The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-28
Fascinating Women.

an who, without being necessarily either
startlingly beautiful or clever or excep
tional in any way, Is still u magnet for CIV
cry well constituted soul.
Tho French say that she is "sympa-
thiquo, the Italians "simpatica. Our
own sympathetic" is no equvtleft ut all
and gives, in fact, totally diilcrciS sense
Tho person who Is "simpatica' inspires
sympathy but it Is by no means the sym
pathy that is Synonymous with pity. 1t Is
"a warm, grateful, almost tender feeling of
liking and of very human liking. one can
almost assert that a person who Is sim
patica' to many people must have some
noble qualities at least 4 crkture with
all manner of physical'a mental charms
who yet had not in some directions a nice
nature would never habitually be called
"sympathiquc."
Therefore l think It one of the most
really ilatterlng cpithcts that can be con
ferred upon woman or girl. Sho may be
| certain that If living in the southern part
| of Europe or knowing many Ercnchmcn
and Italians she is commonly spoken OF
as possessing this quality it is nothing adj
ventitious to which she owes the distinc-
| ton. Doucet and Worth gowns viii not
| help her to its attainment nor beauty nor
| wealth nor wit nor learning nor even
| wisdom, although wisdom is probably
| moro likely to be of assistance than any
thing else. Not dry hard, angular, ag-
| gressive wisdom, but gentle, mellow wis
| dom. Simplicity, too, lack of affecta-
ton and note of genuineness in all the
disposition are ingredients that may, on
analysis be detected in the "sympathique"
person; but, upon the whole, trying to be
that enviable thing is of small avail
You are or you are not sympathetic" 1t
goes by grace from on high Italians have O
delightful way OF speaking OF tkeir queen
as the most simpatica-the most lovely,
lovable-woman in their country. Mar
gherita was never really strictly beautiful,
but she had and has grace, eentleness, dig
nifty, something poetic and feminine In her
personality. They could never, one may
be sure, on the other hand even in her
youngest and most attrntive days. have
called Queen Victoria Eiinpatica, good,
worthy though she be. 1t was however,
moro of surprise TO hear an Italian diplo-
mat who had lived long in England remark
that the Princess of Wales was not simpat-
lea either.
What, not the lovely, feminine Prfn-
cess OF Wales!'
mo. The English people assert that
she has cold, self conferred little soul.
She Is said TO care only for her toilets, for
her pretty dresses, for her well preserved
figure, for the looks she retains so marvel
ousIy and which give her the air of the
handsome, elder sister amid her three plain
daughters.
1t appeared then proved that q woman is
not simpatica who is too self absorbed,
selfish. This is good lesson for some of
the shallow hearted, pretty creatures of
the day. 1t will be good lesson to them,
too, COULD they hear the tone in which an
Italian, after perhaps commenting with
perfect appropriateness on the conellncss
of figure and face and the mind and man
ners of some chosen person, will wind up
with an imperceptible, half sad shrug and
the little cry, But she Is not simpatca
One regrets often that in English we
have no word that renders the subtle
shades of this inimitable eXprtsion-this
expression that says so perfectly what We
so frequently want to say and cannot.
And 1t is 50 necessary in these days Of
fads and new departures, when women are
trying to be all manner of things under
the sun that they never dreamed of being
before that they should remember that
the thing by which, after all, every wom-
an, every girl eventually stands or falls is
the drawing power of her personality.
The world forgivcs in measure an I'M
prepossessing personality in man of sig
nal attainmcnts but woman is, in the
deepest and truest sense, always failure
unless she personally is likabe or lovable
or interesting or something, in short, that
leads people TO her side and makes them
DESTROYS Of remaining there
Talents she may have, even genius, and
"caroer," anything you please but her
life is SUCCESS, finally, according as she
has been much or little loved.
Sentimentalityy Very well. Then 1t is
needful to preach good deal Of such sen
timentality to the women Of the day, for
this is the one thing that they seem, in all
their ambitious reachings forth for new
and great things to be constantly in dan
ger of forgetting If woman has never
inspired u very great devotion, a very deep
love or friendship and warm attachments,
fo;,od ,,,,o,, ,ba,,,,,, ,,,o,.oll,- e,o;,tI., So