Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-08-28
ALL ABOUT THE BEAU.
How He Differs From Other Admir-
!. -. ers of the Fair Sex

DeauX, and perhaps 1Or her sake alu
fond OF the quaint, old fashioned word.
But let me say in the beginning that 1t
has distinct meaning of its own, and
should not be misappl'ed-
Hood saws:
Remember / remember,
When my little lovers came,
With n posy OF a cherry.
or some new invented game
Well, he does not mean lovers at all,
he means beauN.
One may have beau, a lover, an ad-
mIrer, an adorer or a comrade, but sell
dom may combine two OF these in one
individual. and never all five in any one
epoch of her Lie. For the beau is
special attribute OF girlhood, and sell
dom develops the exacting tenderness
of the lover, the blind delusions of the
admirer, the infatuation of the adorer
or the honest sympathy and helpful
ness of the comrade, who, however,
does often develop cameraderie into
neutrality-suspicious. after all the most
satisfying relationship between man and
woman.
WHAT Is A BEAU?
But the beaul The beaul What is
he? Who Is hel What is his origin.
habitat, sphere of action?
Let US describe him first by negatives.
He need not be young-in fact. IAN
old beau" is a well-kpowu character in
fiction, drama and real life.
He need not be handsome. although
he invariably thinks he is.
He need not be intellectual or learned
in fact, l never knew a beau who
was either, although 1 have known
some men of whom other men SAID:
'.He isn't half such fool as he looks. -
He need not be brave, for nobody
expects courage or leadership from
him. Nor heed he be business man,
for he is usually found spending the
money his father or somebody else has
accumulated for him. In fact, the
beau reduced to poverty and real work
is the most foTlorn OF objects, remind
ing one Of a performing canary bird or
an industrious flea, or poor, little
trained poodle, or any other helpless
o. harmless little animal coerced into
unnatural labor and foreign pursuits.
Not that l mean TO speak severely of
the beau. for | don't, in fact, l like him
and value him and should be really
sorry TO miss him out of the world.
but he has his limitations, poor dear.
like the rest Of us, and one hates to see
him pushed up 10 the wall that defines
those limits.
Moreouer, there is a positive as well
as a negative formula in the recipe for
a beau. lie must be good natuTed,
and always ready, If not with u smile
at least with a simper; he must be quick
at repaTt, c, even though mild one; he
must have a good memory and a cer-
tain adhesIveueSs Of touch which viii
enable him to pick up the floating gos-
Samer threads of society talk and carry
them 10 Just tue right quaI ter for Tepe-
tItiOn. He must never forget any
body's connections, relationships,
and eUmitles, and never 10y
any chance set upon anybOdy's toes or
any bOdy's remOtest fTills. He must
discover and keep the narrow path be-
tween harmless gossip and pcrious
scandal, and while always having
interesting 10 say never say
anything that could be repeated TO ms
own or anybody else's detTiment He
must be sentimental To the extent of
the fay0Iite flowers, col
OTIS and perfumes of the lady to whom
he is for the moment attentive, and
making graceful little offerings in har-
mony with those tastes. He must have
sufficient tact TO be always where lie is
and to skillfully efface him
self IN the presence of a lover or . fay-
ored admirer or adorer; for one OF the
OF the beau is that he has
his season, like the mushroom, and is
not at ali acceptable out OF il.
THE ADoRER AND THE BEAU.
But, even as some one Will sometimes
prefer salted, dried or
picked mushrooms to fresh and tender
vegetables, there will be intervals III
TO its very end-when one
turns from a grande passion, fl ION the
PEDESTAL whereOn ones adorer places
one, even from the solid satisfaction of
a comrades honest sympathy, and finds
"A whimsical pleasure in tie converse
ton, the compliments, the chit chat of
a b-au, and finds the same rest and re-
freshment in his society as in that of
the last fashionable novel or the light
est of society comedies.
We have spoken of the beau as an
adjunct of early girlhOOd, because it is
only an ingenue who can be long con-
tent In the society Of a beau or who eX-
poets anything serious of him or digni-
ties him into an ideal. Young girls
never classify the men who surround
them on their entrance into society;
they are all heroes of romance: they are
AT loNoAAlt AoNCAS anu AuSbdlAus. anu
the beau, being the most obvious and
the most deu onstTatiye figure in this
new world, IS often pitched upon by the
debutante as her ideal, ana She is some
times good deal disappointed in find
ing how wofully too small he is for the
giants robe" she fain would ut upon
his shoulders
Occasionally the girl is herself fe-
male beau, not a belle, for that is quite
another thing, but a tTifeT, butterfly,
an epaemeTOn-a personality answering
precisely to that of the beau. In such
a case the two become. not friends, for
20 lie a friend requires characteristics
neither Of them possess, but familiar
acquaintance, even comrades in a cer-
tain sense, and they spend great many
idle hours together IN Just the way one
sees = couple Of butterflies lowering and
dancing over = sunny pool or a bed of
mi nOnette, happy while the fine
weather last, teaten down and lost in
the first wind of alverslty.
Let the implore all my female friends
To be more precise in their classification
Of their male acquaintance, for il is
really a grief to hear tender. roman
tic. BrOwningesque adorer spoken of as
the beau OF her idol, or to have ones
solid, practical, congeni&l comrads
dubbed by so tTihing a name, or To in
suit the sweet illusions and lofty ideals
Of a pair Of lovers by calling Romeo the
beau OF Juliet