The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-08-17
Social Notes

.H
Is there an advantage In plainness?
There may be, but not many would
choose such an advantage IL q choice
were given, 1t Is natural to admire
beauty, and 1t is also natural to value
It too highly. Especially do young
people err in this particular. George
Eliot expressed something that the OBJ
servant must have often noticed when
she said that the man who admired
and raved over the girl with a pretty
face and a wtllowy FORM generally
married a plain looking woman who
The trouble with prettiness is this:
If a girl has 1t no power on earth can
keep her from finding 1T at an
early age nor make her forget 1t when
once she knows. If she We're only un-
conscious of her possession, IL would
do her no harm, and other people much
good. But sooner or later someone
tells her; or else she decides the matter
with her hair down or up, according
to her taste and the quantity. From
that time on she Is changed. She can
never be the same again with her
friends, with her lovers, with her
uncles and grandfathers, No matter
how good she may be: no matter how
simple, sincere, unamected; no matter
what; she is pretty, she knows 1t, n
there you are. 1t alters her as complet-
ely as a bath of paint, only 1T goes
deeper and lasts longer. 1t penetrates
the hooks of her mind, the unexplored
crannies of her personality. Nothing es-
capes it's influence; Not even the RIB
bons that one never sees. Inevitably,
and half unconsctously, h begins TO
take things for granted; things one
says or things one d~isappoints her by
sort of barrier between her and every
man. One comes In contact with IT
more frequently than with her true
self. She learns to hold 1t before her
as a shield in moments OF hesitation
or embarrassment. At her ease behind
it, she can afford to neglect the 1nesse
Of her sword-play. To make her feel
anything, protected as she Is, the man
must resort to a stone, a beam, or an
axe. But this is no fun, being too bru-
tai and liable to hurt her.
No. the man who wants to be en-
tertained, and to sharpen his wits with
no harm to others, had better salute
this lady, and &C on down the road TIL
he meets another; one who knows bet
ter than to be pretty; in fact, a plain
one. You understand, not every plain
woman will do, any more than every
pretty n will suit the v or prettl-
ness, But If she is of the proper vari-
ETY.. and IL his eyesight is good, he may
distinguish certain characteristics
which are seldom much developed be-
hind any face but a plain one. For
eyample she is apt to be mistress Of
the pleasantest, the gentlest, the most
delicate irony. Her philosophy ut is
already a great point that she has one)
is based on two principles; first, her
acceptance of the fact that she is not
pretty-an acceptance no lesa frank for
being tinged with good-humored re-
gret (this last may be Illogical, but II
SO only because 1t Is human) second,
her recognition of the fact that some
thing must be substituted for what
chance has withheld. Some contrtbu-
ton must be made to the joy of ma
tfons. Hence the happy development
- L.- YurTt nnA nG a anNnnhnr ~ nhnnn=
menon, her mastery of the subtle and
deltvious i~ntrieacies of human inter
course. The 'inal result is an abiding
charm.
Unless a man is a born fool-which
of course, is a possibility-he will find
rewards of many kinds attending the
moments spent in the company of such
a person. Not the least of these will
be her unexpressed, half impersonal
gratitude for his display of good taste
Iyou will notice that the pretty person
never gives him credit for this; she
merely notes his bad taste If he goes