Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-02-27
Actresses.
They Are
Artificial

N tingushed portrait e'cher of tn
worlds most beautiful women, i
now in New York surveying the field 0
feminine beauty among the 10000. 90
Americans. But he will paint very few
American women
II will not paint ugly women, they Dor
me; viii not make portraits OF actresses
they are artificial" NJ. Hel!cu declared
But what is beauty?" the artist wa
asked
"Ah! Who can analyzc the beauty of
pretty woman?" he exclaimed in tone O
reverence. but the heart knows. I trus
IL. When girl comes 10 me, begs me I,
make her portrait. let her be gowned t,
the envy of all womanhood, and clever
chic, completely fascinating-if my hear
says no, ] refuse to make her portrait.
Il will not paint an ugly woman. II 4
not worth while. Only the beautiful Il
worth while in this world"
But actresses. many OF them, are beau
tilul," the reporter insisted.
beautiful In the outward semblances o
beauty as the world values what It regards
rs beauty. but 1t is hollow. 1t Is artificial
1t is destroyed by unnaturalness.
You see" continued the artist, Will
great earnestncss, the actress learns
trade of articles. her life becomes a con
tinual make.belevc-and finally she Loses
the priceless charm of spontaneity. sin
cerity. sweet naturalness. Without natural
ness there is no beauty, so the actress ha
for inc not the slightest appeal mus
heg her to excuse me-
"Naturalncss is the keynote. II fin,
it lacking my heart refuses to respond I,
my work and cannot eadure to paint her
woman OF the underworld, an actress
perhaps. but keeping an habitual nose 70
u purpose. loses her naturalness. Her pre-
lenses pctrify me. My heart grows cold
the cold creeps to my fingers and freezes
them. and how can a man use the DIR,
point with q cold heart and numbed hands
The chorus girl only follows in thu
footsteps OF the actress She Ia
an impostor-hcr beauty IS a mask
that does not tell us the truth
about herself. Poor girl, she is
seeking for perfection In way
that will never find it. There are
many women not on the stage in
the same sad state-they do not
know that their claims to beauty 4
are false. Their failure lies in ia
acting a part instead OF being A8.
themselves. II IS a great reproach. FL;
Someone told me Of the remark 80
by one OF your most conspicuous MN
social leaders, very admirable 4@kA
woman. She said that after a SsE
reception at her residence in the S7s
early morning hours as she was hTMxI
preparing TO go 10 bed she hap
nened 10 glance i'm the mirror in t9M
her boudoir and was startled to see ~
that her face was wearing a fixed HsS
and artificial smile. Through the rs.
hours of the entertainment and Vi
from long custom she had put on
and wore without knowing it this
artificial smile She was playing
part.
but the sincere woman--she is.
shall say. half way on the road
to beauty. Tall or short, blonde or
brunette, slim or plump; there is
no type of beauty as such. Women
arc beautiful because they are
beautiful. They leave me breath
less. Their sciniillating eye-thrusts
blind me; their betraying radiances war;
me here again is beauty. The eye cal
tell, can penetrate the mask of artificialt,
and so inform The heart"
''But cannot a woman strive to be bea,,
tiful, is there nothing within reach OF femi
nine ingenuity which will assist in realiz
ing tho one great hope and dream o.
womankind?' the reporter queried.
"Ah yes, something can be accom-
plished," NJ. Helleu admitted, bnt at once
exclaimed: But usually the efforts are
made in directions which are hopeless
Many women passionately desire to BIZ
rich, not for mere greed or stupid wish OF
ostentation. They want money to adorr
themselves lavishly. thinking that they car
then win to beauty, which is every
woman's birthright That thought sadden.
me.
Jean Jacques Rousseau once said
Riches are progress-and progress |.
worthless 1t is hard for woman to be
both rich and beautiful, for clothes do mo-
make the woman. |, would gladly make
the portrait OF beautiful but ragged
peasant girl. But the rich woman whose
seeming beauty lies really In her clothes
aGleu, madame!