms.
II well remember" Sophia said, after |
reading this to me rather questionable asser-
tion, "a man who was a great admirer of our |
sex telling me that one of the most fascinat- |
ing woman he had ever known was not only |
not pretty, but as to her face decidedly plain |
-nplv only the word IL rrlda asked my