Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-09
THE MODEL CONFIDANTE.
Some of the Characteristics Whicl
She Ought to Possess.

Some of the ChurNc te ristics Which
She Ought to Possess.
From the New York Herald.
The confidante's lot Is not a happy one.
She may think that 1t is when she is lis
tening to her friend 8 thrilling tale before
the midnight fire, but She soon learns her
mistake. When people ask her questions,
when she burns with a philanthropic desire
to pass on her good news or to share her
secret, then she feels the misery of her po-
sition. She also finds 1t embarrassing when
she is unable to remember in December
what was confided to her IN June, and her
friend assumes that she recalls 1t perfectly.
She has to give just the advice which is
desired, but If following that advice leads
to unfortunate complications she must as
sumo the blame. She must be Interested
and sympathetic, but never curious. She
needs the wisdom of the sages and the tact
of the diplomats, together with the secre-
tive disposition of the Sphinx. Even then
she will probably make a mistake Only
one person is more to be pitied than the
confidante, and that is the person who con-
fides. She goes about the world forever
afterward convinced that her secrets are in
the possession Of one who will not guard
them properly.
Nevertheless the custom of confiding will
continue as long as women let down their
hair and unbutton their frocks together.
There Is something about the act of brush
ing the hair which invites confidence on the
one hand and makes the outpouring of one s
soul a necessity on the other. AS soon as
two women take off their street bodices and
assume dressing sacQues they are bound to
be confidential. They feel that there is
nothing which should be concealed from the
person who has an opportunity to tell
whether their seams are bound or merely
overcast, and whether their underwaists
are trimmed with lace or Hamburg edging
There are many things for the woman
who holds confidential relations with many
people to remember The first one is that
it is seldom worth while to make oneself
disliked by giving advice or opinions which
are contrary to those desired At the same
time she should bear in mind that she will
be held responsible for those opinions and
counsels till her dying day. She must also
resolutely decide to keep silent about what
as she learns that the confidential woman
has spread her secrets broadcast. 1t is al
ways likely that the conliding person will
do this, and that some other confidante
will talk. Then every one who knows the
stories Is released from the seal of secrecy
and can talk to her hearts content.
The confidante must be prepared to hear
the same story frequently, and must dis
play convenient forgetfulness if she OBJ
serves that her friend is in the mood for
talking. On the other hand, she must re-
member even small details most accurately
If the confiding one seems to expect that
The woman who does all these things in
such a manner that it satisfies her friend
will have her reward She will gain rep
utation as an admirable confdante, and will
then have opportunity TO enlarge her
knowledge of other peoples private affairs
which is reward no woman will scorn.