The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-23
THE GIRL YOU WOULD
LIKE TO BE.

Not every woman can have beauty
of face and figure. nor can she have
perfect features. the hands 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 chill
dren OF the rich are taught graceful
even before they are taught
to read and write. Yet it is extraOr-
binary that so many women once they
have reached maturity cease TO have
any semblance of poiSe or harmony in
wal bearing or gesture. We constant
ly see about US hostesses or guests
making movement after movement
with such awkwardness and such
gawNiness that even the most beauti-
full faces cannot redeem this lack OF
grace. We see women beautifully
gowned and with evident refinement
getting up and sitting down with a
guacherie that would not be tolerated
in a school girl. If you go to a thea
tire and sit somewhat back i'm the or
chestra chairs with a good view of the
aisle, watch the women as they walk
down il. About one in twenty will car
ry herself erectly and move toward her
seat without some ungainly motion of
! the arms or body
Perhaps tine floating, gliding motion
which was so fashionable in the early
Victorian times is out of date.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 narrowness, both men
tally and physically, i'm the swing and
stride, instead of the slow and meas
ured tread which is supposed to go
/ with the evening
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 fiighty. who
comes into a room full of people, turn
ing 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 i'm her manner. she is show
! ing indecisiOn of mind. The hostess
! who greets you with a tense and alb
! sorbed manner, probably forgetting
your name when trying TO introduce
you to some one. need not expect to i'm
prove I'm cordiality Of appearance un-
! til she has improved and warmed the
| cordially of her heart Behind a
graceful manner there is always some
| forethoIght. The woman who never
J has a hand TO give to you in greeting.
| though she may be your hostess at a
| reception, is not necessarily an I'M
graceful woman. but merely a thought
| less one. Possibly. some one may have
| given to her a. 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 10 embarrass both you and
herself.
Every woman c3- be graceful If she
so desires. No matter whether you are
/ all angles or blessed with two many
curves, if you will to be so. and con-
Centrate 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 ana are born of gentle
| thought. Physical grace is TO a great
extent. the outcome of poise and well
balanced 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 wO-
man of great mental capacity if she is
small can indulge in much gesture:
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 COM
| Portable clothing. There never was a
woman who walked gracefully i'm tight
shoes. nor whose hands looked well in
| pinched gloves when she used them for
! gestures. No woman can use her ok
and head freely if her collar is tight or
uncomfortable, or if her hat is too
| heavy; and particularly is the corset