The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-10-23
BELYA'S COLLEAGUE.
The Eventual Biography of Marietta L
STOW. of California

The Eventual biography of Marietta L.
Stow, of California.
Mrs. Marietta L. Stow, vice-presi-
Dental candidate on the Belva Lock-
wood ticket, says New York special
of October 8, has had an eventful life.
She was born of farming parents in
Webster, Monroe county, n. Y, near
ly half century ago. She learned
the alphabet after her ninth birthday.
She could cook, keep house, sew, knit,
wash, iron, spin and weave before she
could read. At Is she was a school
teacher. At 10 she was married to
E. F. Bell, merchant of Cleveland,
o., and at the age of twenty-three was
a widow and childless. She took up
her residence in New York city, where
she became identified with humanita-
Tian work. She was an officer with
Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Beattie, Judge Ed
monds, Rev. DR.. Bellows and other
distinguished women and men in an
association for the protection of shop
girls.
During the war she gave material
and to destitute disabled soldiers and
the INDECENT orphan daughters of our
country's defenders, from the proceeds
of her public entertainments and
lectures. In 1866 she was mar
ried to j. W. Stow, a hardware mer-
chant of San Francisco, who died in
1874. Four years ago she was nonli-
mated on both greenback tickets for
school director of San Francisco and
called the first political mass meeting
ever held by women in the world.
Mrs. Stow was an Independent candi-
date for governor of California, in
1882. She organized, with the assist
ance of Mrs. j. II. Smith, of Oakland;
Miss Isabella &. Prince, Mrs. David
Bush, and Mrs. J. T. Moulton, of San
Francisco, the California Woman's
Social Science association, of which
she was made president, and continues
such. Silk culture is only part of
her social science work and accom-
plishment. She is a practical and I'M
compromising advocate of political
reform, dress reform and food reform.
The Chinese Belle.
a Chinese belle is a curiosity to
Cinnamon as well as to foreigners.
Even her Cwn co2ntryWomen look
upon her with as much wonder as
admiration. One reason of this is her
rarity. Bellies in China are rare birds
OF rare pIumage. No ordinary COM
munity can afford the luxury of pos
sessiDg more than one or two such
dazzling charmers. AS speech with
the male sex is of course forbidden
her, her features, eyes, cheeks, and
silent lips must all be eloquent.
Her skin must have great firm
ness of texture to endure
the continual coatings of white
paint which the laws of her being en-
join. Her feet must not exceed three
inches in length or one inch in breadth.
The finger nails of her last three fin
gers must be as long as the fingers.
These last two points are the especial
glory of Chinese fashion. Her daily
life does not differ much from that of
lady of fashion in the days of Pepys
or the younger Walpole. Suspicious
Of the morning mists, she never rises
before noon. Breakfast is served in
her own room by her servants. This
languid meal over, she begins the seri-
Gus business of her life. Hair by hair,
supported by three or four bairdress-
ers, she attacks the tangled locks in
| whose adornment she finds her chief
pride. Both mistress and maids labor
| for three or four hours, with snatches
OF rest, and thoroughly exhausted
with their task, at o'clock sit down
ia their dinner. Each province has
its separate method of dressing the
hair, eighteen in all, and the fashion
of woman's hair betrays her resi-
dence. The. handsomest couture is
woon by the women of Khan Lu, that
boasts the beautiful cities of Son Chow
and Shangai. Strangely enough,
the is tho only woman in China who
has a shadow of freeedom. She is al
lowed to go to theatres, aud even pay
visits, with far less surveillance than
her less favored sisters. There is
something in the BLACK patch which
she wears next ner temple, or by the
corner of her mouth, that checks any
attempt at improperly. A belle, OF
course, never walks, and rarely1wad.
dies, but is almost always borne in q
sedan chair. She. is an adept in the
language of the eyes, and through
these silent windows can signal more
persuasive arguments than fame with
her hundred tongues.