When Women are most Attractive.

Southland Times, Issue 4489, 29 November 1882, Page 4

When Women are most Attractive.

. -♦ In an interesting paper, entitled ■• When Women Grow Old," Mrs Blake has brought facts to show that the fascinating power of the sex is oftentimes retained much longer than is generally assumed. She tells us of Aspasia. who between the nges of 30 and 50 wasthestrorgest intellectual force ia Athens ; of Cleopatra, whose golden decade for power and beauty wa3 between 30 asd 40 ; of Livia, wbo was not far from 30 when she gained the heart of Octavins ; of Anne, of Eussia, who at 38 was thought to be the most beautiful Queen in Europe ; of Catherine 11 , of Russia, who even at the silver decade was both baautif ul and imposing : of Mademoiselle Mars, the actress, whuse beauty increased with years, and culminated between 30 and 45 ; of Madame Itecamier, who between 35 and 40, and even later, was the reigning beauty in Europe ; of Ninan d'Endos, whose own sou— brought up without knowledge of his parenttage — fell passionately in love with her when 6he was at the age of 37, and who, even on her 60th birthday received an adorer young enough to be her grandson. Ihese facts, the representatives of many others, establish that the g«lden decade of fascination is the same as the golden decade of thought ; that woman is most attractive to, and most in. fluential over man at that period when both man and woman are nearest the maximum of their cerebral force. The voice of our great prima donnas if at its very best between 27 and 35 ; but still some retain, in a degree, its sfreDgth and sweetness even in the silver decade. The voice is an index ot the body in all its functions, but the decay of other {unctions is not so readily noticed.