The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-05-19
AWOMAN YOU ADMIRE
THE NEW YORK MATRoN AS SHE APP
PEARS TO WESTERN EYES.

for IT Takes Wealth to Garry Out Her
position-sbe Is u Nice Person to Meet
and She Is Always Presentable.
There is a chastened elegance about the
American matron that her English sister
sometimes lacks. The mammas of the
truly refined classes in Gotham are of an
exquisite finish and completeness that are
not often seen across the pond. Ihey nave
been lovely young girls; they are still hand,
some women, study their complexions ana
give serious attention to their figures. One
never sees an American matron whose skirt
hangs at q defective angle Their corsets
are things sacred and solemn, manutac-
tured only by artists of the toilet. line
mysteries of makeup" are still lofty
ioy to them. They have penetrated to the
heart of the secret of how to look thirty
when you are fifty.
When YOU meet them on the avenue, at
the theater, at the summer hotels, on the
steamer you may always know them at
glance. American matrons by the score
will pass under your investigating gaze,
but they will not be the real American
matron, the one which is spelled with cap
ital letters and enrolled on the list of the
calmly self satisfied. These are never in
the ascendant as to mum bers. The article
is too fine ever to be numerous. 1t just
appears now and then, like century
plant and the people stand away and gaze
at it.
The perfected type is always woman
whose husband has money. Elegance and
completeness cost something She will
never be a very gay or brilliant or witty
person; but she and her encourage will
be perfectly finished, absolutely flawless in
their well groomed polish. From the time
that she is thirty-ive to the time that she
is fifty-five she looks exactly the same.
The few very fine lines on her forehead
and about her mouth. scarcely deepen a
hairs breadth. Her figure, not slim, but
quite removed from an overlooking fat
ness, is restrained in the most elegant pro-
portions by an extremely tight and well
made corset. Her hair is always absolute
" immaculate. A little trifle of bang,
neatly curled, lends just enough frivolity
to her delicate visage, and her hands are
always lovely, white and well set off by
rings, with nicely shaped nails, which are
never manicured, because that is a custom
now fallen to the common and the vulgar.
In dress the lady is always exactly in
the fashion, but never week ahead of it.
She eschews fads and fancies of the hour
that may by their extravaganza captivate
the ladies of gay manners or the girls of
the shops. For it is horror to this re-
fined person even to wear q bow on her
hat, trimming ON her skirt, which might
resemble what is worn by those who arc
not ode notre monde" In consequence
she is always trifie quiet in her costumes,
a thought too demure. Conspicuousness
would seem as horrible to her as to know
some one who was divorced or not to pay
her dressmaker's bill. And so she is never
striking figure. You might pass her by
without a tribute to her style of costume,
but you never could know her without
bowling before her calm responsibility.
With acquaintance comes a mild over
flow of admiration for the New York Cor
nelia. There was never any one so ex-
quisitely fine and finished and neat. You
may find this lady with her temper in
deshabille, but you never find her with her
hair out of order. That iawless head.
dress is never marred by a loosened hairpin
or displaced curl. You cannot, even in
thought, associate her with a rumpled
collar or a muddied skirt. She is always
at the same pressure of cool, complacent
perfection. When you run into her on
Broadway on wet day, she is still exqui,
site and unruffled, clear as to skin and eye,
smooth as to hair, placid as to manner,
dry as to foot. When you find her sitting
against the wall at 3 o'clock in the morn
ing, watching her daughter gyrate in the
arms of the gilded youth of Gotham, she
greets you with tranquil, sufficiently
warm smile, and without trace of fatigue
in her clear cut face or of impotence in
her well regulated manner comments
agreeably on the ball.
Her whole menage is regulated in the
same severely neat manner The house,
hold arrangements go like clock work. The
house itself is trim as wax work and unos1
tentatiously comfortable. The children are
brought up' to the highest pitch of good
manners. They come down to dinner and
greet the family friends politely, then sub
side into silence in distant corners. They
do not stare and bite their nails, they do
not edge up against their mother and de-
mand who the stranger is in loud whis-
pers, cycling him suspiciously the while.
No, the American matron will brook none
OF that. She does not even have to say, in
a gently reproving tone, "Adolphus, amt
you going to say how dye do to Mr..
Smith," and then have Adolphus come
stumbling over toward you, extending
dirty and reluctant hand. The American
matron's little ones do just the correct
thing. They murmur little word of
greeting, look a little look of welcome,
offer little cold, clean hand and then tip
toe softly away with little improving
book under their arm.-New York Cor.
San Francisco Argonaut.