The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-05-13
WOMAN AND HER HOME.
A Perfect Woman Should b Chef
dGuvre Of Grace and
Refinement.
But to Be Perfect Sho Must 30 En-
tiroly Exempt From
Toll
The Theory n man Has Developed Win
Great TuIInsss-A Woman Hero.
Clara narton.

A perfect woman should DO a chef d'mu-
gre Of grace aud refinement, and 10 this
end she must be exempt from Iii. As tho
human form and, above all, the expression
Of the face nro only tho products Of tho
emotions which an individual oftonost cx-
perienoes, woman can only DO beautiful
and graceful In person In 80 far as tho
greater proportion OF her emotional expe-
ricnces are sweet, tender and peaceful
This is a theory that Mr. Balm has dovel-
oped with great fullness and cloarness But
the emotions which toll entails In tho
struggle for lifo are violent and strong
Anger, hatred, enthusiasm, boldncss, cour-
age, these may impart strength and gran
deur TO the individual, but they can never
endow her with the attractivcncss Of grace
The working woman grows ugly and
loses her feminine characteristics. Sho
loses what Is most exquisite and aesthetic
in woman / forcseo here many objec-
lions. IL Is man, you say, who desires
grace In woman. IL IL but another proof
Of masculine cgotism thus TO foster idle
ness in woman in order that she may be-
come that which he specially desires. Do
not let us dignity az natural law what
Is but the outcome OF masculine psychical
tastes and habits. / believe this To be "a
mistake. Grace in woman is not merely
the product Of caprice and sclfishness in
the man who chooses tho prettiest woman
because she touches his sense of the beau
tiful. Grace plays a far higher role in tho
social and psychical evolution Of humani-
~ II is an over active and moral force
always bcnoiicent, tho fruits Of which are
far greater than could be produced by any
labor by woman. Womanly grace and the
love which men bear a beautiful woman
have perhaps boon the origin Of paternal
love and Of all the other sweet and tender
feelings OF which tho male is capable.
Grace Is the aesthetic side Of weakness,
and since man seeks this quality in wom-
an it follows by the well known psychology
zeal law Of association that the perception
of grace and tho sweet emotions Of love
become more closely connected the more
psychical progress increases. Once this
combination is fairly established all grace
full and pretty things by reason of this law
awaken tho emotion Of love fccbly yet in
n sufficient degree that all pretty things
be they human beings, natural objects
or artistic productions, give us pleasure
and this pleasure is only in a lesser degree
a reproduction Of the pleasures Of love.
But grace, as we have just said, Is the
asthctic side OF weakness. Hence the as
sociation between the emotions of love and
the perception Of grace becomes stronger
II extends itself from graceful things to
weak things, for at certain times almost
all weak things present themselves TO us
under tho aesthetic aspect Of grace, so that
as the association between these two SEN
sations widens IL becomes as association
between love and weakness. Weaker crea-
lures, for example, young children, who
arc par excellence the weakest of all be-
q Al.
which is but rushlight in comparison
with the intensity Of the flame OF sympa-
thy which unitcs us TO woman. We find
then that physical grace in woman is a
bcneflcent sunshine calling into bloom
the softer emotions 81 man. II would be a
great misfortune were this sunshine to be
observation-disclosures.