Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-17

fers herself up in this way as a subject for
the satirist out of the same disfiguring self
consciousness. which robs her entirely OF
the Indifference, ease and careless grace
which should-to quote the greatest of
American philosophers. Emerson-cause her
to "repel interference by a decided and
proud choice of influences" and to inspire
every beholder with something Of her own
nobleness." She is probably not naturally
formal; Is no doubt exceedingly constrained
and uncomfortable in her fashionable at
tire. and one may take 1t for granted that
she would rather be herself than try to be
something which is nothing. But custom
and convention are her boyle man. always
guarding her on either side and investing
her too often with such depiorable self-con
seriousness that her eye becomes furtive, her
mouth hard and secretive, her conversation
inane and her whole personality an uncom-
Portable exhalation of stupidity and dull
ness.
Nevertheless, setting custom and con-
ventton apart for the nonce and bidding
them descend into the shadows of hypoc-
risy which is their native atmosphere, the
British woman remains the prettiest in the
world. What a galaxy Of feminine charms
can be gathered under the word British
England. Ireland. Wales and Scotland offer
all together such countless examples of
woman's loneliness that 1t would be diff
cult. il not impossible, to give the prize for
good looks to one portion of Britain more
than the other. America, so far as her
samples have been and are seen In Europe,
cannot outrival the ''old country" in the
prettiness of its women. But 1t is pretti-
ness only. not beauty. Beauty remains in
trinsically where it was first born and first
admitted into the annals OF art and Iitera-
ture Its home is still in 1.-THE isles of
Greece, here burning Sappho loved and
sung. Nothing that was ever created In
the way of female loneliness can surpass
the beauty OF beautiful Greek woman.
snowstorm. True, the women of Athens
and of Greece generally. taken in the rough
majority, are not on an average even
pretty. Nevertheless, the palm of beauty
remains with them, because there are al
ways two, or may be three of them, who
dawn year by year upon the world in all
the old perfection of the classic models and
who might truly be taken for newly de-
scended goddesses. go faultlessly formed.
so exquisitely featured are they They are
not famed by the society paragraphist, and
moving in the circles of the British upper
ten or the American four hundred, but
they are the daughters of Aphrodite still
and hold fast their heavenly mothers at
tributes. 1t Is easy to find hundred or
more pretty British and American women
for one beautiful Greek but when found
the beautiful Greek eclipses them all. She
Is stu the wonder of the world-the crown
of womanly beauty at Its best. She shows
the heritage of her race in her regal step
and freedom of movement. in the lovely
curves of her figure. in the classic perfec-
ton of her face. with its broad brows lus-
trous eyes, arched sweet lips and delicate
contour OF chin and throat, and perhaps
more than all In the Queenly Indifference
she bears toward her own loneliness. So
Fiji high the bowl with Samian wine.
On Suli's bank and Parxa's shore
Exists the remnant Of line
Such the Doric mothers bore,
The Herscfeidans blood might ownI
And there still may be found the per-
lection of womanhood-the one rare Greek
lily. which blossoming at few and far In
tervals shows in its exquisite form and COL
oring what woman should be at her fair
est. To her. therefore, must be given the
palm of beauty. but after the lily. then the
rose, or, rather, the roses, multitudinous,
Britain. MARIE CORELLI.