The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-27
Very Few People Agree ON
Feminine Beauty.
'The Oracle" Has q Few ideas
on the Subject.
BEAUTY'S REAL CHARM
Is i'm Lack of Self Conscious
ness of the Individual.
The Fashionable Gown as 1t Is
Today.

I've noticed" the Oracle began, that
any time you want to start an argument
it is necessary only to venture the opin-
ion that a certain woman is pretty. I
never knew woman SO absolutely and
marvelously lovely that there wasn't
some one who could find a flaw in her
or at least. if it was admitted that she
was physically perfect. complain that
she didn't appeal to him. The fact is
that very few people agree as to fem
fnine beauty. just what constitutes It
is hard to say. So much has to do with
the critics mood and his preconceived
opinions For example some people are
SO saturated with the ideal of a blonde
that they see no charm in dusky beauty.
and others are no longer interested
when they notice that a woman's eyes
are blue instead of black or brown"
Whats your idea of a beautiful wo-
MANI" asked the girl with red hair.
We'll" said the Oracle, II can't des-
cribe it exactly although 1 have seen it
realized a thousand times in a great
many different women but not often in
the same woman twice What / mean
is that the sort of woman who is always
Immediately and strikingly and radiant
~ beautiful doesn't appeal to me par
ticularly. 1 will admit her beauty, but
don't care about her much l look at
her once because she's so dazzling 1
can't help 1t but after 1 have taken in
her good points I don't care to look
again The next time I meet her /
a
She is always the same,pretty, splendid
late, insipid, or icily regular, splendid
" null Now that's the sort of beauty
1 don't care for I don't say such wo-
prefer woman less perfect and more
captivating. To my mind the most
Fascinating beauty is the beauty of a
moment-the beauty of a mood, or a
exaltation. love the plain or even the
ugly woman on her pretty days, for
nearly all women have their pretty days,
you know. There is something enchant
ing a bout a loneliness like that 1t is not
mere surface prettiness. 1t isn't mat
ter of classical features. hawless COM
plexion or exquisite eoloring. 1t is an
inward radiance and there is nothing
who is always lovely in that way. She
seems alive with emotion. bubbling over
with joy,or, on the other hand, permeated
with great present sorrow. Her soul
shines through her face. 1 like that sort
of beauty And I like the sort of wo-
man who is fair because she is good.
There are some like that-our mothers
and a few others They are living ex-
amples of pretty is as pretty does All
the high thinking and pure living and
noble doing which have made up their
lives have left indelible beauty marks
on their faces.
There is another sort of face with
history which is not quite so pleasant
or.so attractive but which is interesting
1 won't say 1 like to see it, becuse it
speaks of suffering, but I am always
fascinated by it and love to watch it.
That is the face of the woman who has
lived and suffered and tried and failed
1t is a face which bears the story of
tragedy in its lines and expressions and
to hold my attention it must be the face
of a woman primarily good, and who
still has noble impulses and fine in
stincts- 1t speaks of courage and in
tellect and will and high purposes come
to naught through adverse circum-
stances 1 particularly dislike the sort
of beauty that is cold and unfeeling
that never knew a temptation because
its owner has no heart and no mind and
no imagination and 1 don't care for the
stupidity, innocent pretty type.
Maud Lillian Berri who was here the
other night in the Sultan of Sulu is
an example of the sort of dashing beau
ty who isn't especially attractive to the
average person She has a magnificent
figure and very lovely face but there is
something 1acking-or is it a superfiui-
tyr Yes, that's tits her seIf-eon-
seriousness Every time she moves
across the stage she seems to say:
Look at me, That's what I'm here for
American Beauty. My pictures have been
in Munsey's and the Metropolitan. I
am certainly a peach If she would
just forget or appear to forget, her
audience she would be incomDarable
But that appearance of never losing
sight of the fact that she is the central
figure in the scene goes far toward ruin
ing her effectiveness. Of course she is
so pretty that you have to admire her,
and her clothes are certainly dreams
but she isn't winsome and alluring like
some less lovely women OF the stage
Simply stunning but so perfectly aware