Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-01-18
WHAT DO WOMEN LIKE BEsTa

A weIl-known conversationalist and
man of the world, who prided himself
upon his accurate knowledge Of the
| fair sex, was once asked whaS he con-
sidered the average woman best loved
to do. He replied, ITO influence
man." He was probably not far wrong
Women have an inborn love OF infu-
epcing others, as they have an Unborn
love often of pretty children, OF pet
dogs, and of good-natured husbands.
They delight in reclaiminR the sup
posed irreclaimable, in painting the
black sheep white, IN Transforming the
doubtful sinner into the nndoubted
saint. Men, as a race, have by no
means the same Worship for influence.
They are much more content to leave
things as they find them than are wo-
men. The average woman's intense
love of influence shows itself in thou
sand ways. She delights in influencing
even a thing without life such, for in
stance, as a room. She comes to stay
in hotel, occupies an apartment that
is lost to all the proprieties, that is
hard as to chimney piece, cold as to
walls, offensive in carpets, immodest in
oleopraphs, an utter rascal Of a room.
What does she do? Why, she infiu-
ences that room with photographs,
leads il to better things with rugs and
chairbacks, breaks down its harshness
of aspect with overs, makes it posi-
lively attractive with books and nick
nacks. A man could have furnished IL
with his favorite pipe and been amply
satisfied. Nearly all good women pos
sess this passion for influence, and so
do many bad ones, but men as q gen.
eral rule are inclined to be unconscious
of, or to ignore, the fact. They feel it.
bnt they do not know it. A bad man
who marries a good woman is very
much more likely to become good than
to make his wife bad, for the influence
exercised by women is far more subtle
than the influence exercised by men,
and in subtlety lies its strength. For
even the weakest people are apt to OBJ
ject to being influenced. It strikes
them as mira dig, as humiliating, as
slightly lowering, and when they know
what is happening they struggle-they
kick feebly against the pricks. Women
seem instinctively to be aware of this,
and hence their subtlety. What
people like best, they are, of
course, always striving after, and
certainly if we look around we cannot |
remain unaware of the passion for
influence possessed by nearly all wo- |
men. Sometimes this passion brings |
its curse aud punishment with it. |
Nothing can be more painful than to |
see an exhibition of desire without any
power to back 1t up. The weak wo-
man who strives weakly to impress her
personality upon one stronger than
herself provides unconsciously the
material of a tragedy at which it is
dreary to assist as a spectator. Such a
tragedy is as common in life as the
clouds are common in the sky, or the
fearful dewdrop on the morning
howers.< And the weak woman will
never be convinced of her weakness.
She gets perhaps to like personality
that, strange to say objects strongly
or thinks she objects strougly-to
most of the character details which
make up that personality, and, de-
liberately unaware of her weakness,
she begins to tinker. She falls in love
with the paper on the walls, and forth
with tries to cover it with little pictures
poorly painted by her own fair hands.
She struggles to impress herself upon
that which has impressed her, and, not
with being Influenced, in
sists upon trying to influence. She
will not understand that the person
who influences You is by no means
the most likely person for you to in
tiuence. This sort of woman is greatly
to be pitied. She is the turning
squire! IN the Page of life, and hopes
all the time that she is recovering the
ground instead of futilely gyrstIng in
a fixed circle. Then there is the wo-
man who is influential because she is
so unselfconscious. She does not know
what she is doing and for that
perhaps, she does it the
more effectively. Influence emanates
from her. The irritable
husband succumbs to her calm good
nature. The passionate lover bows the
neck beneath the shining yoke of her