The San Francisco call., 1909-01-10

lson many women given to embonpoint
have adopted the guimpe and sleeves
of net or silk muslin the color OF the
dress.
Juts now there is perfect rage for
black. Past 80 a woman should, how
ever be careful not to let unadulter-
ated black near her face-the guimpe
happily saves the situation. Black is
very practical, and black liberty can
be worn with various yokes. Jet is
quite a la mode, both for day and
evening wear, and even the tailor made
costumes of black serge show the pop
Iularity of the sable hue. Black hats
trimmed with jet are most fashionable
I A barbaric generosity in jewelry
marked the attire OF the Empress jose
phine, consort of Napoleon. 1t was she
who is responsible for so many Of the
styles that, in modified form, are seen
at the opera, the theater and at pfi-
ivate and public functions.
Pearls were favorites with the em-
press and pearls are, in consequence
again TO the fore. On the opening
night of one of the finest theatrical
productions young woman with a
turquoise gown was seen adjusting at
the loop of the girdle an exquisite fill
gree buckle Of gold. incrusted with
seed pearls, which indicated the word
heirloom in silent eloquence Her only
other ornament consisted of a necklace
of the same tiny seeds, braided and
twisted, and at the clasp, worn thin by
the use of many generations, was the
initial of a family whose diamonds
and other gems have furnished a topic
of interest for many years.
A man who came to Paris for the
first time was struck by the marvellous
sweetness of expression Of the average
French womans face. He declared that
it must be the language which brought
a whole range of new expressions, diff
ferent to the English into play. 1t is
nothing of the kind. The fact is the
French woman, whose one desire is to
please is always zen scene" She has
ever before her eyes a mental mirror
wherein she studies herself. She is
armed to fight Father Time. She is
often fully aware that she has no beau
ty to speak of; therefore she manu-
features a beauty of her own. If
she be a shop girl, you go on buy
ing, hypnotized by that adorable gra-
ciousness of expression, by the subtle
fiattery more implied than spoken, OF
her speech. If you meet her as an
equal in a salon her smile is a caress;
it is the smile of indulgence, sympathy
and understanding. You fall under the
spell of the "charmeuse," and proclaim
she may have nothing. to redeem the
size of her mouth or the sallowness OF
her complexion.
The municipal authorities have de-
cided upon several important improve
ments which might well be adopted by
American cities. Among them is the
use of powerful motor fire engines
capable of throwing immense quantities
of water, while also possessing the ad-
vantage of reaching the scene of fire
far more quickly than is possible for
horse drawn apparatus. For some rea-
son, which the authorities here can not
understand, the motor fire engines
while tried at times in several large
cities in the United States. have never
come into general use there.
SO great is the demand of Paris
newspapers for facts regarding the
now celebrated Steinheil and other
cases that those in a position to supply
such information have increased the
prices of their demands for such in
formation. Alexander Wolff, for in
stance son of the woman who was
Nine. Steinheils cook, and who at first
was satisfied with s5 for an interview
now demands $50, while his mother de-
clares that she will make further
revelations for less than 5000. Tc
such an extent has the spirit of com
mercialism gone. The Steinheil case
promises to reveal more hidden skele-
tons" than was anticipated, and the