The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-20
Woman's Vanity Is Useful.

New York Evening Journal.
We waste time in proving that women,
from the cradle to the grave, at all hours
and all ages. are sincerely interested in
their personal appearance. No man should
object this-the constitutional guarantee
referring to life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness covers the ground fully. But
it is not enough for men not to object TO
woman's various innocent vanities.
Every man should be delighted that wom-
en- are vain. Each man should do what he
can to keep the vanity alive. For woman's
vanity, dearly beloved. is the one and in
dispensable preserver Of her health.
A woman cannot be pretty according 10
her own notions unless she is healthy. If
she is too fat, she is not ~pretty-and she is
miserable until, through self-control, she
gets thin. If she is too thin, she is not
pretty. It present she has a crazy sort Of
idea that TO be skinny" is to be attract
i've. THAI is a passing delusion. In the
long run women realize that there Is noth-
ing beautiful about a female living skele-
ton, and they strive through normal living
10 become normal.
Above all. no woman can have a good
complexion unless she is in good health
and lives normally. This one absorbing
question of complexion does more for wom-
ans health, il gives US more strong moth
ers. and more sensible girls, than all the
preachings, beseechings, prayers and eX-
postulatlons OF all the worlds male ad-
Vlsers.
A woman's instinct is to eat buckwheat
cakes, adding boiling hot coffee and iced
water. She likes TO eat candy between
meals, and her idea of a fine luncheon is
lobster salad and ice cream. But small
spots appear. Those fine pink cheeks get
too pink or too pale, and sensible eating Is
adopted as a life rule. Even the hideous cor
set squeezing is counteracted by the power
of complexion. Woman likes to look like a
wasp, and if she could she would move her
poor system all out OF place for the sake
OF a waist hideously small. But. providen-
TALLY, a waist squeezed too mercilessly
gives a bright pink tip TO the end of the
nose; and for the sake of the color of that
nose tip the poor waist gets a rest-the
corset is let out.
1t cannot be denied that among idle, nerv-
Gus women to-day there is a tendency to
take stimulants to excess, and even to
smoke abominable cigarettes. Alcohol, for
tunately, ruins the complexion. And for the
sake of their looks women often deny
themselves and show a strength of resOlu-
ton that would not be called forth by any
moral appeal. Cigarettes in short order
make the face sallow, spoil the shape of
the mouth, make the eyes heavy, fill the
hair with permanently unpleasant nicotine
suggestlons-and women are cured of
cigarette smoking by a look in the glass.
when they could not be cured by fearful
appeals of the wisest philosophers.
Do not, therefore, O men. despise the
vanity of women. Praise and cherish it
rather. Be grateful that nature works in a
wonderful way through the power of at
traction, making woman do for good looks
sake that which is most important to her
welfare.
If you want to cure your wife or some
other female relative of lacing. don't NOR
alize. Say to her six or seven times: Isn't
! the end of your nose a little red?'
If she acts in any way unwisely, staying
up too late, living foolishly, trying the silly
and unwomanly habit of cigarette smoking,
don't ~criticse the habit.
Criticise her complexion, or the look of
her eyes, or her general lack of youthful
ness. She will soon be cured, if you can
follow this advice astutely.