The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-19

number and the more Intelligent, csfhsl.
icisrp is precious only - tie palladium Of
the nationality. Chssbuliss's cbaractsr'
/, ization OF the Polish women as punch
mixed with holy water Is now trihe anti
| qustsd.'
The Polish women are renowned Tor
beauty, and Mr.. Brandes bears witness that
they deserve their reputation. II u KIND
! Of dogma In Poland that the typical Pohsh
woman 10 blonde; and II 10 considered most
! elegant 20 be 20. According to our author
however. there Ia but slight foundation
for the dogma, because, although some
women are to be found who not only ao-
proach the Swedes and NorwegiaDs In the
! golden yellow u their hair. but sur
, pass any Northener In the glistening white
ness Of their skins, brunettes are every
where more numerous. and the color OF the
hair OF the larger number 10 dark brown.
The Polish women are especially remarkable
for the shape Of the hands and the small
ness Of their feet. They even place the
beauty OF hands above al other physical
perfections. Il regard my hands. not my
face. said one, and . lady WHO otherwise
thought but little about her appearance.
and was too cultivated TO be vain. never
theless. when her hands were frostbittsn
In Paris, caused the most celebrated physi-
clan In the city to be sent for. Polish women
assert that when they visit the shoemakers'
shops In Vienna and show their small feet
with high instep the shoemakers exclaim:
'Dds ksxxen siy. dos sind poinische
Fusssi' CWe know that those are Polish
feet) It is also ssid In Warsaw that In
the Vienna shoeehops they have a separate
case Of boots and shoes for Polish feet.
and that It's contents are widely different
from those Of the case designed for English
ladies
We are told that In Poland one still en-
counters the abstract worship OF women
which, 20 long as the kingdom OF Pola nd
endured. found expression in the description
Of the Madonna, Virgo Maria Regina Po-
toni4. Gallantry toward the female sex
Is obligatory among the Poles. Men always
rise In street car 10 give q lady a seat.
What Is more noticeable, In any public place,
even at the most elegant receptions or balls.
a chair win be taken summarily away from
under man with the words. for a lady
40 far "a our author could observe, the
Polish women have hot heads, but their
senses are under control. $50 far as I can
judge he said. 'the women OF the higher
classes have q great deal Of self-control
and but little temperament. The charac-
ter Of coldness which Edmond About as
signed to them in verse once, when he sighed
In vain for a Polish lady, Is still very ap-
propriate. Strange as il may sound.
think that the English woman, Maud In
Paul Bourgeois 'Cosmopolis,' the placid.
though warm-hearted woman. whom no
agitation Ia able to throw Oh her balance.
Ia typo often to be met with In Poland"
Now and then, no doubt. q signal irregu-
larity occurs. A lady leaves her husband
and lives with her lover; a young girl mar
ries her fathers valet. and the like. We are
assured, however. that these incidents are
very rare exceptions. and that when you
meet an accomplished coquette IN society
she almost always proves 10 be Of foreign
descent. The opposition between Poland
and Russia Ia never out OF the women's
minds. 1t 10 often patriotism that impels
them to marry: they will choose a man
instinctively for the reason that he falls
less short than others Of their patriotic ideal.
On the whole. our author got an impression
that they think rather highly Of men. and
know their faults thoroughly. Courage In
. man IL not enough for them. If they
could not oven eight they ought to be
buried" was the retort made-in answer
to q speech which exalted this virtue in
men-by q young girl Of strong character.
Mr.. Brandes recalls that one day in houss
whore he was staying Polish landed pro-
prietor Who had been brought up in Eng
land hazarded tho remark that patriotism
was nowadays greatly lacking In Poland.
The gentlemen oontradicted him. but the
ladies-it was quite spectacle to see them.
With flaming eyes and blazing cheeks they
stood around him. and their voices trembled
In refuting him. In perfect fury one Of
the youngest ladies' exclaimed I promised
you to take you home in my carriage. but
now you may go on FOOT Our author
il convinced that II the fame of patriotism
were not burning in the hearts Of the women
the enemies Of Poland would long ago have
got the upper hand. No other people in the
world has such an oppression 10 endure,
such manifold persecution to suffer. They
are living-we speak Of Russian Poland
under conditions which allow every measure
taken against them to be carried out easily,
and every evil person who concocts hostile
or mean plans against them has vide
field for his energy.
II seems that one outcome OF the situ-
alton In Warsaw and other cities Of Rus
sian Poland is that. a. there are no Polish
officers. politicians or high functionaries,
womans favor. which In other European
countries, 10 apt TO fall TO the lot Of men
who are conspicuous In public life. is al
most monopolized by authors and artists.
In almost every town there are . few men
In whom all the women who have no specific
object Of their feelings delight. Such a
man our author would describe as a kind
Of pawnbroksr's shop for women's hearts.
He Gays that Henryk Sienkiewicx, the
novelist 20 well known TO American read
ers through Mr.. Curtins foundations. 10
such pswubroker's shop. Though about
fifty yesrs Of age. and by no means ele-
CANT, his literary reputation has made
him the man about whom women rave.
It Is 20 much the more curious, as he never
has written Q line OF verse. When he ar
rives at one OF the Polish watering places
In the Tatra Mountains. or when he en-
ters . drawing room in Warsaw. all the
women are electrified. from grandmother
to schoolgirls. For the rest. he does not
give them any encouragement Mr..