Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-01-10

prayer and fasting-these are the
trials of the homely woman, too little
sympahtized with, too little appreci-
ated.
But there are ameliorations. In the
first place, very few people are really
homely; no young girl isl almost
said no old woman is-few suffering
people, either men or women, are. /
have a friend who is of subtle dis
position who once said Of a beautiful
girl. She is very beautiful for so
young a woman" meaning there were
no experiences in her face, and so Q
lack OF the highest quality.
And there are two refugees for those
who are definitely afficted-they can
be Stylish and they can be quaint.
This column used to wonder why all
the "stylish"-if the Sun will permit
the use of this abominable adjective
women were so plain till it discovered
to be stylish" is the prerogative Of the
plain. In an honorable family Of four
daughters there may be always the
pretty enc the clever one" 'the
good one" and tho "stl one. TO
trespass on the premises e.. the other
is despioable, unless the good, the
wise and the stylish are all united in
the same person.
And if a woman is tall and has good
eyes and good teeth, 1t is her own fault
If ugliness is not banished. The sub
scriber acknowledges to the weakness
Of gullibility, but there is nothing
more easily assumed than the air Of
being good looking. and nothing which
so completely imposes upon her. A
certain dash, the sweep of garments,
the rustic of silk, daring hat, a dot
ted veil, an assertivo manner are too
troublesome to dispute Most people.
like your correspondent with indolent
dispositions are perfectly willing to
take them all for granted.
And II she, whom in a less advanced
age we would dub plain, is small and
Insignificant there is the second role
which is in its way almost as effective.
Quaintness has also the additional quail
ity OF being disarming. 1t is a species
OF childish affectatiOn as pleasurable
to forgive as the Venial faults of ones
lover, a satisfaction dear to the female
heart. An aesthetic woman irritates
another woman as suggesting a certain
superiority to the average taste but
she who is quaint is in the attitude
of apology. She even appealed to the
imagination, like members Of n relig-
| ious order who are disigured by their
conventional habit and obtains, more
than likely, The same sort Of common
dation-"how good looking she would
be il she dressed like other people"
This column has remarked, and been
taken TO task about 1t as savoring Of
servility, that she never saw a really
wealthy person who was not in way
handsome, but I think the stigma will
be removed from her when the read
ers Of this article recollect that IL is in
the power of every rich woman, how
ever naturally plain, to be one Of the
two things which are fatal to ugliness.
Ito be stylish" requires the accessories
of the toilet, and "quaintness" better
thrives with real lace and antique jew
!, els.
All women, in after life. claim to
/, have been at least pretty" when they
, were young. Therefore, il is impossible
/, to say that any man ever married a
plain woman. In his chivalry he would
be the first to deny II and, while we
are willing to speak Of our present
! with depreciation our past is sacred
, Is. then, the plain woman loved?
' By her own sex, yes, and, with nc
q ignoble rejoicing over her disadvan-
: tages. For the fact is, there is no such
4 discipline to the character. no per-
4 sonal affiction so difficult to bear. Wo.
men begin by liking beauty in other
women, in admiring it and being proud
= Of ii, with certain pride of sex. The
n pretty girl in school is always the
. most popular. and the first romance o.
+, many a young girl is for some beauti
II full older woman. But this column il
= of opinion that it is the plain woman
A who calls forth in other women theii
o most loyal friendship. possibly be
q cause she seldom cOyets. pop
n ularity, possibly because hay
r. ing few personal interest
.el 1--WE will take r for granted she is I'M
II marTied). she throws herself into tn
n AFFAIRS of others. The most agreeabl
y woman the subscriber knows has neve
" taken the trouble to be either stylish
N or quaint" but in her, who in a wa,
"a was never young the enthusiasts o
If youth are combined with the toleranc
III Of age. and capacity for self-detach
~ ment that Is the rarest of social gifts