Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-10-03

Their Wondrous Eyes Arc Their Chief and
Never-EndIng Charm.

BRAZILIAN WOMEN.
their wondrous Eyes Arc Their Chief ana
Nsver-EndinE Charm.
Society In Brazil is divided in three
distinct c!asses-the aristocrats. the
middle and the lower classes The
ladies of the upper class are unde-
niably beautiful They have raven
black hair. white teeth and perfect
forms; and if it were not fort enor-
nous amount of plaster-of-Paris enamel
with which they cover their faces
they might have lovely, creamy COM
plexions- But their woudrous eyes
are the chief and never-ending charm
large. dark. lustrous and full of ex-
preston. throwing more meaning into
a single glance than q hours CONVEX
sation could possibly convey; for
though attractive and captivating in
their simplicity and grace, they may
not be able to write single sentence
correctly-for the education of women
is not considered essential to their
happiness They learn embroidery
and music indiferently. and spend
their lives in rocking chairs and
hammocks, never reading q book of
any description
The girls are fond of their dolls,
taking them wherever they go. even
to church; and never give up playing
with them until they are married,
which is generally between the ages of
twelve and sixteen years, thus early
assuming the important and respon-
sible duties of life Young mothers,
little more than twenty, with four or
five small children are no uncommon
sight.
Brazilian ladies never go out, even
in daytime, With out the family or
servant; they seldom go out at all.
They do not have gentleman visitors.
and if a young man who has been as
sociated with girl in childhood. or
who by some accident is allowed to
visit the family. becomes lover he is
Immediately excluded from the house
and the courtship proceeds from the
balcony to the street. II notes are
exchanged it is done secretly, never
through the mail. Often a entleman
sees lady for the first time on a bal
cony, at the opera or at church and
falls in love with her. A courtship
like the above ensues; they become
engaged, frequently without knowing
more of each other than they can
learn from inquiry; know nothing of
each others minds, tastes. characters
or dispositions. was told of a gen.
tleman who thus courted a girl for
eight long years and left her three
months after marriage
If a Brazilian girl should walk with
a gentleman not her relative in the
daytime it would ruin her.
If the lover desire an engagement
to the ball or opera. or a promenade
with his sonora, he must first propose
at headquarters, then seek her pleas
ure, and if she accord the whole fami-
ly goes along.
Among the lower classes there are
plenty Of women who go about the
streets with bare, brown feet thrust in
small Turkish slippers whose heels
clatter along the dusty pavement in
the most slipshod style. These women
lead simple, purposeless lives. going
to mass every morning where they
may be seen kneeling throughout the
entire service, as no seats are provided
in their churches. In the evening
they are found sitting in groups on the
ground, their nude children around
them, smoking their .long-stemmed
pipes and gossiping with their neigh
bors or the passers-by. Their dress
generally consists of one garment. a
loose hanging skirt with straps over
their shoulders, and reaching but little
below the knee Their arms and necks
are always bare, and it makes not the
slightest difference whether strangers
are present or not. They seem per-
fectly happy and contented with their
lives, and always ready to chat with
any one they happen to meet--Detroit
Free Press.