The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-02-18
Beauty of Italian Women Due to Rest
and Diet,

'Why do Americans come to Rome ~
asked one American of another as they
sat watching the stream of Americans
PASS byl.
1T is to study the women of Rome -
said the other. Il must confess that.
though l visit Italy every winter the
women are a never-ending source of
interest and admiration.
There are certain things about the
Italian women which are most admir>
able. They hold their youth better
than they used to hold it, and the
beautiful Italian of today stays young
until she is very old woman. True,
she is not like the French woman, who
never grows old. But she stays young
her admirable point is the beauty of
her middle life.
The Italian woman is naturally very
regular of profile. She is Grecian in
her type. rather than Roman, as her
proud, pretty features will bear wit
Eess. She has a straight nose, rather
long, and the nostrils are full though
delicate When she breathes and be-
comes excited these dilate, showing
that she IS of sensitive type
The restful type of woman is the 1tal-
len woman.
She never has nervous prostration.
She is never fidgety.
She does not know what it is to be
uneasy, or out of sorts.
Though fiery in temperament, she
is of the peaceful sort.
And she is a woman who keeps her
health and her complexion.
The result of resting when one does
rot feel like working, is shown more
quickly in the complexion than in any
other way. The woman who has
cold and who ventures out with cold
feet Will surely have 4 red nose and
a set of pimples. She will have an in
fuenza and her chin will be broken
cut. She will speedily show the re-
suits of working when she is not well.
The Italian society woman has been
called lazy. 1t has been said of her
that she rests every day in the year
and she, has been described as a garlic
eating, greasy, lazy creature, whose
y hole beauty lies in her soulful eyes
and in her fine walk.
But the Italian society woman is far
from this She may eat garlic and
onions, and may subsist almost wholly
Oil d vegetarian diet. as indeed, she
does. But she is very far from being
lazy or dull She is bright, active and
full of life. Her step is free, she dances
eXquisitely, she is the soul of music
and she is made for all the fine arts.
She is the one woman in the world OF
whom the poet Browning. speaking to
q friend said: ''She is all poetry
Mrs. Browning describes the Italian
woman's diet as vegetarian. I'VE live
en- figs and sherbet." she said. And the
Italian woman does indeed. live on
these things, and on a variety of fruit.
She has little meat, for meat is dear
and none too plentiful.
The Italian woman sips her glass of
wine, she eats her spaghetti, she takes
her fruits, she daintily sips her ices,
and she is content That is her diet.
And the result shows in her skin. She
fdsts. according to an American wo-
mans idea of fasting, all the year
around. And her diet does her lots of
good.
The Italian woman has deep, clear
complexion, but in spite of her olive
skin, the Italian women is neither yell
low nor bilious. She is clear in hue
and one can see the red blood mount
ing to her cheeks. She eats too many
green vegetables to be bilious, and she
believes in abstinence and the rest
cure.
The Italians treat the skin constant
ly. The massage it with oils. and
they even grease the hair, but only
to make it grow. No one ever saw
a bald-headed Italian woman. for her
hair is treated with the pure oil of the
cocoanut and with balms until it is
so well nourished1 that it grows thickly
upon her head.
Very often there is natural wave
in it. and then its glossy length is
treated in a way that is both remark
able and beautiful. The signora of
high degree takes her lovely hair and
parts it. She. waves it on each side
until it lies in wide ripples all over her
head. She takes the tongs and deepens
these ripples. And enc makes her
1usky hair one mass of exquisite UNI
1ulations.
To complete her task she gathers it
very loosely at the back of the neck, !
Or perhaps she let's it hang. trusting
10 the Spanish scarf to give it dignity.
DR. she ties it with floweN and lets it
spread over her neck and back.
She makes picture of herself, of
hat you may be sure. Nor will she !
'est until the picture is complete. She |
axes flowers and fastens them in her !
lair. each side of the parting, and she |
secures hugh punches of crimson bios |
SONS just where they will look the |
most beautiful.
1t is not always that Italian wo-
nan puts rose under her ear, but |