Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-26
SURE OF THEIR CHARM.
French Women Unafraid to Don Ugly
"Auto" Accessories.

From L ILLUSTRATION
The oddly, not to say the ugliness, of
some Of the costumes or accessories to COS
tune that have been invented for the use
Of the woman who automobiles ought to be
enough to prevent pretty women from ever
indulging in the sport of motoring-if any
thing could deter a woman who Is possessed
to taste pleasure or follow a fashion.
To bury to disguise, an often exquisite
figure in the folds Of an ungraceful dust
coat. to disfgure ones self In heavy, vulgar
fur garments. sometimes even to venture On
a cloak of stiff, malodorous leather-these
things no longer call for comment. But one
is moved to marvel at the articles of APP
parel that coStumerS have been bold enough
to cOntriVe as protection from wind and
sunburn. One could almost believe that
usefulness and beauty were mutually eX-
elusive as with rare exceptions the inven-
tors have escaped from the commonplace
only to fall into the ugly.
One costumer has fancy for a sort Of
cloth armor, a real black velvet mask the
eyes covered with enormous prOtruding
google spectacles, while hood envelopes
the head and protects the hair from dust.
Another, retaining the google spectacles,
covers the entire face with cloth, but places
at the base of the nose a yawning hole,
which gives the patient-if one may say it
q head like some queer bird, cross be-
tween a parrot and a harry.
Another. thinking to improve on this. at
tempts to give to the mask with which he
covers the entire face the appearance of
life, modelling 1t and enameling it in nat
ural colors, but without succeeding in re-
moving that painful and irritating impress
sion which a face thus disguised always
produces.
Yet another has simply taken the same
Chinese scholars goggles which his rivals
have used and inserted them in a lace veil.
A number of automobile devotees dsdain
these complicated and barbarous machines.
and content themselves with fastening
around their caps more or less opaque
veil, loosely draped The face is thus con-
ceaied entirely; at the same time 1t Is not
made grOtesque, and it is completely pro-
tected against the inclemencies Of the
weather.
If the English journalists are to be be-
lieved. the English "chauffeuse" scorns
against her will. to conceal her features
and dsf1gure herself. Instead, she wears
only a veil, which leaves her face quite Wis
ible. The unkindly disposed, smiling iron
ically. will be tempted to recall in this con-
nection the end of a dialogue between an
Englishman and a Frenchman-two diplo-
mats-at a time when Napoleon was sign
Ing q treaty of peace in which was de-
manded pretty heavy money indemnity.
''You are really astonishing, you French
acting money as a prize of war. We are
satisfied. we English. to fight for glory
simply"
what would you have, my lord?" replied
the other jester. "One fights always for
what he has not got!'
In the case at hand, French sportswomen
are sure Of their superiority in point Of
elegance, SO confident Of their charm that
they do not hesitate to sacrifice them partly
in exchange for keen pleasure, deriving
their satisfaction from gliding along the
high road at express speed, not in the effect
they produce on the passerby.