Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-19
ARE WOMEN VAIN9
MARION BARLAED's ANSWER TO AN
INTERESTING QUESTION
The Petttd, Beautiful YOung eirl-when
Woman's Vanity is 10
Her Btneht
lFor the Dispaicb-copyrishted. 1851

IL thn ne NiHItftu u III TWO llnCS, NO :
Then ! shall leave the reply, ready writ
ten, in an envelope, which you may open
when Won have hacked long enough at
the bVnlt10-Citd root 10 satisfy your
conscience"
With such a sigh Of rePretiul relief as
one gives after brushing away a butter
fly from the neighborhood Of his ink
stand, hear the swish Of a silken tea
gown, the click of French heels, pass
down the stairway; know that the
woman TO whom they belong has checked
her swift pace, for perhaps ten seconds,
before the great mirror in the paror IN
her passage to the library, where visitor
awaits her.
/ know, too. as well MS if it had gone
with her, what the broad sheet OF glass
throws back 20 the gazer The golden
HAIR is fluiled into a halo the blue eyes
are liquid and ustrous the peach-bow
tinting of the cheeks is toned down by
the contrasted rose of the lips. Should
she smile at her double. fash Of white
teeth will applaud sudden dimpes ; her
slim hands and shell-hke nails advertise
the manicure's skill as her gown is a
certificate OF merit to her dressmaker ;
she carries her head well. and her shout
ders back the curves OF bust and waist
are Natures, not Arts. She IS a good
ly thing to eye and ear. the daintiest or
nament of her own home, the JOY Of tins
IN which she is a guest.
Being obseryant. she cannot be ipno-
rant of her charms. and of their effect on
others. Being sensible, she rates them
as engines of power and means To
heighten and keep them as long as she
can. Every pretty girl is aware Of her
comelness. II she deny the knowledge
she argues herself mole or a simpleton.
A greater mystery than her conscious
ness of the lawful possession is the belief
that many plain-featured people have
in their personal attractions.
81 know that am not personally I'M
pleasing said usually sensible woman,
with modest candor and perfect sincerity.
Homeliness Is a real sorrow. / thank
Heaven every day for my exemption
from the affection.
looked at her with new appreciation
Of the beneiicent law of compensations
She is fifty. with a thick, sallOw skin,
bullying gray ewes, high chcek-bonos.
coarse features, prominent teeth, clumsy
hands and feet irremediably, even gro
tesquely, ugly. Yet she is not singular
i'll what We might estimate as iniatuailon
of self conceit Such women, gittless of
beauty save such as lies in the "op'ics
seeing" their reflections in mirrors
which ought to undeceive them, are not
unfrequently among the yainest. and, by
reason Of vanity, the most affected Of
their sex. They as,imilate hattcry in
unlimited supplies bolt egregious COM
pliments without wink.
Good looks ale an awful snare.
/ Specially TO such as haven't got them '
SAYS Mrs. Whitney's Emery ann
ThisisaperplexinG side Of ourquesti0n,
and consultation Of lexicon and lhesau-
rus draws the tangle tighter Roget,
invaluable in most verbal difficulties,
gives as synonyms, "Vanity, conceit,
sclf-conceit, self suticiency, seltishness, y
in a reckless style that sends rs baiiled
to "Webstors Unabridged. H.
"Yanity," he announces, sis conccit
of ones personal lttainments or dccora-
tons: pride. 70 be vain Is "Io be
proud OF petty things, Of things more
SNOWY than valuable; to be cOnccited. "
OF what, then, are our homely girl
and our elderly and pious fright vain
when returning thanks for their charms,
or signing. smirknoly with Lazy Betty
before truthful mirrors" Lord help the
men tonight - Certainly not of "pcr-
sonal attanmeDts, or Of "petty things
more snowy than valuable.
And saucy-swcet Papilia's naive de-
light in her lovely iace and tasteful at
tire having been synomymized as econ
ceit. we recall. on her behalf, the
Autocrat graceful defence of the tralt ::
at is to human character what salt is
to the ocean it keeps It sweet and rem
ders il cndurable. Say. rather, 1t Is Ike
the natural unguent Of the sea-iowIs
plumage. which enables him to shed
the rain that falls on him, and the wave
in which he dips. When one has had
al his conceit taken ont of him when
he has lost M his illusions, his feathers
will soon soak through and lie viii fly
no more.
We will diagnose our homely voman's
conceit Tor vanity) as " illusion. aud be
thankful that 1t saves her from wet
feathered misanthropy Papila's com
placeucy is best expressed by something
/ heard negro nanny say once. Her
four-vearOld nursing was pirOuettng
from end to end of the garden-walk,
like a winged thistle-seed, tossing her
arms aud laughing to herself, uncon-
scious of our observation, happy il the
sunshine. the fresh air, the flowers, her
new white frock-in all that brings per
feet Joy to childhood.
" She Jess so glad O ShcscT :" said
nanny, fondly.
Papihas gladness in herself as she is,
does not outun the admiration OF her
friends and lovers. Itmakes her neither
capricious, selfish, nor eXacting. Having
been told all her lie that she is pretty
and "a darling, she does not doubt that
the fact makes others happy as 1t does
her. People like to look at beautiful
things. She is beautiful. Ergo-the
veriest tyro in logic can make the de-
duction, aud Papilia is no tyro.
We have taken her as one type Of the
vain woman; our pious, elderly, and
bomely coquette as another. Between
the two stand the great majority OF The
Sex. each one Of whom is, or Will be,
some day, pretty to somebody, and all
of whom mean to be as handsome as they
can. Not to do this would be to unSeX
themselves If this be vanity, the ques-
ton at the head OF our paper Is an
swered.
1t Is part of the business Of woman's
life to make her corner OF the world fair
10 look upon, and, the work done to the
best of her ability, she would be I'M
happy If she could not see that 1t IS
good" Accepting the word as ana
lived by photographers, She is, there
fore. vain. Taking vanityand concelt as
INTERCHANGEABLE terms, neither Is, accord
inc TO Dr. Holmes, ignOble or objection
able unless excessive. An older authority
than Thesaurus, lexicon. or the autocrat
SITS us vet nearer the truth. That pol
shed man OF the world and astute law
yer. the Apostle to the Genules, cautions
ms CORRESPONDENTS "not 10 think more
highly of themselves than they ought 10
thmk." but so TO think AS to think So
- M Fnooup4rallp Classic has