The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-04
AMELIA RIvEs IS A WOOD NYMPH

IL was some Ola Oreeh, VINO, WIN Tie
open style of.antiquity and faculty for
frankness, once remarked that there was
only one creature more beautiful than his
Helen in graceful robe and that was Helen
without it. All we'll enough for the Greek
and his day, but what row there would
have been raised in Athens, even in the
loose easy capital of that day, if Helen, in
her more beautiful array had undertaken
| to advertise her charms, puris naturaliDus,
| on canvas and of her own handicraft.
| There is no doubt that our old Greek friend
would have gone down in the market
place and raised such a scene in public
protest, that would have sent old Socrates
! home with his hCmolies and Intercepted
| discourse with newborn pleasure in a flu
rious but inartistic Xantippe, and dis
solved Pythagorean councils with the very
| horror of such thing.
! However, time works wonders and we
are not living in Athens. Amelia Rives
| Chandler, who at one bound stood before
| the nation as the authoress of the "Quick
I OF. the Dead" sometime age, and who has at
| various times since Intellectually essayed to
sustain the reputation that lurid book
of emotional fireworks gave her which
was written in her maidenhoOd
has as a matron and wife taken a new
departure. The heroine of the Quick or
! the Dead" was taken generally to be apho-
tograph of Amelia herself and as Amelia
personally was a wonderful eXemplifca-
ton of the heroine who was insanely given
to shining up trees in the presence of
gentlemen and sliding down haystacks in
delicate ENHANCEMENT of flounces and
confusion of bold bushes, the assumption
was probably a correct one.
A recent visitor to Amelia's Virginia
home announces that Amelia is exhibiting
life-size painting from her own brush
and OF her own unadorned self Amelia
has been TO Paris and imbibed a passion
for painting the nude. 1t will be remem-
bered that the heroine of the remarkable
Quick or the Dead" once posed herself in
puris naturalibus before her mirror and
admired her efflorescent charms of face
and form. As Amelia was her own
heroine and has since learned the art of
the easel, she has carried out the idea of her
early artistic conception. In the drawing
room of her Virginia home hangs ''The
Wood Nymph." The nymph is young
person clad in the light and airy draperies
OF all idcalistic hamadryads. The axiom
that beauty unadorned is most adorned is
fully carried out in it, Aud there is no
mistaking the resemblance. 1t is Amelia
herself
1t would not be right to go into the de-
tails of the daily routine of Amelia's artis-
tic laboFs, comprising As they do a palate,
= mirror a stack of brushes, the canvas
and Amelia herself with no suspicion of
q, 600 Worth dress in the neighborhood or
even of the delicate lingerie which is sup
posed TO accompany Nr Worth's crea-
lions. 1t ali goes TO prove that Amelia is
profoundly popular with herself as an I'M
chiseled Venus de Milo. Our pristine
mother Eve NAV have, Narcissus like.
paused above some mirrory lake and sazed
eutranced at her own beauty, but
the motive WAS only thst pride
which every woman possesses, not
an appetite for vulgar show. Oh. Amelia,
YOU have mistaken the Office OF trne WON
anhood and the duty OF true wifehood
Think OF Mr.. Chandler, Amelia. He can
not be but unhappy. Any man would be.
There Is nothing pleasant about it, Amelia
There MAY have been sonnet hing warmly
fascinating IN marrying a Young wanlaa
like yourself Up7a whom. the eyes Of The
whole country were turned with astoBiSts-
meHT. but there iS nothing Transporting
ia beboIding Mrs Chandler. the wife. do
ing homaSe 10 asd spreading her own
charms 10 The pubi.s, saze- Ycur husband,
Amelia. must lie miserable he needs the
prayers o. ali the sponses who nave good
sensible. steady. unljserary. iaartistlc
wives who are oonteat without Eotorssiy
and prelriest AT home in white apron
and knatty dress busy among The chill
drFn-