The herald., 1894-12-13
SHE CAN SEE NO BEAUTY IN THEM.
A California Woman's Judgment Upon the
New York Women of Fashion.


California womans Judgment Upon the
New York Women of Fashion.
The horse show brings forcibly home
to US an unpleasant truth-north of
Mason and Dixon line we have not de-
veloped an aristocratic type. Southern
women, by virtue of their descent from
English ancestors of birth and breeding,
added to generations Of luxury, are in
dubitably aristocratio in outline and
bearing, but the New York woman Of
fashion is merely swagger, @ combina-
ton produced by an expensive Dress
maker and her own unswerying deter
mination to acquire an "air" She is
swagger without being high bred, self
conscious where she would be naughty,
and her repose is mere lounging.
have studied this type for several
years, and last night was struck anew
with two of its fatal deficiencies-its
lack of nose and Of cheek modelling. 1t
is not too much to say that in all that
tier Of boxes there was not one good
nose. Only one girl had nose of size,
and hers was proboscis. She could
have supplied three Of her meager sis
ters. Tho others without exception had
little pugS or an irregular piece of flesh
and cartilage that cannot be classed.
One japanese looking little beauty"
had queer peaked affair that seemed
to point derisively at her bang. Anoth-
er woman of middle age who is never
spoken Of except as lone of the most
beautiful and distinguished looking wo-
men of America. has minute appli-
cation so unfortunately constructed as to
give her the effect of one whose fate it
is to stand constantly on the edge of
sewer. This woman is absolutely with
out beauty. Her face is large and COM
mon and oolorless; her "languid eyes
with wicked sparkle'' are as nearly
expressionless as eyes can be got. She
is merely an astonishing newspaper pro-
duotion.
One Of the women most frequently
extolled for beauty has the face Of the
Partisan cocotte One can see it by the
dozen ON spring afternoon driving to
the Bois, its other extremities banked
in flowers. She is tall and has charm
ing grace, and two or three generations
have done much for her, but the cocotte
suggestion is paramount Last night
she sat with her legs frankly crossed,
model of elegance for the gaping throng.
Another is as good type of the
French soubrette as you will ever see in
Partisan theater "a small, dark,
bright, wicked little face, its owner as
smart as great milliner could make
her. Another ''beauty" has merely q
bright, good, attractive face. Not line
there conforms to any standard. Anoth-
er has developed a Burgundy complex
ion and large knobs on her cheek bones.
This is merely q study and truth
full one. I see no reason why the truth
should not be written about this much
discussed type for once. The newspa-
pers are responsible for the false im-
preston regarding the fashionable wo-
men Of New York. To describe beauty
makes interesting reading. But the So
cial phase of any country is part of its
history, and current history should be
treated with the same impartiality as
the more easily focused past. As mat
ter of bare fact, there is hardly beau
tiful or high bred woman in New
Iolh eoOl0'J' h''i iuiJ oho eiitio al PIouio
or modelling of cheek and chin OF in
repose and dignity of bearing suggests
three generations behind her. And it is
a great pity, one to be regretted by any
good American, for the New York wo-
man of fashion is today accepted abroad
as the flower of American civilization.
The blue blooded southern woman is
beautiful, the cosmopolitan California
woman is beautiful, but the New York
woman Of fashion, without her bright
complexion and hair, her admirable
grooming, her superb gowns and ac-
quired "air," could only be described
by the most damning Of adjectives-
commonplace. e.-Gertrude Atherton in
New York Sun.