The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-17
X elation of Dress
to Good Looks.
~ lARciAREr :. sANGsTER

NJ II
'.Sbe was dressed said Agnes the
tidy and trim, "in II frayed and faded
wrapper that had once been tea gown
+ The lace that had originally trimmed ~
had been ripped Off, and the part 1t had
covered was shade or two brighter than
the rest OF the stuff. Hooks ana eyes
were missing down the front, ana the
gown was held in place across her bosom
by safety pins. some black. some white;
tho pettlcoat under the old pink dress WINS
survival from the ark Truly, never
raw q girl look 30 perfectly horrid, vet
Katherine used to be pretty"
when did she impress you as being
pretty. Agncs?'' inquired Aunt Jane. sit
ting prim and precise by the fire, knitting
on a white shawl. Aunt Jane had been
knitting white shawls 50 long that they
might almost carpet her pathway to
eleavon When she has supplied the circle
OF the kinsfolk she starts anew and be-
gins on y second round. She was brought
up under the old regime that held firmly
10 the belief that
Satan finds mischief still
For idle hands to do
Hers are never idle. 1t worries her that
Agnes has no taste for feminine hanii-
craft of the kind her elders like. But
Agnes is busy enough in her own way,
and she is H. beautiful girl. beautiful In a
sort of shining spotlessness. with every
detail OF her rliment as crisp and dainty
as the petals Of q rose.
When did l think her pretty?'' abe re-
peated muslngly Why, always. aunty,
until I knew her well enough to be on
terms OF what you might call runningin
intimacy in her own house. She looks
quite comme-il-faut when she makes for
mai calls or comes to Il dinner; on the
street or In carriage nobody is better
n turned out or has smarter appearance.
But at home, at the breakfast table,
when there IS nobody around except the
nome people. Katherine is q fright She
never arranges her hair In the morning
and she says that any old thing Is good
enough when there isn't company She
laughed the other day when she saw my
hlnazement at her looks l said not a
word, OF course but suppose my eyes
opened rather widely
AS It was you, dear" she explained
= did not mind. let you come right in.
But have to scuttlc Off like a mouse In
hurry sometimes. I wouldn't like TO be
seen In these old toys by anybody who
4 didn't love me-" @
t'ut' Agnes. Aunt Jane laid her knit
down. folded her slender hands In
h'er lap and sat UP very straight in her
chair, Agnes, If one doesn't dress for
those one loves, for whom shall she take
tho trouble? And If one Is not tidy at
home, what can be expected of her?
DRESS does not make beauty, but 1t
surely enhances it."
Aunt Jane is right Dress does not
make beauty, but it does enhance it. The
,Tllly Slowboy type of girl. who is down
{ Mt the heels and out at he elbows can
never hold her own against the Priscilla
& type who Is incarnate purity.
A plain girl with the well-gowned cf-
feet that is the result of daily bathing
nc 10 INT,
hands will in mere beauty far surpass
the frowsy girl who has finer eyes and
better coloring than the other. sAttcn-
ton TO shoes and gloves, to nicely In the
manner of neckwear, to cuffs and collars
and the trlhcs that are the finishing
touches of a girls toilet. will make a girl
seem beautiful when perhaps she has
little claim to the distinction.
Dress should express the wenrer's indi-
viduality. Youth is in itself Il rare and
winsome endowment, n decoration, n
glory. that time must, to some extent,
tarnish, or alter, or steal away. Having
youth, a woman has the foundation of
beauty. II health be added she will have
bright eyes, clear skin, a cool hand. a
firm step, an erect carriage, and n certain
grace. Not yet will she have to struggle
with too much adipose tissue or its OPP
Tositc. n tendency to scrawnncss. But to
youth and health the girl who wants to bio
attractive must add the grace Of neat
ness. She must be something like ship,
taut and trim and tidy. a ship Is not
called she without a reason In the eter-
nal fitness OF things. I
Dress In its relation to beauty has al
approach to the highest and finest art
A girl should study herself her good
points, that she may heghtcn; her bad
points, that she may lessen, their effect
"A girl with red hair for instance. may
so dress herself that she will be a delight
TO the bcholder without a 1arring note
an the symphony Of color. Her. hair her
dress, her hat, may nay re resolve themselves
other in an enchantment of tint and line:
She must learn 10 choose, not for her are
every shade and hue. She must avoid
1ourples, and crude tn!ts, and violent CON
1rasts. but the bronze browns, the dark
reds, the creams, the faint hucs, may
suit her and bring out the loneliness OF
her complexion and the rich lights In
ler hair.
"A, stout out Fr must not wear = pla,ds nor
tounces should be her adherence. A.
slender girl, on the other hand, may not
array herself in stripes that add to her
graph pole, a very ,nl girl in n gaudy
gown. with red stockings. low shoes and
dimnutiye hat tauntlly perched on the
top of her bra!ds, piled towcrwise on her
head. Is a figure Tor fun And X would
be so easy for her TO achieve elegance
and distinction by little thought and
Joainstaking aI
This Is no question, girls, of a French
(! drehsInakcr and u long purse. Any girl
with n pattern book and pair Of scissors
and def fingers Of her own may dress
beautifully. Materials are cheap or ex
pensive, according 10 their lasting quail
ties. and ! have seen simple girl in
muslin gown look prettier than the
daughter of northumberland In an
elaborate creation Of velvet rather than
ornate. The Southern maiden in her
crisp muslirs and sheer organizes under
stands this, and has The cool and fra
grant effect OF a garden flower, at COM
paraiiyely small expense.
village dsessHaker the little seam
stress going from house 10 house, can
carry out an idea and help her girl pa
irons TO be beautiful