The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-05-13
FREEDOM OF FOREIGN WOMEN
Ladies' of Europe Have Nothing Like
Much Real Liberty rs Is En-
jOyel by Americana.

Much Real Liberty ms Is En-
joyel by Americana.
Nowhere in the world do women
claim and enjoy more real liberty
than here in America" said keen
ly observant man, just home from
Paris; "but there is freedom from
certain conventional restraints in
dulged in by the fair foreigners that
our women have really not got the
courage to practice. This was i'm
pressed upon me by what I saw this
spring on the Riviera, where all the
great ladies of Europe are just now
collecting.
even to a man the costumes seen
at Nice and Monaco are matters for
marvel and he can pick out the
American born from the foreign
women every time, at least I could
and did. The Americans wore rich
and lovely gowns, but it took tho
Russian princesses to make our p;et-
ty women look like modest violets
beside their bold and original gor-
geousness.
Zone princess wore what the Ia
dies of my party explained was
lowered muslin gown, trimmed with
sable tails, and though her head was
crowned with straw hat and flow
ers, her hands were thrust in huge
nuff of the finest Russian fur. I
can only tell you that she looked
perfect beauty, and to my eye won
derfully distinguished, but my COM
patriots shook their heads when I
suggested their following the fash
ion as set by the Russianlady.
Not for worlds they said; they had
been to see costumes made by the IA
nous Sara, and while her things were
marvels of artistic beauty, they were
never, so Sara confessed herself,
bought by Americans. Such wondrous
toilets as hers would make woman SO
conspicuous at the Metropolitan opera
house, so uncomfortably noticeable in
New York restaurant and so stared
at by Newport that in a week her name
and picture would be in the paper.
Sara dresses Austrian arch
duchesses, French duchesses, English
comtesses and Russian princesses, but
the American women go elsewhere, and
my feminine friends candidly admitted
that in matters of dress the foreign
woman enjoys far greater measure
of liberty, and, furthermore. can wear
a striking frock with an easy grace
and lack of self-consciousness that our
country women have not yet at their
command.
"Then L noticed other little liberties
French women especially take, that
with all their freedom our women
never dare assume. / can best illus
trate my point by telling you what I
saw in an exceedingly fashionable
Partisan restaurant. Not far from the
table at which my party dined sat a
handsome Parisienne with her husband
and son. She was in full evening toilet
of no small degree of splendor and
there was no installing the fact that
she was a grande dame, holding sue.
cessfully to her youthful beauty.
"The dinner of this group was chosen
with French taste, and l could hear
that they were going on to the opera
After the liqueurs madame drew a
charming reticule before her, took
from it a tiny mirror and surveyed her
pretty face; extracting bit of pow.
der puff from her reticule she touched
her nose and chin daintily, and Their
calmly lifting out long, silky. brown
curl, she pinned it to her back hair al
that point where it's shining length
would fall gracefully over her bare
white shoulder.
when everything was to her salts
faction she rose, her husband put hel
into a luxurious long coat and away
she went. leaving my party the only
astonished observers. No other mar
and woman in the room seemed 'tc
think her action in the least outre OF
worthy even a thought; but, you see
we were thinking all the while of the
sensation that simple and not only in
offensive but distinctly pretty little
side show would have created in one
of our high-class restaurants.
"Why, the other diners would have
been paralyzed with amazement anG
promptly set her down as mo lady, anc
the next time she came to dine the
head waiter would have been careful tc
discover that all the tables were en-
gagged. So, even in effete Paris, you
see," laughed the clever and observant
man, there are some privileges en-
joyed that Our code of liberty does not
all
The Men Are Just Like Them
II
no woman would grow old.-Chicago