Evening star., 1897-04-17
THE NATURE BELLE.
WOman's Age of Greatest Charm is
Being Extended.

From the San Francis ArgoEaut.
The ruling woman Of the present day Is
the mature woman. The maiden of BASH
full fifteen, the bud of eighteen, the clear
eyed girl Of twenty, all must stand aside
for their older sister. who leads the pro-
cesSion. The age at which women are sup
posed to exercise their greatest charm
varies with the varying of fashion and
taste. In the Elizabethan era it was four
teen. Other heroines as celebrated in their
day and generation as Juliet were the insti-
gators of tragic loves and hates at that ex-
tfemely juvenile age. Half a century ago
Balzac astonished his countrymen by claim
ing unusual powers of fascination for the
woman of thirty. Ever since she has held
the stage as an incarnation of coquettish
attraction. At the present day the period
Of beauty and charm has been extended
even further. Balzacs thirty has received
an additional ten years. Women of forty
are no Longer looked upon as ruins in which
the. antiquarian may trace relics of bygone
splendor... With the vanishing of the term
''old maid the old maid herself. has with
drawn into the place of departed spirits
In France an unmarried girl of over TWEEN
/ ty-fiye Is looked upon as dead stock, for
which there Is nothing but convent. To-
day, in the United States. women of inde-
pendent means, women of society, women
who are self-supportfng. rarely marry un-
der twenty-five. and generally put off that
episode in their existence of five or ten
years later.
There are many reasons for the pres
ent vogue of the mature belle. She is more
attractive, understands human nature bet
ter. than her younger sister. She is still'
good lookir g. Her youth lasts longer than
1t used to, because she has learned how
to take care of herself. American women
formerly ruined their beauty by bad diet
no exercise. and too little fresh air. Now
they know better A healthy. well-groomed
W iS
worried, looks about the same age at forty
she did at twenty-five. With her ad-
ditional years has come additional wisdom.
If she has not the engaging simplicity that
was hers at eighteen. she has a knowledge
of men and manners which makes her a
more interesting companion. more low
able human being Experience has given
her the gift of sympathy. of which the
young girl feels nothing. To men she has
come to represent not only all that is grace
full and gracious and tactful in womanhood,
but all that is broad and tender and femi-
nine.
Among working women-from the artis-
tic to the plain working woman-the ma
turer ones are naturally in the ascendant.
The young girl among the workers is the
novice whom no one knows or cares much
about. 1t is when the years of endeavor
have been passed and mind and heart have
reached their fullest powers of comprehen-
sion and feeling, that she is at the pin
nacle of her development. In these days
of hurry and pressure and intensity of ef-
tort, such a creature naturally takes pre-
cedence over the untried girl who is wait
ing with expectant eyes for the message of
the future. Existence is too full the strug-
gle too serious. for the return of those
days when youth. ignorance, beauty and
folly were the great requisites of women.
The times are stirring, the pressure of ex-
istence desperately earnest. and man in his
struggle demands a helpmate who can as
sist him onward not draw him back. Chiv-
airy, in its downfall, carried away many
pretty. myths, the prettiest the myth Of
the childwife. hanging. frightened and
faint-hearted. on her husbands arm.