The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-09-21
PAIR OF INVITATIONS.
A CLEVER FRENcHMAN DISCUSSES
FLIRTS AND COQuETTES.
He Explains the Difference Between
Them and Tells How They Are Re-
gnrded In France and England.
Praises American Women.

uhu AeAlb now are ne
garded In France and England.
Praises American Women.
There is a great difference between tbs
firt and the coquette. The frt accepts.
even invites, your attentions without ex-
pecting intentions. The coquette is a
woman who gives you a promissory note
with a firm intention of dishonoring her
signature. Just as the prude often says
no when she means yes, the coquette
whispers yes all the time, meaning no.
The tlirt promises nothing. She has
nothing to refuse because she does not
allow YOU to ask for anything. She does
not compromise herself in any way. She
says neither yes nor no. She encour-
ages you to go on. You say to yourself:
"Will it be yes or no? Who knows?
Perhaps yes perhaps no.
The coquette is generally a cold heart
ed, cold bloodcd woman, as perfectly sure
of herself as those famous Mexican horse
men who can ride at full speed toward a
precipice and stop suddenly dead on the
edge of it. The coquette has no capacity
for love. She does not seek love, but ad-
miration and homage only. Unlike the
tlirt, she lacks cheerfulness and humor.
To obtain admiration and boast of
new conquest she will risk even her rep
utation, compromise herself, yet her vir-
tue is in safe keeping, for she has neither
| heart nor passion. In the comedy of
love the coquette is the villain of the
play.
The coquette uses man as she does her
dresses-she likes to be seen with new
| one every day. She kills for the sake of
killing. She hunts but does not eat the
game she brings down. She plays on
mans vanity to satisfy hers. The mo-
ment she has received mans homage
she will leave him to occupy herself with
one who has refused it to her She is
dull and dreary. She may be as beautiful
as you like. she is never lovahe She
should be stunned like the card sharper.
whom she resembles all the more that
against your good money she has nothing
but counterfeit coin.
The flirt, on the contrary, is cheerful.
jolly, often full of fun. and if you can
make up your mind to accept her for
what she is worth she may help you pass
very pleasant time She is not serious,
and she does not want you to take her
seriously; she is honest She wants fun.
innocent fun. The coquette tries to lead
you as far as she wishes you to go: the
flirt does not lead You any further than
you wish to 20. And it may be added
that while ilrts have often been known
to make very good wives, coqueues have
Invariably proved detcstable ones.
Winthrop was helpcssly wrong when
he said "A woman without coquetry is
as insipid as rose without scent. cham
payne without sparkle or corned beef
without mustard" unless he meant.
which he did not, that a coquette is a
woman who, by the care she bcstows
on her dress and general appearance and
many other ways, knows how to make
herself attractive and show herself in
the most advantageous light
The French language expresses the
difference 20 nicely. Ellie est CO.
quette" means "She dresses very elegant
ly and has very winning manners.v
whereas "C'eSt une coquette" means
"She is a coQuctte''-that is to say, "She
tries to fascinate for the mere sake of
fascinating"
The coquette plays on mans vanity
and makes a fool Of him. The ilirt dis
plays her accomplishments and personal
charms either to make you have a pleas
ant time with her or, when more serious.
to lead you on to an offer of marriage,
which she will honestly accept, often,
with the best results for yourself
1t is only when you say of woman
that she is desperate flirt" that you
may come to the conclusion that she is
a coquette. OF course when the flirt
is a married woman she is coquette
but when she is a young girl | would
call her n harmless person. On the other
hand, the opposition TO that epithet Of
harmless, the adjective that is most com
monty coupled with the word "coquette.'
is not harmless" but "heartless"
The word 'firt" comes from the
French "feureter" which means to 20
from flower to flower, to touch lightly:
but, although the word is of French orr
gin, the thing itself is not French. Fir
tation is pastime which is most essen.
tally English. We do not airt in France:
we are more serious than that in love af-
fairs After all Irritation is trihing with
love. and that game would be n dangerous
one to play with a Frenchman. A woman
who tlirted would pass in France for gid
dy, if not worse. She knows her country
men well and is aware what she would
expose herself to if she hrted with him.
The English girl in flirting does not
play with fire. Englishmen are reserved.
cold. The customs of the country grant
liberty to the women. and they accept
Irritation for what it is worth The worst
they might say of a girl who fiirtcd with
them would be. "She is an awful flrt,"
with mixed expression of pity and con
tempt An English girl who has had a
good time at party, a picnic. a ball. can
say. 81 have had such hirtation." Why.
she could say that to her own mother, and
if that mother was still fairly young and
good looking. she might answer. "And so
have l."
| take the American woman to be too
intelligent, had almost said too intellec-
tual, to enjoy that childish paStime
| hate the cOquette and somewhat pity,
if not despise, the firt, love straight
forwardness. | admire that woman who
blooms in the shade who is earnest in her
affections and who waits until she is in
love TO allow the curtain to rise, then
who honestly. devotedly. straightforward
ly goes through the whole comedy.
In everything | hate limitations. IL
cannot get the real article. do without
t.-Max O'Rell in New York Journal.
SanSey and "Ninety and Nine"
This is the story of the famous hymf
NINETY and Nine" as told by Mr. San
key:
While in Europe in company with Mr.