The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-06
pRETTY wo4IEN.
by A PRETTY woMAN.

nave OlUen wondered why tnere
were no pretty women nowadays,
while every past age can boast of its
Helens. Our generation may number
many pretty faces, but it is the only
one among the thousands already coun-
ted in the past, that produces no beau
ties whose names shall descend imper-
ishably to come.
We can hardly open a page of history
which does not record the fame ofsome
beauty; the Bible has its Rachel, who
was so lovely that twenty years of ser
vice was deemed light fee for her affec-
ti0ns; the world was lost for Cleopatra;
the beautiful mistresses of French kings
ruled that empire through the hearts OF
their imperial lovers, and even down
to the time of George the Fourth OF
England there has always been some
lady whose charms have been more
powerful than the monarch and prime
ministers.
But 1 think the problem may be
solved. 1t is the difference of dress
costume does it all. Revive the robing
of bygone ages, and you will revive all
the beauty and the ugliness of those
days; for there must have been good
deal of ugliness, otherwise the beauty
would not have been so forcibly appre-
ciated. Had there been more pretty
girls iu.the days of Troy, Helen would
have had few suitors, and Illium might
have been standing yet. What mean
to say is this; in those days people
dressed SO unbecomingly that unless
their features: were almost perfect, they
were literally nothing. All the minor
graccs which set off a mediocre person
now, were. totally .unayailing under
that system of costume.
For instance, Helen must have worn
a loose robe, broad girdle, bare arms,
sandals on her feet, and her hair bound
backin those rich magnificent braids,
termed 10 this day, "Grecian ,Plaits,"
But Imagine for n moment all your
acquaintances.. dressed in this way
Would not the majority be frightful2
How few faces, how few complexions
could stand that banding back of the
thick hair; how few forms would show
well beneath the simple robe, without
staysior stiff petticOats; how few feet
would be endurable in sandals; how
few arms would bear the ,noonsday sun
and the sharp winds, which would
soon reduce them to the pattern and
form of. n wpsher- -Women's !? tE.t-l
Perhaps the old Jewish costumes
worn by Rebecca and Rachel may have
been better shade, but there was the
same exposure of the neck and arms,
with the additionat disadvantage of II
robe that showed aleg encased in hide
GUS hose and boots, and that refused TO
sweep with Grecian amplitude around
the limbs of the fair wenrer.
Cleopatra, who is represented as be-
ing both dark and stout, could wear
only the robes OF white or purple, and
the heavy diadem and strings of pearls
that were allotted as the garb of Egyp-
tian princesseS. How dark and un-
comeIy must have been the majority of
her countrywomen may be Judged from
the sensation she made. The Roman
ladies were famed for their stately car
riape and somewhat large but noble
features; and when to these charms
they added regularity, delicacy and
beautiful color, no doubt their simple
"pen coquette" style of dress was very
becoming to them, but without the lat
ter qualification how gaunt and coarse
they must have appeared.
What can be more lovely thnn the
figure of Agrippina, bending that state
" head above the ashes of Germanicus?
The robe falls in long, sweeping folds;
the arm barred to the shoulder, supports
the urn; the hair braided back, the
smooth brow, the magnificent eyes in
the large chambers; not ribbon, not u
jewel, breaks the calm outline or dis
turbs the severe unity. Perhaps among
our circle of acquaintances there are
two or three who would appear to ad-
vantage so attired; but oh, how well, for
the dumps and scraggy tnez retrousse"
and "nez Snub" thut they fall upon
better daysi
As we ascend the stream of time, the
number of fcelebrated beauties decrease;
this we may attribute to the decreasing
knowledge, of dress; and different COM
plexicns, bad figures, Irregular features
begin to have something like fair play
shown them; eXigencieS of persons
meet with some assistance from cos
tunes; and in like degree as the plain
women were made to appear less plain,
were the beauties rendered less promi-
nent, and the distance between the par
ties lessened.
Still, we hear of some so strikingly
lovely as to be known to all the world
by the fame of their eye only; ofthese
we may name Edith OF the swan neck !"
so called from their brilliant whiteneSs
of skin capable of resisting the expo
sure to sun and wind which tanned and
freckled into frightfulness the queens
and lofty ladies of those ruddnys. RoS-
amond the fair-so fair that it was said
of her, "none but Il Jealous and exas-
perated- woman, could have harmed
herr "Bentrice Cenci, whose. beauty
makes one shudder, SO mysterious
seems, the light in those large and un-
troubled eyes, soon to close beneath
the pressure of so awful u fate; Lucre-
tia Borgia, 'her of the angel face de-
mon heart;" Mary of Scotland whom
nno man beheld without loving" and
some few others. until we reach that
famous trio of beauties recorded in the
letters of Horace Walpole, as the love
sliest women of their time, the Misses
COne OF these, the Duchess of Hamil-
ton, was so renowned for her charms,
that she was fnmorS far and near, inSo-
much that when travelling Mt ono time
from the North to town, the mob in the
Ghn FnltR6 niphf
sembled around the hotels nor would
they depart until she had appeared on
the balconies TO display TO them her
world famed face.
THERE'S, something strangely sad in
the account of the death of another of
the sisters, Lady Coventry, who perish
ed OF consumption while in the highest
nride of Youth and beauty. She Is re-
corded as patiently awaiting the ap-
proach of death-her looking glass her
constant companion-aS scarcely ever
removing her eyes from the reflection
of her own face, and rs bewailing only
the too early extinction of beauty
worthy of immortality.
At late time, when the names OF
some favorite beauties are recorded, the
costume totally different, was so hide
GUS that no one could wear it with inn
punity-hence the high reputation for
beauty of Pauline Bonaparte and Mad
anne Recamier. The former is repre-
sented as appearing at a party given by
her brother, in tunic of white muslin
reaching little. below the knee, and
commencing far below the shoulders,
the waist exceedingly short and bound
with narrow girdle; her small beau
tifuI feet were encased in sandals, while
n mantle of leopard skin hung around
the form of Canovn's fairest model.
There are many that can remember
the appearance OF Madame Recamier,