The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-18
Some pr;,louophic rrenchman started the

Some pf.tlosophic Frenchman started the
theory, e. score or two OF years ago, that the
people Of America were rapidly becoming
Indianized. The facts he developed in sup
port OF this theory were certainly strong, II
NOT conclusive. The American, he asserted,
yNas Of wholly different type from his Eng
Ash ancestor; 1t required only q moments
gIanee to tell the two races apart. Our heads
were smaller, our cheek bones higher; our
neeks longer, our eyes set deeper in the
head, our hair straighter, and we were
much less bearded than the hirsute
Englishman. Our fingers, also, 1t was
shown, had grown longer and thinner
no that q peculiar variety Of glove had to
be made for the American market. All this
was undoubtedly true, and in all of these diff
ferences from the original Anglo-Saxon stock
we were getting nearer to our aborgines.
This Indian type OF American form and fea-
lures was particularly observable in the
Oldest settled and most American portions OF
this country. In the out-of- the-way villages
OF New England and the mountains Of North
Carolina and East Tennessee, where the race
Is strongly American, and has but q small adj
mixture OF foreign blood the people bore the
very closest resemblance. even In color, to the
original savage inhabitants of this country.
Even those who laughed at and derided
this theory could not dispute one fact, that
like the Indian, the American was disagree
ably thin and bony. The Europeans, while
they conceded the beauty of our women, said
that they were too fragile and too thin. and
asserted, what was undoubtedly true, that in
stead Of growing stouter with age, like the
women of the Old World, they showed ten
dency to grow thinner and more emaciated
with years, and to prematurely lose in con-
sequence their freshness and beauty.
This Is what has been; all is different now.
Psychologists who have investigated the sub
ject declare that the women Of America are
yearly growing plumper. The majority of our
women are still little lean, but are not
near SO lean as their mothers and grand
mothers were. This fact has been generally
observed. It Is noticeable particularly in
large towns and cities, and in the older set
tied portions OF countries. The psychologists
are seeking for oil manner Of explanations
OF this change. new people are al
ways thin, say they; plumpness comes
only with civilization, quiet and rest. We
worried too much In the past; we did
not laugh enough; and lastly, we did not take
near enough care Of ourselves. It is different
now since we have learned something of
hygiene. American women wear thicker
shoes, warmer dresses, and do not pinch
themselves in the waist as they did genera
tion ago.
Better ideas are becoming current here, and
rs consequence our women have ceased to
remain thin and sallow, and are growing
slowly, 1t Is true, but steadily plumper. They
are not likely, however, to reach the gross
ness of 80 many Of their foreign sisters.
The climate. our institutions, ray, even our
politics, will prevent this. We can therefore
look forward to that day not far distant when
the women OF this country will reach the
golden medium Of plumpness, will gain an
other grace, and can claim beyond dispute to
be the most beautiful in the world