The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-30
Cly BEAUTY Be A CURSE?
ODIniOnS Gathered From Twelve Beau
tiful Women.

TAYLOR, MIS- SAeNeAa4lNs MIS- SSA-
rsss-Miller, Mrs. Duncan Elliott,
Madame Patti and Lillian Russell
say 'Nol'
Sew York, July 29-The representa-
tive women, who have been converting in
d c,1rld's congress. at Chicago, fully dis
cgssad the question of beauty. I have
baen surprised to note that, with singu-
Iaruaanimity of opinion, they agree that
beauty is n fatal gift.
To quote one speaker: Beauty is
snare. It is a pitfal. 1t is a source of
more trouble to the world than avarice,
and a greater curse than money has ever
been The woman who possesses beauty
should pray to be delivered from the
temptations in which her beauty places
.er. She who is plain should thank God
that She is free to follow her life to the
highest point of its possible projections,
lntrammeled by the tolls of beauty, with
beautv's deceit, its fiattery and its brain
lessneSS.'
pondering these words I said to myself:
"Cau this be so2 Is it true that so beau
4iful a bit of Gods handiwork as pretty
woman is cursed just on account of this
same beauty? Is it true that she is 60
ing to be battered and deceived and made
braiuless. until she is ready to say to her
self Would to God I had been plain
eWo1ld to God that I were snub-nOsed,
freckled and lanky,' Would to God that l
were anything rather than my own beau
tiful self2'
Then l resolved that would write to
some of the most beautiful women of my
acquaintance, and would ask them if they
had ever found beauty a drawback to
successful career. l would find out, be-
yond dispute, whether beautiful women
sighed to be plain and homely, as ardent
" as plain and homely women sighed to
be among the truly beautiful,
TWELVE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.
After deliberation I selected for my
test the following twelve women who
are ] think you will say, entitled to be
Cassed among the finest women of Amer
lea and even of the world.
The beautiful twelve are Mrs. Potter
Palmer and Mrs. Chatfield Taylor of Chi
Cago Mrs. Amelie Rives-Chanler of Vir-
ginia Mrs Jenness-Miller of Washing
ton, and Mrs Grover Cleveland and Miss
Herbert of the same city, Mrs w. K.
Vanderbilt, Mrs John Jacob Aston, Mrs
George Gould and Mrs. Duncan Elliott of
New York, and Lillian Russell and AIDE
lima NicOlini Patti.
the twelve most beautiful women in the
world. But they are the most beautiful
representatives of their own station or
class, and they are, therefore, desirable
for the beauty test.
Amele Rives Chanler is a wealthy So
Ciety woman, the wife OF a grandson of
the elder Astor, and a writer and novel
ist. Mrs. Jenness-Miller may be said to
belong TO the ranks of business women,
those wi " ~ fa toll
gift, according to the edict of the con
gress; and Mrs. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Astor,
Mrs Chatfeld-TaylOr, Mrs. Gould and
Mrs. Elliott are society women, without
any pretentiOns to the publicity of the
semi-Official life which Mrs. Potter
Palmer, Mrs. Cleveland and Miss Herbert
lead. The other two are, as everyone
knows, singers and actresses. Are not
these representative wOmenl
A conversation l once had with Patti
comes to my mind The diva was sing
ing in the Metropolitan opera house and
was trying to get an interview from her
IN the long wait which comes at about the
middle of Lucia de Lammermoor. Patti
is always in an amaible frame of mind
when she is doing Lucia and l knew she
would be willing to talk / shall never
forget how she looked as she came into
her dressing room with white draperies
falling all around her, and her eyes spark
ing brighter than the diamond star
which she wore in her hair.
PATHS IDEA OF BEAUTY.
Come and see me tomorrow she said
81 have to spend an hour with my hair
dresser on f avenue, and I will talk to
you then. DO believe that homely wo-
men succeed where pretty ones faill" she
exclaimed laughingIy when l told her
what l wanted to talk about next day.
"Oh, no indeed. l do not believe any
thing of the sort Beauty is a blessing
taHsman, heavenly gift! But, | will
tell YOU what | think about it tomorrow. "
Next day Patti was i'll with the terrible
cold that nearly wrecked her American
tour and ! did not see her again. But I
nave always remembered what she said
ANA when ! 90 across to Wales, some day,
1 snail accept the invitation which lies
before me on my desk, written in PATHS
own delicate hand on the daintiest Of
Nlolet-hued and ViOlet-scented stationery
and shall visit her at Craig Nos
And, then | shall ask her again if she has
changed her mind about the value of
beauty.
Mrs. Willie X. Vanderbilt does not con-
sloef beauty very detrimental TO a wo-
mans prospects. Although of a fine
southern family, Mrs. Vanderbilt had no
money at all before she was married and
NOT very brilliant prospects of desirable
pdrti
1t was at ball that the poor southern
beauty first saw Mr. Vanderbilt She
had known he was to be there, and wept
5teat oceans of briny tears because she
idu nothing to wear that was fit to be
seen by the New York millionaire At
s lne last moment some one loaned her
spanish Lace shawl, which she draped so
eHetuFely over an old yellow satin gown
VA her beauty shone forth like an oil
painting IN dull gold frame. The sequel
was the Vanderbilt wedding
WHAT MRS. PALMER SAYS OF BEAUTY
Mrs. Potter Palmer is another woman
VINO does not undervalue beauty
81 suppose you expect me to saw said
sAt that beauty of face is nothing COM
p1Le4 with beauty of mind, and that per-
o'Idl charms are to be despised in cOmpar-
SUI WIN charms of intellect
o. huJ, Mrs. Palmer, do you not think
tadv pretty women are apt to be vain and
oo,u3olous and that they are seldom even
OGdiinaFily intelligent2"
ne Wen no, do not. | have never been
ma M mai opinion. I have known just as
-1s ounces among homely women as
p pl'ong pretty ones. / do not say this
ere because you have been kind
ti.guRI 10 count me in your list of beau
49,. nave never found such personal
I,I VIEeness as | possess to be a draw
IN On the contrary it is an incentive
M, ILotI' When | read in the magazines
e"spapers that it is worth a trip to