Alexandria Advertiser And Commercial Intelligencer

From the Centinel.

THE LATITUDINARIAN

Ask you the provocation that I had?
The strong antipathy of good to BAD.

Pope.

Mr. Russell,

I KNOW very well the value which every man sets upon his reputation, and how painful it is to be exposed to the mirth and derision of the public, and should therefore scorn to divert my reader at the expense of any private man. If names have at any time been affixed to characters which I have heretofore drawn, or if any shall be to those I may hereafter draw-- it is no fault of mine, and I cannot remedy it. I must continue to portray the errors of the day in that manner which I think will produce the best effect--and be the most likely to produce their reformation. It is a flattering test of my success occasionally to hear that Mr. Such-a-one was certainly intended by such a character, as "nothing could be more exact:" when no particular character was intended. It is to my mind some proof that the charge which I brought forward in my last number was not without foundation when persons so readily exclaim "he means me." And it gives me some hope that the cause of complaint in time may be removed.-- That words may soon be better applied-- terms corrected -and actions properly estimated.

It has frequently been remarked and I believe with great justice that there is more coquetry in most other countries than is to be found in ours. At the same time it is but equal justice to acknowledge, notwithstanding our pretensions to innocence, that there are some old countries that we exceed in this particular. This is a "Sore evil under the sun," and I wish something might be done to shame it from our land or at least to check its progress. Of male jilts, coquettes, and fribbles, I shall say nothing at present although it must be confessed that they are far more reprehensible than those of the other sex--But that they are both bad enough no one will dispute.

In this country owing to a variety of circumstances there at least ten female coquettes to one male. Nature with the assistance of the vain and indulgent mother has made many; and the remainder have become so from fashion.

According to the definition of some, a female coquette is "a gay airy girl who endeavours to attract notice." The generality of handsome girls by this definition are male coquettes. I do not know if this be true-but we know that most beauties are pleased to "attract notice." Others define a coquette, "one who by affected carriage and tatle endeavors to gain the love of men."

A downright thorough bred coquette never quits the object of her pursuit until she has destroyed his peace forever; she is then ready to begin again.
But there are many different degrees-

and different species of this enormity. And there are some, though not so particularly fatal as what has been mentioned, yet in a general point of view more to be deplored. They are of the chameleon breed. They vary the object according to the whim of the moment--and vary their attitudes--voices and manner according to the colour of the object.

"Women whose hearts are fixed upon the pleasure they have in the consciousness that they are the objects of love and admiration are ever changing the air of their countenances and altering the attitude of their bodies to strike the hearts of their beholders with new sense of their beauty."

No one will deny this to be coquetry and that many beautiful women are found in the practice of it. We rarely find women of worth and distinction guilty of it, but when we do, we cannot suppress the mingled feelings of pity and contempt which swell our bosoms.

When we see a woman of worth and distinction amused and delighted, and in conversation for hours with a fribbler--a thing without religion--without morality, without character, and with a head as destitute of brains as a mallet.

Her heart is unsound--she is a coquette.

Whenever we see such a woman paying equal attention to the vicious and the virtuous: to the blockhead and the man of sense :--And perhaps more to the former than the latter if the mode of his incense rises the highest--no apology can be offered that will expiate the offence entirely - She proves to the fool that he is as valuable a member of society as the man of genius--and that vice and virtue are two coins of the same value--Her object is solely to "gain the love of men'' no matter what men -and as many as she can.

Such a woman is better hearted- she is a coquette. When we see a woman of modesty, of beauty and of a cultivated mind --one whose very action is dictated by conscious purity---who never intending ill, has no ill to be ashamed of; who justly discriminating between good and bad-- propriety and impropriety--knows her duty and is never too modest to practice it.; knows how much she ought to sacrifice to the opinion of the world, and is never too modest to refuse to go beyond it, how different are our sensations. When we see such a woman we see the most interesting, the most lovely, the most divine object in nature. She is entitled to the love, esteem, and respect of every virtuous man. And she will command at least the appearance of homage from every vicious one.