Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-03-19

that real beauty is so absolute that
discussion and disagreement are out of
the question that this divine gift is
as indisputable as the brilliancy o.
the sun or of the tender light of the
moon, and the traditions and faith OF
our early teaching linger long and die
hard. Our phases of belief and our
standard of beauty vary, however, as
life goes on. The beauty which We
admired and remembered as children
horrifies us as we look back upon il
from the experiences of a maturer
age; for that ideal was entirely subor.
ldinated to our affections and seen
only through their eyes.
There is 40 doubt. however, that
while those who remember bygoEn
generations have the same expert
ence as ourselves, and know only of q
limited period, it is to pictures that
we must look to form an opinion as
to whether the standard of beauty il
the world today is less or more thad
800 years $50. The pictures of Sir
Peter Lely and Vandyke are the first
that portray an approximate idea of
what we now consider beauty, The
pictures of the Tudor sovereigns de-
pict fine, strong, big men, and the pic
lures by Holbein of Henry VIII are
those of a magnificent man. Indeed,
all the pictures of men at that period
if they do not convey the idea OF
great physical beauty, at any rate de-
pict manly qualities of a fine state OF
development, for their subjects are
strong, active, well made men
though the less romantic and pictur
esque qualities are absent from their
faces.
The pictures of the women of those
days do not impress one with a high
standard of beauty. They are all
more or less of a manly type, and do
not convey any idea of the delicacy
and refinement which we associate
with real feminine beauty. Queen
Elizabeth is wonderful in appearance
and expression, but she is not beau
tiful. There is a strength and vigor
III IllS VII Sill QuCGn anu d UdSItn-
cence of apparel, but any real charm
is wanting; she is a woman to COM
nand, not to love. Queen Mary and
the women of her day are simply
ugly When we get to the highest ex-
position of beauty and charm the
world has ever seen-beautiful, be-
witching, unhappy Mary Stuart-we
are fairly baffied; for though there is
grace and dignity, she does not repre-
sent to us the beauty which was the
cause of bloodshed, conspiracy and
crime and expatiated its sins on the
block at Fotheringay. The beauty of
Mary Stuart must have been no
dream, no matter of opinion, for the
men who fought and died for her did
SO in many cases, from passion in
able charms. 1t may be that so fas-
cinating personality, with all the
charm of her French training and
education, turned the heads and won
the hearts of her stern Calvanistfc
subjects; but that is hardly reason
enough for the power she possessed
over every one she came across. We
search in vain in her pictures for
anthing like beaut great enough to
make such ha-oc as characterized her
whole life and Their is only one small
miniature OF Mary Stuart which con-
veys even an impression of the charm
she must have possessed
Vandyke does at once strike a new
note and his mer and women are not
only beautiful but disCin guished and
picturesque. The men he painted are
heroes of romance, from the dignity
and pathos of Charles | to the gallant
demeanor of the martyred Stranord
The grace of his women, their self
possession, their air of breeding
make them beautiful apart from any
real pretensions to that attribute, and
the ladies whom Sir Peter Lely por
trayed, though less refined and of a
different class, are beautiful women
or give the impression of being SO
II we pass over the pictures of the
next years, comprising the reigns OF
Queen Anne and the early Georges
they depict beauty, not of the indis-
putable standard of Vandyke, but
rather dependent on a picturesque
ness of dress and costume, which also
gave a grace and dignity to the ap-
pearnce of those who were rich
enough to be painted. Queen Anne
herself, was not beautiful, and Sarah.
duchess of Marlborough, though fine
commanding figure, had not much of
the grace or dignity with which Van
dyke endowed his women; while most
family pictures of that day represent
a race of stern and hard featured
women, though the fashions were not
either unbecoming or extravagant.
1t is not, however. till the days OF
Reynolds and Gainsborough and Rom
ney that we are compelled TO admit
that there may be some truth in the
opinion of many that there was more
real beauty in England in those times
than there is today. There are no
women more beautiful and comeiy.
none better endowed with the ease,
grace and simplicity which great
beauty gives. than the v omen of their