The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-08-03
SHIPPING BEAUTY TO
EUROPE CRITICISED
From New York Evening Post.

A delegation of seventeen young
women designated by popular vote
as the prettiest in the state of Ohio,
is now reported on its way to Paris
under the auspices of certain news
paper. Paris, mindful of the olsen
chantment it experienced on the &C.
casion of recent visit by similarly
selected party of young women from
Kentucky, is said to be awaiting the
arrival of the Ohio "belles" with in
terest, but not with impotence. The
Continent, as whole, proved false
to it's traditions for gallantry in that
rather cruel instance when Ken
tucky's daughters crossed the ocean
to see and to conquer, and remained
to be caricatured numerically. That,
at least, was ont American invasion
which the Old World could gleefully
rub it's hands at having repealed;
and it is not impossible that If a
similar fate, Di meliora, should ov-
ertake Ohio's fairest, the Neue Freie
Presse will have leading articles on
1.-The passing of the Transatlantic
Peril and the Decline of the Ameri-
can Race"
That the situation is not SO serious
as all that, we sincerely maintain.
Visitors from abroad constantly as
sure us that our women are still in
comparably beautiful; there is GER
tainly no deterioration in the stand
ard set by our magazine and book
cover illustrators, and the continued
growth in the number of proprietary
feminine types-the Smith girl, the
Jones girl and the Robinson girl
is evidence of the fact that our ar
lists are face to face with an ideal of
beauty which haunts them in the
fancy and in the flesh and eludes
their efforts adequately to depict it.
How, then, explain the discontinue
last year of Kentucky's ENJOYS ex-
traordinary to Europe at large and
the skepticism with which Ohio's rep
resentatives are now awaited? How,
as a matter of fact, explain this gen.
eral reversal of the balance of trade
against us, and the setting in of
heavy movement toward Europe
and it's women? 1t seems only the
other day that the father of pretty
daughter who had made his pile in
Louisville or Cincinnati could look
forward with confidence to rush of
European chivalry absolutely prepar-
ed to accept our standards of wo-
manly beauty Now we send them
our best and they call them, actually,
frights.
The first point that suggests it.
self is that, in this matter of uphold
ing the reputation of the American
woman abroad, as in SO many other
fields of public and private interest,
the states have shown themselves
derelict to an extent calling for fed
eral intervention. If, as we have
said, Ohio's apostles to the Europe
ans should fare no better than those
of her southern neighbor, and If
thereupon Massachusetts, should dis
patch galaxy of popularly-elected
bellies, only to have them pictured by
Ulk or lie Rire as eagle-beaked and
gaunt, wearing green umbrellas,
there can be little doubt that Wash
ington should take speedy action.
charged with the power to represent
this country. in all it's foreign deal
ings, Secretary Root could not permit
the unchecked continuance of prac-
tice fraught with the possibility of
serious complications. Nor, essen
TALLY, is there any more warrant for
parading before the eyes of Europe
forty-siX different types of American
womanhood, than there would be
for the display of an equal number
of different American flags The as
sumption of this new departure of
public activity by the central govern
ment may lead to a certain amount
of conflict with the states extending
over a protracted period; but there
is no reason why beginning should
not be made with the territories. In
fact, if not checked in time, Okla
homa may decide to send only DEM
ocratic beauties to Europe.
In the absence of any remedial
legislation, We may point out the de-
ficiencies of the present system of
electing state representatives. To
say that the girls chosen are really
the prettiest a state can show, be-
cause they have been declared SO by
popular vote is to run counter to the
general truth formulated by social
philosophers and writer's on Ell
quette,, which emphatically dissoci-
ates good looks from popularity. The
pretty girl has hosts of rivals and dis
appointed suitors. Even her fanati-
cal admirers can scarcely vote to
send her off to Europe. Hence we
are forced to the conclusion that the
popular choice in a beauty contest
will be las rule, not the really pert
ty girl whose very beauty makes us
afraid, but a member of that very ex-
tensive class to which most of us be-
long who have tact, or a charming
smile, or delightfully."- impulsive
manner, or carry about in other form
the outward manifestations of ra-
diant soul. Take number of wo-
men whom their friends call fasci-
mating, and expose them to the criti-
cal and prejudiced eye of Frances
capital, and what can one expect?
Nothing but tante Kentuckiae irae,
as was said in connection with an
other beauty contest in which an
other Paris was Judge.
Finally it is only necessary to
point out the striking unfairness of
having seventeen pretty women tour
ing Europe in a group. While the
method might possibly benefit the
least beautiful ones, 1t cannot but
tend to reduce the general average of
the group. A beautiful woman, like
everything else in nature, can exist
only in space and time-such space
and time being entirely of her own
choosing. 1t is a commonplace that
the same background or dress will
not do for blonde and brunette, tall
and short, thin and stout. What
pleasing effect, then is to be expected
when Ohio's seventeen, scarcely re-