| Show I The Art of Conversation In the art of conversation woman if not the queen and victor is the lawgiver says Ralph Waldo Emerson in one of his essays I everyone recalled his experience ex-perience he might find the best of the speech of superior womenwhich was better than song and carried ingenuity j character wife counsel and affection as easily as the wit with which it was adorned They are not only wise themselves them-selves but they make us wise No one can be a master in conversation who has not learned much from women their presence and inspiration are essential to its success Steele said of his mistress that to have loved her was a liberal education Shenstone gave no bad account ac-count of his influence in his description of the French women There is a quality in which no woman in the world can compete with hcrit is the power of intellectual irritation She can draw wit out of a fool She strikes with such address ad-dress the chords of selflove that she gives unexpected vigor and agility to fancy and electrifies a body that appears non I II electric Coleridce esteems cultivated woman as the depositaries and guardians of English undefiled and Luther commends com-mends that accomplishment of accomplihment pure German speech of his wife Mme de Stael by the unanimous consent of all who knew her was the most extraordinary extraordi-nary converser that was known in her time and it was a time full of eminent men and women she knew all distinguished dis-tinguished persons in letters or society in England Germany and Italy as well a in France though she said with characteristic charac-teristic nationality Conversation like talent exists only in France Mme de Stael valued nothing but conversation When they showed her the beautiful Lake Leman she exclaimed Oh for the gutter of the Rue de Bac the street in Paris in which her home stood and she said one day seriously to Mr Mole I it were not for respect for human opinions I would not open my window to see the bay of Naples for the first time whilst I would go five hundred I leagues to talk with a man of genius whom I had not seen St Beuve tells I us of the privileged circle of Coppet that I after making an excursion one day the I party returned in two coaches from Cham berry to Aix on the way to Coppet The last coach had many rueful accidents to relate a terrible thunder storm shocking I shock-ing roads and danger and gloom to the whole company The party in the second coach on arriving heard this story with surprise of thunder storms of steeps of mud of dunpflr thev know iinthinf no I they had cnnfer forgotten earth and breathed a purer air such a conveisation between Mme de Stael and Mme Recainier and Benjamin Constant and Schlegel they were all in a state of delight The intoxication in-toxication of the conversation had made them insensible to any notice of weather or rough roads Mme de Tesse said I I were queen I should command Mme de Stael t talk to me every day Conversation fills all gaps supplies all deficiencies Vhat a good trait is that recorded of Mme de Maintenon that during dinner the servant slipped to her side Please madame one anecdote I more for there is no roast today |
