The Washington times., 1907-04-28
A Dream Of Fair Women.

The most beautiful woman in
Washington!
Most of as viii except to any
I award of that title, reserying it in
our hearts TO crown the NOBLE wom-
an who has graced our own lives,
keeping MS true TO our better selves.
reaching down TO our griefs and
smiling with quiet happiness over
our triumphs. But we can and do
have a very human interest i'm an
award of it intelligently made, a just
selection from a field as rich in
feminine loneliness as Washington
made by competent judges who do
not know and SO cannot appreciate
the particular beauty which has
/ brought so much sunshine into our
own homes.
This has been the kind of choos-
ing which The Times has made. All
the elements of right selection
were present. The number of photo
graphs submitted here was larger
than that of nearly all the twenty
two other cities engaged i'm the
same search, and in proportion to
our population the $500 portraits
offered 10 our Washington judges
showed under all the other totals.
/ This was probably because Washing
/ ton is richer il young girls and
sweet matrons than any other city;
4 but The Times is for that not the
less satisfied that it did the collect
/ ing.
Eliminating all but one of the
eighteen hundred women was task
requiring a fine appreciation and
: some courage. It was essential it
should be based on confident knowl-
edge. So three were chosen to do
/ IT whose life work it is to know
I human beauty-two distinguished
. painters of portraits and a leading
sculptor.
What an array was at their handl
No one can realize IT VINO has not
seen the great mound of photo
graphs the CLINT of a gold frame
showing here. a little snapshot
mounted on writing paper slipping
I out there. Some. maybe. would not
seem beautiful TO onlookers who did
not know the love which prompted
their sending. Maybe a few seemed
even pathetic for the little horizon
of the life they revealed. But a
man would have to be a crusty old
curmudgcon. indeed. not to feel
7 quickcuing Of his pulse as he looked
al the rest.
Wen, the judges have chosen. The
editors OF The Times did not envy
them their responsibility For they
were to decide according to beauty.
I not personality-to gauge regular
/ ity Of feature and sweetness of ex-
( precision. not richness Of toilette or
( Photographic skill.
Yet we can all be glad in their de-
cision-and for many reasons. For.
: first, their choice has fallen on 4
truly American type. And. second.
the type is just Southern enough to
be characteristic of Washington:
and. third, The photograph is n print
/ of such fneness or shading and
/ regularity of outlines as to make it
far more beautiful than many studio
I ideals: and. fourth. though il was
not picked upon for those qualities.
it is yet pleasing to see in il a sim
pie and beautiful gown, a girlish and
unconscious bearing, the light Of
intelligence in the eyes, and the ex-
preston of a normal unspoiled.
natural, sweet daughter of today.
/ Finally, those OF us who hope that
the Capital may come into its own
in this friendly rivalry between the
cities, viii be glad to know and see
that the award was not determined
! by photographic chance 1t went
to young woman blessed with
beauty in the round, so to speak.
The Judges even hesitated between
several portraits OF her from as
many points OF view. Wherefore, if
it should happen, as all loyal Wash
ingtonians viii hope, that the jury
on the national award find itself
unable to pick between the selec-
| tions OF several cities and must turn