The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-02-11
THE WOMEN OF SPAIN.
Where the Traveller Sees Young Girls
as Beautiful as Angels.

Spanish women are children of nature.
They are fond of dress and amusement.
They cannot be said to be intellectual as
a class, although very great distinctions
should be made. They have remarkable
native intelligence and a gift of converse
ton which is remarkable. They are re-
l~igious, great lovers of home, good wives,
good mothers and good friends. Spanish
men never, excepting on great occasions,
90 to church. The women have to do
all the religion of Spain. But is not this
the custom of most countries? "Nymph,
in thine prisons be all my sins remem-
bered."
The traveller through Spain sees the
young girls anywhere as beautiful as
angels. They are tall, straight as an
a row, with the most perfect figures, and
with faces which for dark, tender, sad
beauty are u~nexampled. The magnificent
hair, always clean, always combed, al
ways marvelously DIRE 'sed, with the in
evitable flower in it, is alike the distin-
guished mark Of the poorest as well as
the richest Spanish woman. In this re-
spect the Spanish woman is unlike any
Othe.. Even Italy, the sister peninsula,
so closely connected with Spain in the
past-Italy has no such distinction. The
Italian peasant does not take such care of
her hair, nor does the Italian lady mani
fest the pride, the neatness, the coquetry
Of fresh flowers, as does the Span1ard.
That beautiful, undulating hair, so blue
black, with a rose hidden in it's tresses-
it is the JOY of Spanish travel to look at
these heads.
In going into small shops and humble
quarters one often sees the business of
hair dressing progress. One sister is
dressing the hair of another, or the mother
is arranging the couture, etc. They have
little heated irons, with which they friz
the one side, and the other is allowed to
go smooth. 1t is always becoming to the
face beneath it. They wear it much over
the face, avoiding the Chinese style. Lit
tie curls around the ears or pushing for
ward on the temples show that the Span
ish woman values the purpose of hair,
which is to shade the eye and contrast
with the complexion.
At the back of the head the nuque is
always carefully brushed up. The nuque
gives that character to the. back of the
head which is so essentially Spanish. It
is a remnant of the high comb days and
the mantilla. The high comb is now sell
do worn, but the hair is always dressed
high on the head, a natural crown which
any queen might envy.
The Spanish eye, large, humid, tender,
grand, la~nguishing, furnished vita lashes
long, SO curling and so beautiful that no
pencil of the artist fails to despair; the
black pupil, the white sea in which the
l~ustrous orb sails-al is indescribable !!
Spanish eyes are sad. Spanish women,
when they are not laughing or coquetting,
have a sad expression. Is there a little
OF the Orient left in their expression? Is
it Moorish, and does it speak of the harm
and the inevitable heart break?
Next to the beauty of hair and eye
comes the beauty of the flashing teeth.
These are so universally perfect that the
student of dentistry should go to Spain
to find out how they manage it. There
is very little good eating in Spain. Per-
haps these faultless teeth are not spoiled
by cakes and pastry and sweets in child
hood. But the careless traveller expects
to be rewarded when the Spanish woman
smiles with g row of pearls and he is al
most never disappointed Chicago Jour-
mil