Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10


Of a Venus or the hair Of Helen;
but there Is one thing that she
should have and that is grace of bearing.
The woman who Is to be graceful should
begin her training in her cradle days. The
children of the rich are taught graceful
department even before they are taught to
read and write. Yet 1t Is extraordinary
that many women, once they have
reached maturity, cease to have any SEM
blance or poise or harmony in walk. bear
ing or gesture. We constantly see about
us hostesses or guests making movement
after movement with such awkwardness
and such gawkiness that even the most
beautiful faces cannot redeem this lack of
grace. We see women beautifully gowned
and with evident refinement getting up and
sitting down with a gaucherie that would
not be tolerated In a school girl. If you
go to a theater and sit somewhat back
in the orchestra chairs with good view
of the aisle, watch the women they
walk down 1t. About one in twenty will
carry herself erectly and move toward her
seat without some ungatnly motion OF the
arms body.
Perhaps the floating gliding motion
which was SO fashionable in the early Vic
torian times is out of date now that we
have reached the athletic age-the age
when woman is quite able to battle with
the world. But why should she try to
show her prowess. both mentally and phys
ically, in the swing and stride instead of
the slow and measured tread which Is sup
posed to go with the evening function7
The first requisite for physical grace is
physical and mental relaxation If your
mind is tense and nervous your body will
be the same. The woman whose every
movement is Eighty, who comes into a
room full of people, turning first to the
right, then backing, then turning to the
left, then hesitating again, then making a
third or fourth unsuccessful start, is not
only showing indecision in her manner,
she Is showing lndecision of mind. The
hostess who greets you with tense and
absorbed manner, probably forgetting your
name when trying to introduce you to some
one, need not expect to improve In cor
Glality of appearance until she has i'm
proved and warmed the cordially of her
heart. Behind graceful manner there is
always some forethought The woman who
never has a hand to give to you in greet
ing, though she may be your hostess at a
reception, is not necessarily an ungraceful
woman, but merely a thoughtless one.
Possibly some one may have given to her
q bunch of roses, or she may have just
brought In the teapot; but If her mind is
working properly she would have put these
things out Of the way before she received
you, in order not to embarrass both you
and herself.
Every woman can be graceful If she so
desires. No matter whether you are all
angles or blessed with too many curves,
IL you will to be so, and concentrate your
mind on the matter, there is no reason why
you should not be noted both for grace and
graciousnesS, seeing that they both come
from the same source and are born of gen
tie thought. Physical grace is to a great
extent the outcome of poise and well-bal-
anced mind. You will always notice that
the woman who is constantly making jerky,
useless angular motions follows out jerky
train of thought-that she Is either too
strenuous or too intense for her good
health and for the comfort of those around
her. The woman of great mental capacity,
if she is small can indulge In much ges-
ture; If she is larger her sense of proportion
will tell her that the slower and smoother
motions are more becoming to her height.
Once the mind is directed to the question
of physical grace. the next most important
thing Is loose and comfortable clothing.
There never was woman who walked
gracefully in tight shoes, nor whose hands
looked well in plnched gloves when she
used them for gestures. No woman can
use her neck and head freely If her collar
Is tight or uncomfortable, or If her hat is
too heavy; and particularly is the corset
hindrance to physical grace. The most
graceful actresses on the American stage
today are Mrs. Leslie Carter and Ethel
Barrymore. They are entirely two different
types; one Is in the early 20s, and the
other is a mother who has a boy OF that
age Neither of these women wears tight
or combining stays. They both have beau
tiful figures, the one a type of splendid
maturity and the other Of girlish grace.
They use their bodies with absolute relax
ation-that is the secret OF grace.
This corsetless condition, however, is not
absolutely necessary, for we all know that
corsets can be made to hit the figure. even
to give the figure those curves which fash
ion prescribes and yet not hinder free