The times., 1901-03-31
A LAND OF LOVELY GIRLS
Chilean Maids Are Closely Guard
ed by ChapeTOns.
The Women Of Chile. old and Young,
Are Great Churchgoers mad DeNof-
ed Ia the Opera. Where They Are
Seen in Fine Gowns and Gems.


ed To the opera. Where They Are
seen in Fine Gowns and Gems.
Mrs. Henry Lane Wilson wife of the
Tinted states Minister to Santiago, Chile.
has recently returned to this country and
i'm speaking Of her life at her husband $
post said:
Chile is a land Of lovely girls, but
they are much ham9sred 10y the chaper-
on. A girl never goes out alone, though
she may 20 out accompanied by her Sis
ter They have the most beautiful eyes l
have ever seen. They are not 50 well cdu-
Gated as the girls in this country eN-
cent i'm the languages. Every girl knows
several languages, French, Spanish, ana
English at the very least. The only free
dom that the girls have is at the Plaza
where the chaoerons go. but they soon
get tired and sit down and then the girls
walk about by themselves. The American
and English girls shock the southern peo-
ple by the way in which they 90 about
unattended.
The people are great churchgoers, the
women doing the most praying. When
ever a woman or a girl goes to church
She wears "A black crepe shawl over her
head This is said to be done TO make
all equal in church, and there is no look
ing around to see who has new bonnet
In Peru. the women wear the lace man
tilIa instead of the crepe. chile is q
great Roman Catholic country. They
have magnificent cathedrals and grand,
spectacular professions Men carry great
golden images on their shoulders and all
the people throw flowers as they go by.
The women gather on the balconies ana
when the procession approaches they fan
to their knees and then throw the flowers
in showers over the priests and those III
the procession. 1t was often a wonder
to Ine how the women accomplished thel'
Housekeeping for every morning the
streets would be filled with black-man-
lied women on their way to the churches.
The women OF Santiago dress eX-
trava gantly. almost too much so on the
streets They wear light silks. satins.
and laces. and their street costumes on
this account seem in very poor taste on
the other hand, in Valparaiso, which is
only q thirty minutes ride from san
tiaEo. the women wear taior-made suits
and sailor hats. play golf. and DO all
sorts OF English things. and in Santiago
il is quite the other way. The people
90 not Exert themselves very much. II is
called land Of do-nothing. but since
coming back to this country ] am in
clined to think they do about as much
as the average American
The place TO see the line clothes is at
the opera. A company comes over from
Italy each year. and there is an opera
season of sixty nights. The opera is Civ
en- about four evenings a week. and al
Hays on Sunday evening, that being the
fashionable night. as it is in most Catho-
lie countries. The opera house IS one Of
the most beautiful in the world and cost
Ss1a GO ii has tiers of boxes or polcos,
TO the ceiling.
The boxes are supported by large
white figures. with golden wings and
they are filled with these lovely women IN
the richest and handSOmcSt ol gowns ana
fairly blazing with diamonds. one night
a woman wore point lace dress and had
diamond ShoulderstTaps. She also had a
necklace and hair ornaments of diamonds.
The women wear their Jewels in sets.
cannot describe the effect, for every
woman sparkles with gems. They do not
seem 10 care much for the operas. Iney
take the boxes for the season, one person
securing the box for all the a nights,
and others for other nights. and the
operas are arranged accordingly.
They know the operas, for they are the
standard operas that have been heard.
year after year, and il Is said that they
go 10 the opera 20 see each other and not
10 hear an opera unless IL may be a new
one, occasionally brought out. This VIII
seem more true when ] tell you that the
choice seat in the box is the one that
faces the audience and has its back 10 the
stage. Here the women sit. with their
opera glasses and lorgnettes to their eyes
and gaze al the people in the house The
men stare dreadfully. They get down
In front. between the acts. and simply
stare. straight into the boxes.
a man never takes girl TO the opera
81 to q dance She goes with her Chape-
ron and also goes home with her It's
the same way at a party. The man meets
the girl at the party At the opera he
visits from box To box, or in one particu-
lar box. but forever under the eyes Of the
ChapeTOn.
''Nearly every bit Of the splendor Of
the dressing comes from Paris and they
have all the newest and latest Paris and
London STYLES. as much as any one in
This country. There are heavy duties to
pay on the gowns