The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-27

The Bewitching Manta Which Renders Plain
Women Dazzling Beauties.

Women Dazzling Beauties.
Lima Letter in New York Sun.
The ladies of Lima are all eyes. They have
the reputation of being as a class, the most
beautiful in the world. and. meeting them on
the way to mass in the morning, or shopping
later in the day, one can easily how they
obtained it; but knowing them in their homes,
the opinion changes, and you conclude, after
calm reflection, that they are not 80 pretty as
the women of New York It is the manta,
which they wear in such coquettish way. that
gives them their reputation for beauty, TOR 1T
conceaiS every feature except their beWltchlng
eyes and lovely olive complexion. No matter
how ugly her mouth or her nose is; no matter
how high her cheek bones or large her ears; no
matter whether she is as scrawny as a scarecrow
or as bald a bat "manta" will make any
woman with pretty eyes look handsome, and,
like charity, it covers multitude of sins.
This garment which is peculiar to Peru, and
is worn by ladies of all ages and social posi-
tions from the Presidents wife to the laundress
who comes after your linen, is a sort OF foster
sister to the mantilla of Spain. 1t is usually OF
crepe, from China, and costs anywhere from $40
to 5000, according to its quality and the amount
OF embroidery it bears. The manta is always
black, and is not square like the ordinary shawl,
but rectangular Wealthy people wear them
with deep silk fringe or an edge OF rare point
lace, while the poorer classes are satisfied with
little strip of lace, however cheap, stitched on
to one edge of it, so as to fall over the forehead
when it is worn. When the garment is
put on, this lace is adjusted nicely so
that it will just reach the .eye-lashes,
and then the long end of the manta
is thrown over the left shoulder and fastened by
a pin at the small of the back Thus it does for
bonnet, wrap and dress, all In one, and it makes
very little difference what she has under it, for
in manta the homeliest woman looks WELL
All she needs in addition is black skirt, which
Is seen from the knees to the hem.
On the street the women look like procession
of nuns, but in their homes when they are
dressed, like the Queen of Sheba. In olden
times, when the galleonS used to come to Callao
from far Cathay." bringing silks, and satins,
| and jewels in exchange for the silver of Cerro
de Pasco and Potosi, the fashion of wearing fine
clothes was set, and the people have never
abandoned it. There is a legend that one of the
Viceroys rode from the palace to the cathedral
and back again, a distance of about two
blocks, on horse, every hair of whose name
and tail was strung with pearls, whose hoofs
were shood with shoes of solid gold, and whose
saddle and bride were worth a kings ransom.
The road was paved with ingots of silver, so that
from the door of the palace to the cathedral
steps the ground was not to be seen.
One can believe this sort of thing by looking
into the pawnshops of to-day, where people i'm
poyerished by the war have taken their plate and
jewels to raise money to buy meat and bread.
Here are toilet sets of solid silver, beautifully
chased, including the meaner vessels of the bed
room, which betoken the luxury and extrava-
gance of an age when the mines of the Andes
the sea were being turned into gold. Similar
"reminiscences of ancient glory can be seen to-day
in the toilets of the ladies, in the heirlooms
which they wear their wrists, on their breasts,
and in their ears, as we'll as the rich, old
fashioned fabrics which their grandmothers wore
before them, made in the days when people did
not intend things to wear out.
In the drawing room the Lima lady is not so
beautiful as in the street, where the manta con-
ceals all imperfections, but she is attractive still
bright, vivacious and winning With more
passion than intellect, with very little knowledge
of the world outside of her own orbit, she never
reads newspaper, and never looks at book.
but she is up in art and operas, plays the piano
brilliantly and with exquisite taste, and talks
like a conversational blizzard She is affection
ate impetuous, and strong willed; gushes over
what she likes and shudders at what does not
please her. Impulsive, frank and generous she
is easily betrayed, and the principal object in
life Of her mamma is to watch her like a hawk.
AT seventeen or eighteen she marries-often
younger still. At twenty-five she is the mother
of three or four children shrunken and wan, or
else Unfortunately fat. One does not see any
handsome old ladies in Spanish America: their
good looks seem to go with youth, and old maids
are unknown. If girl cannot get the husband
she warts she will take up with what she can get
To die unmarried is worse than any matrimonial
misery.