Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-27
PAINT THEIR CHEEKS
HOW SOME OF The RICHMOND GIRLS
GET THEIR ROSY COLOR.
The Idlsr Investigates tho Secrets OF Cos
metics-Bad Behavior at Wedding
John jasper the Hest Man.

WOtHtu lODi you w
These words were addressed to the
"Idler" few nights ago bya pretty little
maid. as the former was comfortably re-
clining in one of her best parlor chairs.
Not constituting this too true remark as
being applied to myself in particular. but
to mankind in general. ventured to in
quire wherein lay our gullabIlity and spe-
cial susceptibility to the wiles of the
weaker sex.
why" continued my fair hostess, "you
go to q bail or q theatre, and upon your re-
turn you rave over girls complexion,
and never for an instant suspect that she
Is daubed with paint"
DO they really Unit their fair faces I"
inquired, STOPPING TO learn the sacred
secrets of those whose every movement
admire.
well. should say they do. Half of
the girls in this city are artificial. and yet
you all never suspect such thlng-ney re.
think of it," said my informant. us
true they don't buy much paint from the
druggists, for that kind isn't popular"
continued my little friend. but they get
ii from the millinery stores. They pur-
chase these cheap artificial roses
and use tho colorng in them. .,
yes, one rose will last for years,
for a little goes q long ways, ana
it makes q prettier tint than the regular
rouge. You fellows don't know how much
truth you are telling sometimes when you
speak Of the roses in a girls cheek. Your
fattsry is truer than you think, though
your charmer's very artificiallty itself IS
the result of artificial flowers. Just think
nov--God's loveliest productions-wom
and roses-both false, and both combining
together to deceive you"
"How do you know these thingsl"
sternly asked.
Because | have painted my cheeks Just
as the other girls do. but / am moro hon.
est about it," was the candid reply.
There was something IN all this informa-
ton which made me sad, but my sorrow
was not so great that | did not have the
moral courage TO go TO big drugstore the
next day and satisfy my curiosity about
cosmetics to q still greater extent.
When | told the clerks that ] wanted
them to show me some paint-the kind IA
dies use on their cheeks--their astonlsh-
ment was most profound. They looked
first at me as il were an escaped lunatic,
and then gazed at my face to see ii there
were any signs of artifciallty. Finally |
explained my purpose, and one of the at
taches of the Office was detailed to explain
to me the mysteries of TINS department Of
the business.
I'VE don't sell as much of the stuff ne
we used TO-" said my pilot, but there is
plenty on hand here" He then showed
me various styles of powders. Some
CHASTITY white and Others delicately tinted
in rose, and explained that these concoc-
tons. if anything, were more popular than
the regularrouge. But the latter article was
what | wanted TO see and what | called for.
Several pretty little china boxes. round in
form, were produced. and when their lids
were removed l beheld most beautiful
pink.
This is what the girls like" said my
pilot, making lovely peach-blOw TINT on
his wrist with finger which had been
dipped into the colorlng. 1t is Rouge
de Theatre what the actresses use. We
sell good deal of it, OF course there are
various shades of the color-some being
much deeper than others. / don't think
little hurts the skin if used judiciously.
Vinegar rouge Is also very popular, but
there are many. many things they use"
/ was shown numerous compounds, both
liquid and solid. with which the COM
ple8ions of some of our fair ones are beau
tilted, and the revelations startled me so
much that hereafter | Will always be sus-
picious of rosy cheeks. Still l am disin-
cllned To believe that anything like
one half or even one fourth OF
as a method of Instrumentation. Our
girls here have enough natural charms,
color or no color, TO make them delightful
without resorting TO subterfuge. To those
who do paint | can only say For gracious
sake. don't let us know it; continue to
make geese of Us, for should we learn the
secret we will not admire you half 30
much.
1t is q hard thing to go 10 church and sit
up through the entire service "a if you
we're wooden man. I don't believe the
preachers expect it, and have long since
abandoned trying TO accomplish this end,
but il does seem 10 me that some people |
have seen might behave themselves a
little better when they attend we'd
dings. Half of nearly every audience
present at them simply 90 out of
curiosity. and sometimes their conduct
IL really bad. In the first place, IL always
looks improper 10 me 10 see large part OF
the congregation arise Just as the bride
and groom enter There is no excuse for
1t, unless curiosity be taken as an excuse.
No matter how much tho happy
couple" may be absorbed in each
other. it is nevertheless quite embarrass-
ing for them to know that they are the
centre of an inquisitIve gaze. Every
movement OF the pair is commented upon.
and sometimes severely criticised, while |
conversation IS kept up through the whole |
of the service. All OF the remarks made |
could easily be postponed until after the |
wedding, If only the audience would !
restrain themselves for few min |
utes until the ceremony IS perform |
ed The situation IS enough to scare the |
grooms out of their swallow-tailed coats |
and cause the brides to drop their rib |
boned roses in terror. The attendants. of |
course, are not 80 conspicuous anc tor that |
reason they fare much better but On . the |
horrors the contracting parties have 10 en- |
counter. BY the way, | have never known |
a case where the bride wasn't ten times as
cool and collected as the groom. They /
rarely get thoroughly scared, and it is |
sent the most terrified aspect. Poor fell |
lows L can readily imagine how they feel, |
| have never been so unfortunate-
ly situated.
A few months ago one Of the Richmond |
ministers commented upon this bad be-
havior of which speak. lie said that a mar
rage ceremony was Is much of religious
service as ANYTHING else. and equally as /
sacred. / think he was right, and that his |
remarks ought to have made more Of an
impression than they seem to have done
Ia some cases.
A few days ago / attended a wedding, |
and after getting most OF the data tor my |
report from one of the ushers asked what |
sort of dress the bride had on. - don't |
know" said he. but here's sample Of 1t
| have in my pocket" lie produced bit
Of the usual tan cloth" which so many
and thousands OF happy maids
have worn on 1.-THE dav of their marriages,
and [ scrubbed down in my notes - A ira
Yelling suit OF tan" | could not
help wondering where the fellow got
the sample from. and whether the
bride had distributed bits of it TO each of
her attendants as parting memento. At
any rate, the usher, without ever changing
his expression, tenderly put back the bit
Of cloth after submitting II TO my Inspec-
ton. and then departed to take his place
in the hymenial party, who were just en-