Hints for Lovers | Page 9

prayer--uttered or unexpressed--of many an undowered young
woman is, May a moneyed man fall in love with me ! And she is not
always over-careful to add, And may I fall in love with that moneyed
man!
* * *
If the "New Woman" (3) turns out to be a fitter companion for men
than the old, no man will complain of her novelty. Yet
Men regard the advent of the New Woman rather askance. Why?
Because
To judge from certain feminine utterances, the New Woman seems
more inclined to aim at rivalry than at companionship with man.
--However, there need be no fears as to the result, since
Such is the mysterious potency of womanhood, that, whether new or
old, woman will always lead man captive. Besides
As every new variety of fashion in dress seems becoming to women, so,
it is probable, every variety of fashion in manners will become them
also. But probably
The phrase the "New Woman" is not unlike the phrase the "New
Chemistry": the materials are the same; what is new is the
nomenclature.

(3) A phrase (and not much more than a phrase) much in vogue in
Europe and America in the last two decades of the nineteenth century
of the area known as Christian.
* * *
A woman's peccadilloes are generally worse than a man's. At all events
they are more reprobated.
* * *
Abashment intensifies a woman's love for him so making her abashed.
And
There is a shame that is sweeter than joy. (As
There is a fear more tremulous than delight.) For
Mastery is a woman's standard of man. And There is an element of the
freest and frankest savagery in the most refined and spiritual of women.
(How otherwise
Can any one explain the extraordinary fable of Selene and Pan?(4)
--And man?
--But that man was ever a savage. It may be added that
The defenselessness of woman is a conventional fiction: she can avert
an attack by a look; she can terminate a siege by a taunt.
(4) Though Browning tried. See "Dramatic Idyls", "Pan and Luna"
* * *
Solomon has objurgated the invincibly garrulous woman. The
invincibly taciturn woman is so rare as to have escaped objurgation.
Yet she too is a terror to men.
* * *

Every woman is suspicious and jealous of any woman that opens a
man's eyes; even though she knows that
Never was there a woman who could and would deliberately wholly
enlighten a man.
And, yet, marvelous and curious amongst things curious and marvelous,
will but a woman fling artifice to the winds, and look and act and say as
great Nature prompts,--wildly, willfully, wantonly,--that woman will
captivate as no feminine wiles will ever captivate.
* * *
If the man were worth it, many a woman would dispense with the
marriage ceremony. For
Ah! Love--love--love,--given love, what else is needed? (Unfortunately
Love can never be sure of itself--much less of anything else.
Accordingly
The marriage contract is a device on the part of the community to
provide for the preservation of the home: it makes the parties promise
fidelity.) But
Precious few are the men who are worth the risking. Unfortunately,
More women succumb to strength of will than to strength of character.
Neither, in general, are women overcurious to enquire whether the
strength of character.
Neither, in general, are women over curious to enquire whether the
strength of the masculine will makes for good or for evil.
So long as the masculine will overmaster the feminine, the feminine
mind is satisfied. Of course there are exceptions, but as a rule,
Women--whether young or old, married or single, strong-minded or

weak-- are never happier than when they can depend on a man.
Accordingly,
The lover or the husband who is weaker than, and depends upon, the
woman, will some day rue his weakness and dependence. And yet,
To see a strong male at her feet--that is exquisite to the woman. So
exquisite that
It is with difficulty that a woman refrains from exhibiting a man's
servitude to others. On the other hand,
There is an element of intimidation in a resplendent woman. And of
this she is aware.--Hence perhaps her power.
* * *
A woman will attain her ends by adroit finesse, where a man would
blunder into open hostility. And
It is well that man should blind his eyes to feminine wiles, since,
Always a woman kindly pretends oblivion of masculine blunders.
* * *
The woman whose tastes and refinements are above her station, is in
pitiable plight: she is too fastidious to espouse the men who would
marry her; the men she would marry she rarely meets. For, The only
thing that, to love, is insupportable is vulgarity. Since
Love, romantic love, the efflorescence