The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-20

Since time immemorial the standard of
feminine loneliness has ever been-and, Tor
that matter, still is-a moot question.
The ancient poet sang in wild discordant
notes of coral lips, low ogerhanglng brow
and distended nostrils
The sweet singers of Greece tuned their
Tyres to tell of long supple limbs, figure
like that OF a goddess and perfection of
features.
The'whole world then had but one ideal,
and it perpetuated her in song, IN painting
and in sculpture.
Her influence was all permeating, and
so thoroughly was the time imDued with
her that it was close to the end of the
seventeenth century before she ever began
to relax her hold.
The moderns, with the exception of the
painter and the sculptor, set up for wor-
ship bewiIdering array of idols. Milo's
Venus was relegated to obscurity and for
getfulness.
Tall ideals, short ideals, ideals with soft
rounded limbs and ideals whose paucity
of flesh scarcely concealed the angularity
Of their bones were scattered broadcast.
The novelist then became the most pro-
life expounder of the ideal. He took
her mien severe ana then again a sunny,
dimpling smile. He added or subtracted
at viii from the recognized classic length
Of limb. He devoted mellifuous and
abundant phrase to the description of her
eyes. He crowned her with a golden
mesh or an ebony coronet. With one ex-
ception he took no liberties with her
classic features. Now and then he
Clipped off the very tip of her inspiring
nose and coined the phrase retrousse to
explain his sin.
So long had the ma jorlty looked to the
romancer to explain his ideal that the
fin de steele novelist, who INDUCES in no
descriptions and hints vaguely at soul in
huence, left 1t with nary leg to stand
on.
Then, to add to the perplexities o. the
day, there Is that ambiguous expression
Enthusiastically of woman's coinage-the
mans beauty.
This new idol is the most mystifying of
all. The woman explains her variously,
delightfully."- indefinitely, with moues and
shrugs that convey much but mean little.
With the men apparently lay the solu-
ton, and being ever of an inqulring mind
l made my pilgrimage among the promi-
nent men of the City, discovering little
that was new but eliciting much valuable
information.
know for a certainty that mans
beauty is IN many cases much the same as
woman's accepted standard; that there
Is Darby for every Joan. I have per-
force lost all faith in the much-vaunted
affinity OF opposites. 1 have had proof
positive that all men do not marry their
ideals; that some men have not forgotten
the trick of bIush-n and that all deep
down in their hearts have set up an idol,
which TO them represents the acme of the
truly noble and beautiful, and at her
shrine all bow with devotion and rever.
ence.
James Phelan was the irst victim of my
lnQuisition and graceful victim he was.
Smiling and serene be met the all impor.
tant question and answered with firmness
and precision. I listened attentively while
he explained the goddess of his dream. His
exposition was of more value than be ever
could imagine. knew be was the presi.
dent OF the Art Association and man OF
rare intelligence, a passionate admirer OF
the beautiful. Further, knew he is con.
sidered the greatest matrimonial prize of
the season and that when he wins the girl