Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1896-02-28
vENEZUELA'SFAlR WOMEN
THE ASTONISHING suppENNEss
WITH WHICH THEY AGE.
Blooming Beauties Liable to BE
Transformed Into Wrinlled. Vel
low Croncs Within o Year.

| AA VCACAuC10 WOluCA W. l
seem scarce. But they are
not really so. Their pro.
portion in the population is probably
less than New England boasts, but
large enough. The customs OF the
country are against the strangers
ready realization of the fact. That Ia
all the trouble. Nowhere there, even
in Caracas, is there such constant
public beauty show as is to be seen on
the fashionable thoroughfares of all
American cities. Yet there is no lack
OF pretty women. When the student
has learned the convention places
and times for prosecuting his obser-
vations he will have no reason to To-
ment scarcity of subjects.
Primarily there are the churches.
All Venezuelan women go to church,
not on Sundays only, but upon any
day of the week. Indeed, some of
them 60 every day, but they are de-
votees, generally past middle age.
Their chosen time for church-going is
early in the morning, but that is the
loveliest part of the tropical day.
One is lmpelled to wonder at first,
what has become Of all the middle
aged Venezuelan women. A certain
| proportion in every gathering will
seem to be young, some of them beau
tiful, and all the others will appear to
be old. Can it be that those in the
intermediate stages seclude them
selves? Not at oil. But they age
with astonishing suddenness. The
blooming beauty of this year is liable
| to be transformed into crone, wrink-
led, yellow and bent, next year. They
ripen and decay with rapidity. And
at an age when the women of Northern
climes are Mt their best development
these have lived their active lives as
wives and mothers, and are either
skinny and bony, or fat and fabby old
women. 1t does not follow that they
die soon. They seem simply to pass
into sort of grandmotherly condi-
tion and remain there long time.
One charm seems to be the common
possession of Venezuelan women
beautiful eyes.
Intelligent Venezuelaus say that
there are few of the present genera.
tion in whom at least two distinct
strains are not blended, and in most
three or four are commingled. There
is, however, much uniformity of color
among ladies in good society, as one
sees them in full street dress, either
on the promenade or at special church
services. They are all coldly white,
not the clear light complexion that at
least makes pretence of being natural,
but such dead and solid white as one
sees elsewhere only on new wall, or
the face of n clown in q pantomime.
There is no false pretence about that
sort of face. 1t proclaims itself
starched with perfect honesty. Wo-
men do not whitewash themselves in
such style to hide defects, but SIM
ply because it is fashionable. Many
of them know they would be much
prettier without it, yet would as soon
think of dispensing with gown or
shoes when going abroad or dressing
to receive company. One good thing
is that they do not apply any injuri.
GUS nostrum with lead base to pro-
duce the desired effect, or swallow ar.
senic to clarity their compilations, but
just daub on thick paste of clean
American corpstarch and let it go at
that.
Their common headdress is the man
tilla of black silk lace. Drawn snugly
around the shapely head, with its deli
cate ecallops likesjetty curls dropping
over the brow. flying loose at the sides
OF the face, and perhaps just reveal
ing little of the dainty ears, it is
certainly the most bewitching head
dress invented for women, infinitely
more charming than any jumble of
feathers, artificial flowers and lace
ever devised by French milliner.
There is little promenading merely
for the pleasure of going abroad to
see and be seen, except in the capital.
No lady ever promenades unaccom-
panied with gentleman not her hus.
band. Generally the promenaders are
in trjos-- one lady and two gentlemen,
or two ladies and one gentleman.-.or
in larger groups. In the first named
combination OF three, ono of the gen.
tlemen seems interested, while the
other is evidently bored. OF the Sec
ond trio, one lady is quite certain to
be elderly, and she walks in the mid
die. 1t is all simple when understood.
Social custom forbids girl or woman
to hold conversation, at home or
abroad, even on the open street or in
throrged lpr blic pleasure ground,
with q gentleman who is not rela-
tive. unless in the close presence of
some relative or chaperon of ample
age and presumable discretion. A
slight modification of this rule is ad-
missible---r rather in practice than in
principle---when the question is of en-.
.tertaining declared suitor. A girl
may sit in her dark parlor, at the
heavily barred window, and listen to
loves whispers from young man who
stands i'll the street and whose nose
barely comes up to the window sill.
Even then guardian relative is sup.
posed to sit with her and supervise
the proceedings, but, in practice, the
watcher is generally sympathetic. and
if not actually indulgent enough to
withdraw, during at least part of the
tender interview, is likely to affect
sleep.
The rattle, made of a calabash con-
tanning beans, is one Of the queer
crude instrumepte IN which tho