The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-28
GOSSIP ABOUT WOMEN.
Hands of Noted Women.


A charming fin de steele novelty is the
photographing Of the hands OF women.
Upon the score of beauty this very new
custom has good reason. Poets have
spent phrases upon the beauty OF the per
feet hands of their heroines. No novelist
of the class given TO descriptive detail
would omit to mention admiringly the
hand Of the leading lady of his story in an
enumeration of her charms be 1t long,
translucent and tapering, or chubby, soft
and warm, says the Young Ladies rash
ion Bazaar.
Since the giving OF young woman's
hand has always been symbolic OF the Civ.
ing of herself-a symbol that has lied
more than once or even twice in the his
tory of mankind-since IL has ever been
the privilege of the subject TO kiss the
hand of his queen, of n knight OF old to
kiss that of his lady, of a modern lover to
press that of his beloved in his own since
indeed, a fine hand is so truly beautiful,
whether il contain four aces or four fin
gers, and since temperament at least, III
not each small particularly OF character,
is expressed in IL, the hand is certainly a
sufficiently important feature or ones
makeup to be preserved in counterfeit
preSentment.
The photographing of hands originated
as general custom in London about a
year ago Hands had been reproduced in
outline by the camera before that time.
When Mr.. Heron-Allen made chiromancy
a fad-a fad now defunct-he incidentally
presented pictures made from photographs
of some well-known hands to illustrate
his writings upon palmistry.
The hand of a demi-blonde is, as rule,
the prettest of all hands.
The taper of the fingers is most beauti-
full. Such hand Is slim, without being
bony or too nervous, The possessors OF
such hands are usually of an animated
~ m af nj
to occasional emotional and unreasonable
moments and to periods of melancholy.
The hand of pronounced blonde is apt
to be excessively thin and of apparently
too delicate formation. The long, slim
hand as rule, whether 1T belongs TO
blonde or n demi-blonde, indicates a
variable disposition, subject to times OF
excitability
The hand of the decided brunette is
short and plump, and bespeaks an amia-
BILE, contented, housewifely disposition.
She is of coniiding nature, alert and in
telligent, but allowably vain and some
times unaccountably irritable an de-
spondent by turns.
The photographs of hands appear most
effectively upon black circular or oval sur
faces. A cup, flower, a piece OF bric-a-
brac, anything simple and dainty held In
the fingers, may enhance the artistic
effect.
Wanted, n Novelist.
The literature of the day, the public
thought of the day as expressed in edltorl-
ais and essays, has not kept pace with the
facts, writes Jane Meade Welch in Hdr-
pers Bazaar. Mr.. Howells, who is recog-
niZed as our representative novelist, does
not know how TO portray self-support-
ing woman whether she be saleswOman
or artist, who is not a whining parasite.
Mr.. Boyesen, skilled in depicting some
phases of American life, says in effect
that however successful, there is no pro-
fessonal woman who would not be secret
ly glad TO change her lot for comfortable,
lovable seclusion. Even George Meredith,
who has approached nearer TO an under
standing OF woman than any novelist who
has vet appeared, and in Diana of the
Crossways" has artstically portrayed the
power which n woman of strong character
has over weaker sister, makes Diana be-
tray herself as the real Diana never would
have done. A great need OF the world
of fiction today is novelist for women,
one who can paint the women OF the last
decade of the nineteenth century with the
same sure touch that Jane Austin had in
representing the Emmas and Lizzies of
her time. "Women," said one of the best
known of the university extension lee
turers at Chautauqua In July, DO not
half realize their powers. Nhen they do
they will give us novels in which Will hg-
ure tie woman of higher education, the
college graduate, the philanthropic woman,
vet society queen, who rs the out2rowtn
of the cooperative charities OF our great
cities. IL is the ideals OF such women that
now govern conduct"