Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-12-18
Seine Triumphs of Plain Women.

man, tnousn tDere may stlll remain 10 her
the perhaps more enduring powers of fasci-
nation of manner, strength of will and swe e.
ness of disposition. Yet 1t is often affirmed,
with some appearance of truth, that many
OF the women who have made the greatest
mark in the world have been plain women.
There is, however. such a diversity OF opin-
lon with regard to beauty, no two people ap-
parently thinking alike, that IL is not an easy
matter to decide who really have been pIaif,
women. Biographers are naturally chary Of
SO dee cr1bing living woman, and history
aoounds In conflicting opinions on this
point; for example, by some Joan of Arc
was put down as plain, yet Tennyson men
tons her In his "Dream of Fair Women" as
loan OF Arc, light of ancient France"
Mary Powell, In one of her charming works,
speaks OF Margaret Roper as a "plain girl,
with changeful spirits" but possibly as she
grew older she grew in beauty, or her charms
may have consisted OF expression and grace
OF movement, for Erasmus considered her
beautiful.
AS rule, literary women have not been
noted Tor their personal charms, and amongst
The greatest triumphs of plain women are
those of the mind. Mrs. Fry, good as sue
was, mad no personal beauty TO adorn her
successful, honest life nor had Hannah More,
Miss Edgeworth, Miss Milford, Mrs He
mans, or Nine. Guyon. OF Mrs. Chapone,
we read from the pen of q contemporary that
'she was full of good sense and uncommon
ugllness.' Charlotte BrOnteS pale, plain face
is often alluded 10 by her biographers; aud
Sappho was short OF stature, swarthy, and
ungraceful.
hngers;" and justly or not, studious women
are supposed to care little for the duties of
wives or mothers, or the vanitieS of dress,
and this impression has prevailed for centu
r1es. The least attractive girls In every circle
are often the first to marry, probably because
they are less difficult to please than their
more favored sisters; but for all that, the
richest fruits of life not seldom come to their
share, rather than to the fair ones. That
men, mostly swayed by beauty, have now
and then adored ungainly women. is an his
torical and social fact. Voltaires favorite
niece was as ugly as she was agreeable.
Mime. HoudelOt, the only woman Rousseau
ever loved, sQuinted, and was marked with
smallpox, and yet her friends dubbed her
favorite wife, was no beauty, nor was Swifts
Nanissa.
Among women of exalted rank who have
been wanting in beauty are Margaret of
Sweden; Matilda, Empress of Germany; and
Christiana of Sweden. Fulva, wife of An
thony, had few personal charms; nor had
Terentta, wife of Cicero, if one may trust to
the majority of historians; but most of these
have found some admirers among biogra-
piers. Neither Anne of Cleves nor Catherine
of Arragon were good looking, still for awhile
they swayed the tickle heart of their Blue
Beard husband. Queen Anne was dOwdy,
graceless woman in her best days. Crom-
wells wife was plain. When Queen Anne
OF Bohemia came to England as bride
there was pageant at Cheapside of a castle
with two towers, from both sides of which
ran fountains of wine; and we are told that
faces of the king and queen caused the plain
bride TO look palmer; yet she made her way
in the good graces of king and people.
In France the gay and pleasure loving
plain women have gained many laurels
Nine. de Stael is memorable instance.
though no one was more conscious of her
personal defects. Even her name was a
power In ITSELF The great Napoleon cOn6e-
scended to be so jealous of her influence, that
no persuasion would induce him TO allow her
to return to France. Mile. de Lespinaisse,
one of the most fascinating women of her
day, who exercised q marvellous influence
on those around her. was marked with small
pOx. Nine. GeOfrin was a plain woman.
Nine. d'Epinay was neither beautiful nor
clever, but most attractive. Nine. de Mall
ly was the plainest woman of the court
Maria Lecainski, daughter of Stanislaus,
King of Poland. wife of Louis XIV, was
good, but embarrassing; and that famous
Paiatine princess, second wife of Philip
Duke of Anjou, brother OF Louis XIV, and
mother of the Duke of Orleans, the regent
during Louis Nv.'s minority-a woman who
exercised more sway than any other of her
time-was coarse of feature. and so ungainIy
that her large hands passed into prUverb.
She was of masculine habits, clinging tn the
wig. like mans.
On the stage and In the concert room many
plain women have triumphed: for on the
stage, at all events, they can call to their aid
paint, and other accessories to
repair the defects of nature.
A notable instance of a plain and popular
singer occurs at tDe emu OF IDe seventeenth
when women first appeared on the
stage, men having previously taken their
par,s. Margarita de PEpine was a Tuscan
by birth, and tall, gaunt, and swarthy, with
yet, in spite of this, she secured
unbounded popularity by her singing aud
good temper, though her rival, Katharine
lofts, whom she cordially hated, was excep-
beautiful. Her ugliness was the
theme Of many squib; and in England,
where she came with her German teacher,
Herr GTeber, she was called "Greber's Peg"
She led a stainless life, though much courted
the Earl of Nottingham following her about
as her shadow. She eventually married Dr.
Pepasch, scientific man, who called her
Hecate on account OF her ugliness. They
were very happy together, she continued her
professional career, and he was Organist at
the Charter house. She never mastered the
English language, but sang In her own
tongue while the rest of the characters of the
opera sang in English. 1t was through a
favorite parrot that she was somewhat cru
ely apprised when her voice was going
the manager to resign on &C.
count OF some trumpery misunderstanding,
he replied that he could well spare her if she
would send her feathered pupil.
Margherita Durastante, singer in Charles
lis time, was large, coarse, masculine
but popularity itself Her voice, q
found great favor with the court
so much so, that the king, the princess, and
to hear her in the operas of Ra-
and "Agrippina' was so great that
fiO was paid for a seat in the gallery.
An admirable instance OF mind triumphing
over matter is the history of Martha de Ro-
chOis, an exceedingly plain woman, both in
face and figure, brilliant eyes being her only
point. She was the greatest act
ress Of her day, and on the stage she was
queen. Her every gesture was study to
the defects of nature. Her weak,
misshapen body, and deformed arms, hid
Den by long sleeves, served her in as good
stead as those of Venice herself. She earned
as much as l 900 livres year; and when her
health gave way Louis XIV. granted her a
liberal pension. The Able de Chaulieu
wrote thirteen madrigals in her honor when
she died.
Antoinette Clavell, a singer who did much
towards abOlishing the anachrOnisms of
stage costume, achieved vast triumphs,
though small, thin, and fair, with an un-
calmly mouth, and bad, shy manner. She
was perfect actress, and worShippei by her
audience One night she was crowned on
the stage, an honor never before accorded TO
a singer; and she met with an ovation at
the ladies OF the town accOmpa-
nying her TO an Illuminated pavilion In q
gOndOla, surrounded by hundreds of little
boats, she herself wearing q rich costume
presented by her Greek admirers. At the
pavilion piece was performed composed in
her honor. A ball was given to her coup
lets were sung of her, and the people In their
covered her carriage with splen-