The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-03

THE WOMEN OF VIENNA.
They Are Noted for Thei- 'seauty and Good

They Are Noted Tor beauty dhN ooo>s
Natu-s.
The Orient and 81. ,ccldent are most
charmingly mingled in the Viennese
woman. who may be described as a
mixture of beth. While she has all the
sterling moral qualities, the common
sense and high standard of intelligence
of the west, her physical charms par
take more of those of the east. Her
figure is more full than that of the
Parisienne, or Of the latter's counter
part, the New York girl, and is built on
lines that may be described as voluptu-
Gus. Although frequently the blondest
of the blondes, her form is that of one
of the houris Of the Orient, where small
artifcially-compresse waists are I'M
known and where nature is permitted
TO have free sway with the figure. 1t
Is to the Orient. too, that the Viennese
is probably indebted for her love of
bright colors, which, though vivid, are
invariably harmonious, picturesque and
becoming when worn by her. Still an
other Oriental characteristic which we
find very strongly developed in the
Viennese girl is her passionate love for
music and for dancing. People sing,
play and dance at Vienna as no
where else in the world, save
perhaps among the Gitanas at
Seville or the Tsiganes at Moscow;
and indeed, so thoroughly does the
musical and rhythmical instinct seem in
born in them that one would almost be
tempted to believe that, notwithstand-
ing their blonde hair and fair complex
ion, they have in their veins a strain of
gypsy blood. In the west music as a
rlle comes to Us by education. and with
rare exceptions we are entirely want
ing in what may be described as the
sacred fire of harmony. The Viennese,
however, seem to possess the gift as a
birthright, and they need no instruc-
ton TO produce the most enhancing
melody. Let anyone who doubts this
ge. some French. German, English Dr.
American virtuoso to play waltz of
Strauss on the piano. While the execu-
tion may be perfect, yet it will leave
the listener cold and unmoved. But
let an ordinary Viennese player, man
of the humblest classes-let us say a
journeyman tailor, a hack-driver or a
waiter-play identically the same piece
on either pianoforte or on the either,
the blood viii begin to course more
quickly through our veins, there will
come sort of delightful, yet inexpres
sible cold shiver down the small of the
back, and unconsciously we find our
selves keeping time both with voice
and feet.
This being the case, dancing of course
plays great role in the life of the vi
ennese. 1t did so in 1915, when the
Prince de Ligne wrote: The congress
dances, but does not make any progress
with its work" Everybody dances at
Vienna. young and old. rich and poor,
the high-born and those of the humber
birth; and so passiOnately fond are the
people of this form OF entertainment
that one almost feels convinced that
they picture to themselves Heaven in
the shape of some grand carnival-time
ball, where lovely angels will perpetu-
ally float around through the air with
archangels as partners to the strains of
Strauss waltzeS, played by celestial
performers. But to no one, perhaps,
does dancing constitute so important u
feature in life as to the Niennese maid
en-. If she belongs to the aristocracy,
no matter whether she Is princess,
baroness. or merely entitled to the no
hillary particle of won" she is desig-
mated until her marriage as ''contes-
sci which may be translated as little
countess and the confessed has all
sorts of prerogatives in connection with
dancing that are accorded to her by
tradition. Thus at nearly all the
balls that are given by the great
world there is a special room set for
them which is known as the ''contessel
salon." and which belongs exclusively
70 them and their partners There
they dance and flirt unhampered by the
presence of any chaperon; and the mar
-icd woman no matter how young
bride, who ventures to cross the thres-
ht Id and to invade their domain would
be regarded as an intruder and guilty
of a breach of good form and etiquette.
Ar the supper which follows certain
number of tables are set aside for the
exclusive use of the ''contessel' and
III irried woman who tries to obtain
room. Unlike Paris. London, and New
York, where it is the young married
woman who is the queen of the ball, at
Vienna it is the young girl of the con
3essel who reign supreme there, and
VINO carries everything before her.
This latitude allowed to the young
girl and this freedom of chaperonage
would not be possible were il not for
the fact that the great world at Vienna
is sort of big family. and very close
corporation, where nearly all are re-
lated to one another, and from which
strangers and foreigners, except when
related to noble houses in Austria,
are pitilesSly excluded Blue blood
untarnished by any plebeian strain,
through Sin or seven generations of an
cestry, are Indispensable to those who
would belong thereto; and no new
rank. no matter how great, conferred
by the sovereign can win for the bearer
admission TO the charmed circle. The
reSllt is that there is no fear of Stran-
gers who might be inclined to take I'M
due advantage of the familiarity and
'lnconventionality that prevail. Every
ono calls every one else by the Chris
tian names, and addresses each other
as Thou" Married women and Young
girls have no compunction about hon
oring the men present, all more or less
closely related to them. with honest.
hearty handshakes that would cause
the hair OF a dame of the haute bour-
geoisie of London or Paris to rise in
horror from her head were she to wit
ness it. and above all there is no pre-
Sa,Sa an1 No u tfaa,a-iop An a-, 80;