A vain man speaks either well or ill of himself. A modest man never speaks of himself at all.
CHAPTER II
OH, YOU MEN!
The Paris Presse had asked its male readers to mention which virtue they most admire in women. Here is the result, with the number of votes obtained by each virtue, and truly it is not an edifying result:
| 1. Faithfulness | 8,278 |
| 2. Economy | 7,496 |
| 3. Kindness | 6,736 |
| 4. Order | 5,052 |
| 5. Modesty | 4,975 |
| 6. Devotion | 4,782 |
| 7. Charity | 4,575 |
| 8. Sweetness | 4,565 |
| 9. Cleanliness | 3,594 |
| 10. Patience | 2,750 |
| 11. Maternal love | 2,703 |
| 12. Industry | 2,125 |
| 13. Courage | 1,758 |
| 14. Discretion | 1,687 |
| 15. Simplicity | 1,580 |
| 16. Wisdom | 1,417 |
| 17. Honesty | 1,389 |
| 18. Amiability | 1,273 |
| 19. Chastity | 1,230 |
| 20. Propriety | 969 |
| 21. Self-abnegation | 868 |
Surely, here is food for reflections and comments. Economy, order, and devotion head the list; chastity and self-abnegation figure at the bottom. I should have imagined the last two virtues would have obtained the maximum of votes.
And is it not wonderful that the most beautiful trait in a woman's character—I mean Loyalty—should be altogether omitted from this list of twenty-one most characteristic virtues in women? Are we to conclude that loyalty is a virtue for men alone, such as willpower, magnanimity, energy, bravery, and straightforwardness?
And Sincerity, that most indispensable and precious virtue, which is supposed to make the friendship of men so valuable, is it not also a virtue that we should value in women?