The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-28

writer in the New York Commercial Ad-
vertiser. that is not only interesting and
amusing. but instructive as well. The ed
itor propounded the question, AT what
age are men most pleasing to women"
and then threw his pages open to any one
who chose to enlighten his expectant read
crs. The result was a series of communl-
cations that have been very widely read
and commented on. not only in England
hut also in France. where such questions
always receive a serious consideration;
and it is worth while to note down here
the points that were most convincingly
established.
Naturally, the discussion was carried on
by women, and, very fortunately, by wo-
men VINO are not professional writers. Only
one well-known literary woman, Mrs.
LYNN Linton. took part in the symposium,
and her contribution was the least inter-
esting of any, because as might have been
expected, she wrote with certain self
consciousness and with an eye to literary
effect which robbed her paper of any real
frankness and spontaneity. The other
papers were written by women whose
hearts were wholly bent upon the subject
about which they were writing. They said
inst what they thought, and in the most
delightfully."- naive fashion; and both their
experience and their opinions were genu-
inely theirs. Nor did they keep wholly
TO the point, but with true feminine dis
cursiveness ranged over the whole field
of the relations of men with women, and
said precisely what they meant. Natural
Iy, again, every one of them was a wo-
man of at least 80 years of age, for the
young girls view of such subject would
have been of no particular interest, since
the experience and observation of the
Young girl are necessarily too limited to
give her thoughts ON such subject any
weight, though they might perhaps have
been no less amusing.
AS the Paris Figaro pointed out at the
time, the most curious part of the whole
discussion is the substantial agreement
among all these women as to most of the
important points involved. This it is that
gives the whole discussion it's real interest
The concensus of opinion was this that to
a clever woman no man can be really
pleasing for any length of time II he as
under 30 years of age or over 45. Before
50 he is in the first place, too self-con-
scious, thinking most of all about hlmself,
and lacking the composure, the serenity
and the quiet assurance that some from
knowledge of the world and that impress
most women with a sense OF power LII
the second place, the man under 80 mas
seldom had the experience with women
1aIyp Indifference
another real compliment. He simply
rtlshes at the first pretty face he sees, ana
shows that he is influenced by the mere
accident of proximity rather than by
fine discrimination. The man of 80 or
more, on the contrary, has seen and judg-
ed and perhaps loved many women. lie IS
not carried away by purely physlcal
emotion but he criticizes and selects; so
that when he deVotes himself to woman,
that woman may very properly feel grati-
fed by the attention which she KNOWS Is
given to herself as an individual, ana not
as one of a possibly large number more
over, the man who has passed MS sun
wear may be presumed to have qualities
that can come only from experience and
from contact with actual life. lie mas
seen a good deal, he has stored his MIND
with interesting things, he is resource1ul,
and he has had time to learn the art OF
pleasing and to adapt himself to the par
tain. Thinking less of himself and more
of her. he will be tactful and discreet; he
will note her tastes and preferences; ana
his difference is a real tribute, for 1t usu-
ally comes from one who has hlmselI ac-
complished something and who has there
fore something to give in return Tor What
he asks.
The ladies' all write in one way about
GOOD looks in men. They think that good
looks form a sort of passport TO lady
notice. but they all say that good looks
alone can never be a permanent attraction
TO a woman who Is in any way worth
while The greatest pleasure that Wo-
man can receive from a man is that which
in addition to a reasonable physlcal auaP'-
ability and the latent interest which the
Dossibilities of love inspire, is oased upon
a sort of comradeship, in which she Ieels
that she is really something IN MS larger
lfe-when he wishes to come TO her lor IN
spiration, when he seeks her out not mere
" in pure compliment or for pleasure ohly'
but because she is in some way necessary
IN hino-a cornradeship whence both derive
a certain satisfaction from each other
presence, and this not merely physical ana
temporary but continuing and strengthen
ing as time goes on
As 10 men who are over 49, it Is con-
coded that they still may possibly be
pleasing but that the chances are very
much against them They will probably 90
all the things which these ladies' descrlpe
as most displeasing to the sex. They VIII
be fussy about their digestion or their
general health; they, like the very young
men will be thinking always of them
selves; and especially in their conversation
they will choose the wrong theme rather
than the right one. We are favored with
a list of subjects which the man VINO
wishes to Please women viii avoid. Thus,
he is not to talk on academic questions
such as the relative merits of music ana
The drama. nor on literature
In the abstract. He must
not tell of the people he knew when he
was young nor dwell upon the things that
Inc himself has done. He must not talk OF
other women He must not argue over
much, and he must not be
too amusing, since women at
heart really like to be taken
Very seriously. A cynical French writer
observes as to all this, that 1t is obvious
that therk is only one subject of which 1t
IS perfectly safe for a man TO falk to any
woman. and that is the subject of the wo-
man herself. But. as matter OF TACT
one may reasonably ask, if man is IN
the company of a clever and charming wo-
man. what on earth else can he WISH 10