Mexico Missouri message., 1905-04-13

ing, Identifying ana poctizing Of
forms. think we should spend as much
as we can upon them. Nature gives
us her example, and the man who
should affect contempt for the cphCm.
cral Splcndor Of beauty with which
we garnsh our brief days would lose
sight Of the intentions of him who has
put the same care and love into the
painting Of the lily Of an hour and the
eternal hills.
But we must not fail into the gross
error Of cOnfounding true beauty with
that which has only the name. The
beauty and poetry Of existence lie in
the understanding we have of II. our
home. our table, our dress. should be
The interpreters of intentions. That
these intentions lie 80 expressed II Is
first necessary to have them and lie
who possesses them makes them evil
dent through the simplest means. one
need not I've rich 10 give grace and
charm to his habit and his habitation.
1t SuilCcS 10 have good taste and good
will. We come here To- Il point very
important 10 everybody, but perhaps
Of more interest to women than TO
men,
Those who would have women con-
Ccal themselves i'm coarse garments Of
the shapclcSs uniformity of bags viO-
late nature in her very heart and mis-
understand completely the spirit OF
things. If dress were only prCcau-
tion To shelter us from cold or rain q
piece Of saciiEG or the skin Of a beast
would answer. But II is vastly more
than this. Man puts himself entire
into all that he does. lie transforms
into types the things that serve him.
The dress Is not simply covering: it
is n symbol. ! call 10 witness the rich
Towering OF national and provincial
costumes and those worn by our carly
corporations. \ wOmnn's toilet. too.
has something 10 say to us. The more
meaning there is in it the greater its
worth. TO be truly beautiful it must
tell us Of beautiful things. things per
SOnal and vPrtablC. Spend all the mon
Cy T1u possess upon il; If lis form is
determined by chance or custom, if It
has no relation to her who wears II. il
is only toggery, domino. Ultra fash
ionabc dress. which completely masks
feminine personality under designs Of
pure convention. despoils it of its prin-
cipal attraction. From this ul.u.C t
comes about that many THINGS whr"
women admire 60 as much wrIa- &C.
their Lrauty aH 10 tie pd:"scj Of t..,..
husbands and fathers. What wrUa
you say Of II young "irl who cyprc .~.l
| he. thGU1htS in tClI# yc"y choice i..
deed. hut taken word fer word FROM a
| phrase boot: What charm could yJu
| lind in this borrowed language: Tie
| effect of toilets well designed in them
| selves, but seen again and again on
! all women indiSCriminHtcly is precise
| ~ the same.
cannot resist citing hero passage
| from Camille Lcmunmicr that harmo-
| MICS with my idea:
Mature has given to the fingers Of
woman n charming art. which she
! knows 10y instinct and which ia nCrul-
| iarly her own, IA sill; to the worm ANA
| laccw0rk 10 tho swift ANA subtle spi-
der. She is the poet. the Interpreter Of
her own grace aud righteousness the
! spinner of the mystery in which her
wish to please arrays itself. All the
! talent she cXpCnds in her effort to equal
| man In the other arts is never worth
| the spirit aud conception wrought out
through II bit of stuff in her skillful
| hands.
"Well. wish that this art were more
| hOnOrCd than it is. AS education should
/ consist in thinking with ones mind,
! feeling with ones heart expressing the
! little personalities &c the inmost, invis-
! ible (which, ON the contrary. arc
! rCprcssed. lCyclcd down, by confOrmi-
ty-I would that the young girl In her
! nOvltiatc Of womanhood, the future
! mother might early become the llttlC
exponent OF this art OF the toilet-hcr
| own dressmnkcr, in shOrt-shC who one
! day shall make the dresses of her chill
! dren, hut with the taste and the gift
! to improvisC, TO express herself i'm that
masterpiece Of feminine personality
and skill, a gown, without which wo
man is no more than bundle of rags
The dress You have made for your
self is almost always the most becom
ing, and. however that may be, it is
tho one that pleases you most. Won
en- Of leisure too often forget this
working women also in city and coun
try alike Since these last are eos
TUNED 10y lressmakers and muliner'
I'm very doubtful imitation Of the mod
fish world, grace has almost disappear
ed from their dress. And has anything
more surely the gift to please than thu
fresh apparltlOn of young working
girl or daughter Of the fields wearing
the costume of her country and beau
tiful from her simplicity alone?
These same reflections might be ap
piled to the fashion of decorating ant
arranging our houses. II there are toll
Lotto which reveal nm entire conceDtiOI