Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-09-27
SCENES OF SENsUOUs BEAUTY.
Interesting People Who LOiter Their Hours
Away in the Tropics in Neglige Costumes.
HarnerS Magazine

Interesting People Who Loiter Their Hours
Away in the Tropics in Neglige Costumes.
Harper's Magazine
Hin docs, coolies, men, women and chill
dren-standing, walking Or sitting in the
sun, under the shadowing OF the palms.
Men squatting, with hands clasped over
their black knees, steadily observe you
from under their white turbans-very
steadily with a slight scowl. Ali these
Indian faces have the same set, stern ex-
preston, the same knitting of the brows
and the keen, strong gaze is not alto
gether pleasant. It borders upon hostil
ity; it was the look of measurement
measurement physical and moral. In
| the mighty swarming of India these have
learned the full meaning and force of
life's law as we occidentals rarely learn it.
Under the dark forehead with it's fixed
frown the eye glitters like serpent's.
Nearly all wear the same Indian dress,
the thiokly folded turban, usually white,
white drawers reaching but half way
down the thighs, leaving the knees and
the legs bare, and white jacket. A few
don long blue robes and wear colored
head dress. These are babagees priests.
All the men are tall; thsy are 1.-THE, very
| slender, small boned, but the limbs are
we'll turned. They are grave, talk in low
tones and seldom smile. Those you see
with very heavy full boards are probably
Mussuimens; they have their mosques
and the cry of the muzzin sounds thrice
daily over the vast cane fields. Some
shave-Bud1hists, or followers of Hindoo-
ism-but the children OF Islam never.
Very comedy some of the women are, in
their clOse-cling, soft, brief robes and
tantalizing wells, a costume, leaving
shoulders, arms and ankles bare. The
dark ARA is always tapered and rounded
the slver-circled ankle always elegantly
knit to the light, straight foot. Many Of
these slim girls, whether standing or
walking, or in repose, present perpetual
ly studies of grace; their attitude, when
erect, always suggests lightnessss and sup
pleness, like the poise Of perfect
dancer.
A cool:e mother passes, carry ing at
her hip very pretty naked baby. L has
exquisite delecacy of limb; its tiny ankles
are circled by thin bright silver rings; it
looks like a little bronze statuette: a
statue of Kama, the Indian Eros. The
mothers arms are covered from elbow to
wrist with silver bracelets, some hat end
decorated, others coarse, round, smooth,
with ends hammered into the form of
viper heads. She has large flowers of
gold in her ears, small gold flower in
her very delicate little nose. This nose
| ornament does not seem absurd; on these
dark skins is, on the contrary, pleasing,
although Bizarre. All this jewelry is pure
metal; it is thus the coolies carry their
savings, they do not trust the banks until
they become rich.
There is q woman going to market, a
very odd little woman; is she Chinoblan-
co-a coolle, or a Malay half-breed? l
do not know. She represents type
| have never seen before. She wears one
loose, soft, white garment, leaving arms,
ankles, part of back and bosom exposed,
like a low-cut, sleeveless chemise, but
less long. Her whole figure is rounded,
compact, admirably knit, and her w9lk is
indescribably light, supple, graceful.
But her face is queer; it is an oriental
grotesque, Chinese dream, oblique eyes
and blue black broxs and hair, very high
and broad cheek bones. Singular as it is,
this face has the veritable beaute du di-
able; it is a very young and very fresh
face, and the uncommonly long, black,
silky lashes give her gaze very pleasing,
velvety expression. Still the most re-
markable pecuiarity-she has. is her
color, clear and strange, almost exactly
the color of fine ripe lemon.