Evening star., 1908-01-28
COQUETRY A VIRTUE?
Woman Writer Says It Advances
Mankind.

Feminine coquetry has one capital eA-
cuse; its cause is entirely masculine For
| the craving of women for elegance, luxury
| in dress and their extravaganza IN Jew
| elry and other ornament alton are merely
! an outcome of their desire to please man
| to attract his attention and conquer him.
| No wonder coquetry became SO power
| full an instinct with them It is the most
persistent characteristic. 1t hardly ever
disappears. says Paolo Lombroso, In the
| Chicago Tribune.
There are in lunatic as-lums unfortu-
nate women who have lost all their wom-
aniness Coquetry exists only AS last
yestigc of their humanity. These women
still smile to themselves in mirrors; they
keep on adorning themselves with the
most absurd ornaments: any hover ana
old rag will serve their purpose
.As'Sig. Cadalso discovered not long ago.
the instinct is irresistible. even among
women in prison. Complete isolation
from the outer world the fact that they
can never be seen by men, is not sufflclent
t, stifle in them the desire of being beau
tiful and elegant Prison rules in Italy
are most strict, especially SO far as the
dress of the prisoners Is concerned.
Powder. scent, cosmetics and all other
handmaids of vanity are forbidden, but
coquetry is stronger than rules.
Several prisoners found the means of
powdering their faces. They patiently
licked the walls of their cells, masticated
the whitewash. and thus obtained kind
of white paste. with which they proudly
coated their faces Ore woman was
found with her cheeks covered with rouge
like a ballet girl No one could realize
how she had managed it.. Her cell was
thoroughly but vainly searched. Eventual
ly the mystery was solved. In the night
gowns used by the prisoners there are
few red threads. This woman had pa
tiently pulled out these threads one by
one, had soaked them in water and In
this original way had made some rouge
for her private use.
Men expect women to be elegant and
graceful but at the same time they de-
clare that coquetry is d proof of woman S
infcriority. On the other hand. women.
who are all of them couuetteS, consider
that to be called a coduette Is an insult.
What they want men to admire most in
them is their intellect and wit But while
In a drawing room they may discuss top
les of the day-MorocCo or the pure mi X
question--they do not forget to watch in
the mirror their own elaborate coiffure
or their new gown.
Women ought to be proud of all the
trouble they take in this matter, however
1t is easy thing to dress well. There
is such II thing as martyrdom for CO.
quetry. Woman will smile and chatter.
be graceful and delight every one around
her. while all the time she is suffering
ly breathe She does not allow any one
To discover this-the strict discipline to
which coquetry condemns her.
We owe to the instinct. however. the
grea ter part of our material comfort and
all that is delightful and artistic in the
arran cement of our homes. 1t Is to feni-
nine coquetry that We owe those marvel
Gus laces of Brussels, Venice and Ireland.
Coquetry has invented and compelled the
introduction of yelvetS. Satins. silks. tulle
and crepe. 1t is at the bidding of coquetry
that man searches the earth for god and
diamonds and oceans for pearls.
The lighter kinds of literature. the ma
jority of novels. owe practically every
thing to coquetry. for novels are but the
commentary and the photography of the
different episodes of coquetry. What is a
novel If not the living chronicle of wom-
ems adventures, the mirror of their feel
ings. their sensations, their gestures and
their dresses?
The world would be dull. sad and gloomy
without coquetry. which. in spite of Il
frivolous appearance. has introduced into
social life one serious and most important
thing-the pleasure and the happiness of
living