Thomas County cat., 1886-12-09
CALIFORNIA WOMEN,
Their Tendency to Excessive Growth and
Expensive Dressing.

Expensive Dressing.
A feature of Pacific Coast life which
impresses every stranger who spends
much time there is the great number
of large women to be seen. 1 have
remarked the fact everywhere, from
Los Angeles to British Columbia. A
woman of immense circumference is i
rare sight in the East; but here they
are as numerous as the mountains.
"Eow do account for it?" / don t
account for it any more than l account
for the prodigious squashes produced.
or for the sweet potato, four feet long,
which l saw the other day. Climate
may have some influence, just how
one is puzzled to tell, unless the
bracing air induces a ravenous appe-
tite. But here We must not forget
that the very task of digesting an un-
due amount of food sometimes keeps
a person thin. The free and constant
partaking of fruit may tend to the un-
desirable result. An inert life, too lit
tie vigorous exercise, may take hand
in the work.
The number of Jewish women of
immoderate size is especially noticea-
bic. AS class the Hebrew people of
the coast are prosperous people, and
are good livers. Many of the women,
having no lack of means. take life
easily, are much in the open air and
spend hours in lively chat and in light
employments. They dress richly and
expensively, and the matronly portion
of them not tastefuliy. One can pick
out the Jewish married women Oh the
street, not less quickly by the materials
and the style of their costumes than
by their features, which certainly are
unmistakablc, nine cases out of ten.
They are fond of jet and lace, of silk
and velvet, and wear a profusion of
trimmings. But neat fitting. which
lends charm to the cheapest materi-
al, is usually conspicuous by its absence
in their costumes. And the Hebrew
woman is not more trim in her bearing
than in her attire. Many of them lack
the snug. compact carriage so pleasant
to see on the street They get along
over the ground as though it required
an effort to move the body, as with
most of them it must. These criti-
cisms are not applicable to all the mar
r;ed women of that race. They are,
however, true of many. But in the
case of the young Jewish women they
fail to apply. Their figures are moro
shapely.
After some experience in observing
women of different nationalities in
very heterogeneous population like that
of San Francisco. and, indeed of the
entire Pacific coast, one learns to
recognize the race characteristics of
each quite readily, until much inter-
marrying has obliterated the national
or race lines. The voice, accent. feat
ures and figure; the step, mcin, choice
of colors, and an idea of the fitness,
as evidenced in dress and demcanOr,
with some other tokens, aid the stu
dent of human nature in making up
his Judgment in the case. And every
where the conviction is forced him that
the woman with good American blood
in her veins and fair amount of men,
tai culture is the one who embraces
within herself the cOmpletest catalogue
of noble qualities. She is the woman
of ready resources. of broad outlook
upon the world. She is the woman
most awake to the worlds needs. and
most capable of doing woman's part
in supplying them. She is the mostself-
reliant and possesses the finest SYM
pathies. She knows herself rs women
of other countries 90 not know them
selves. She does things. Clevcland
Leader