The Washington herald., 1909-02-28
THE CAMERA GODDESS
Picture Idealized by Lonely Bachelor in British
Columbian Mining Camp.

dOlph Churchill, and in Ralph NeFiH $
ePiccadilly 70 PaIl Mali CDuckworth &
Co), something is said Of that mad wor-
ship OF the woman's face which swept
over the English world in the late 'T0's
and early SIS OF the last century II was
the day OF the professional beauty,
whether she did actually make pro-
fession Of her charms or only used them
as an amateur to win applause an ad-
mirstlon. says Sidney Low, IN the Nation
There were some half dozen. or per-
haps half a score. Of women. whose love
iluess was a national passion. Two or
three were well born and married: others
we're actresses" at least, by convention;
some did not even make pretenee TO any
social status at all Il mattered not To
only a few we're they real beings. who
dlned out. or played at the halls. or con
sorted with young men about town In
London people would sometimes stand on
chairs 10 look at them in the park, or
mob them in drawing-rOons and at pri-
vste views.
But most men. I imagine. scarcely
thought Of them as creatures Of flesh and
blood, who lived somewhere in houses.
and wore clothes and took them OF; but
rather as fair distractions, the images
OF an ideal exquisiteness OF physical per
fectIon. To the thousands who gaZed
upon their portraits in the shop windows,
OF caught faint glimpses OF their features
crudely rendered OF the lids OF chocolate
boxes and other poor reproductions, they
were goddeSses revealing their glory
from the empyrean 70 worshipers on this
clouded earth.
Commentators then and since have
spoken sIightfngly Of this craze / do
not know that Il deserves the term; IL
was less a craze than q cult. and one not
without its elements Of nobility and rev.
erence- True. the objects Of all this ador-
alton were perhaps q DO not know only
frivolous society" danes, or sometimes
il may be. light damsels whom our faith
ers would have called wantons. But in the
emotions they created there was little
Of vulgarity or anlmalsm-
Portraits Always Delicate.
The portraits displayed Of them we're
nearly always delicate. and so far as the
coarseness of the medium allowed refined
They were fully arrayed IN garments that
represented 70 the contemporary eye the
type OF feminine elegance, Whether they
were ladies' OF not. their habits and de-
meanor were those associated with aristo-
cratic, luxurious womanhood- They were
rot &c be confused with the half-naked
females then Just beginning to expose
themselves 10 the camera and now
sprawling unanimously on all sides
We have come 10 live amid an Orgy
OF nudity. exhibited in the ballroom. al
The theater, on the stage IN the street:
every man OF US has become a peeping
Tom whether he VIII or not Crowds
press 70 the music-halls 10 gaze on wO-
men who cannot dance. who are not
even beautiful, whose sole attraction IS
that they are very nearly undressed; a
whole brood Of illustrated newspapers
AT sixpence for the genteel at g penny
for the multitude, tnrives on this art Of
the baignoire and the alcove.
Compared with il. our riot Of indecent
inQuisitiyeness, the late Victorian love Of
lovely faces seems reticent and chaste-
To many thousands Of clerks in Offices, Of
assistants in shops, soldiers sailors. set
Tiers far away in the bush, and the back
woods. the cheap framed photograph was
ike the picture OF the Virgin or ST Cath
erine 70 some Catholics: a type Of good
ness and purity as well as beauty, a rev.
elation Of the ideal womanhood that how
eTs dimly before most mems minds az
some period Of their lives.
Log Hut in Mining Camp
Several years ago I was in the log hut
Of a prospector in The mining district Of
British Columbia. With two companions
had lost my way. and was compelled
20 seek refuge for the night in this little
cabin. The owner was a gOOd-lOOking
Canadian from an Ontario fsrmstead,
who received Us Hospitality and did MS
best 10 make Us comfortable. The furni-
ture and appointments Of this one small
Iiving-roOm were as scanty as is Gus
tomary IN those parts.
There was the usual miners equip
ulent-pick, shOvels, high boots, q shot
gun, a rough pine table. and some stools.
2 bearskin robe; for literature, a mining
manual. a textbook OF mineralogy, sew
eral worn paper-cOvered novels. and for
ornaments some cOlored prints from the
Christmas numbers Of illustrated news
papers on cne wall. and on another.
above the stove. three photographs One
was Of a side-whiskered elderly gentle
man. another that Of a comfortable mid
dle-aged matron, our hosts parents. no
was a reproduction Of perhaps the love-
Hest Of al the lovely faces which had
been wont 70 gaze from the shop win
dOws during that era OF beauty worship
whereof mention has been made
One could not look at II, familiar and
almost hackneyed as it had become,
without a start Of surprise that nature
had made anything SO perfect. The del
icate symmetry Of the features. the ex-
quisite modelling Of the chin. the soft
sweetness OF the lips, the grace OF the
smooth hair ripping low over the fore
head, were only part Of the indefinable
charm Of q countenance that seemed
bathed IN an atmosphere Of virginia. pur-
ity-
The impression was heightened BIZ a
kind CT hood suggesting that Of a nun,
which loosely draped the girls head, and
by the rapt eyes turned a little upward
as II IN prayer. Il was the face OF q
young saint the index. one might be-
Heve, Of a soul as beautiful as its outer
vestment-
Knew the Lady Herself.
Unfortunately. the picture prompted no
such reverential thoughts in one Of my
companions. a gentleman well acquainted
with the gossip Of the London couIlsses
for long past Halo" be said. taking
the portrait from its nail. there's IT.
tie -" and he mentioned the Iady's
name with a brief and somewhat inde-
coroUs allusion 70 her career, which had
been by no means so edlfying as her ap-
pearance suggested
As Il happen, our host. who had gone
into the outlying shed 10 fetch provisions
for Us. came into the room at the moment
and caught the fippant remark He drop
ped the tin pot he was carrying with a
elatter; a dark flush suTged through he
healthy bronze OF his cheeks; and with a
rough Western oath, he strobe across ID
my friend so fercely that I feared he
was aholrf n Sfrf1re him The To15o-o a.