The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-27
What Is Charrn1
Power To Make
For Popularity


appeared and win be read with inter-
est:
In Hollywood lives and works and
J wins hearts little actress Of the ceiin-
loid who 10 neither ravishinsly beauti-s
full nor unusually graceful, vet without
bothering to analyze the lure OF this
irfesistible Lorelei, her admirers are
forever acclaiming her beauty and
grace Recently certain screen-faif
magazine took cognizance Of this fact
and--in the words Of Octavuss Cohen
slid: "How Gomez 3isl
Metaphorically speaking, she was
placed ON an operating table and care
fully dissected with razor-edged seal
pei Her hair was found to he--just
hair. Her Observation-Disclosures
but Instruments of vision with ordi.
nary color pigments Her Ips@-an-;
responsiye---were not Of q pattern THAT
j would inspire jaded artist. Her skin
\ was of smoothness not uncommon to
thousands of other women. Her; hands
-inarlimate--were fingers and thumbs
and,po1ished nails. Her straight young
body might have belonged to any sane
feeding flapper. :.
But-unanesthetized, alive, alert
the eyes of this Lorelei looked at her
analysts with brooding or q glow
that exactly suited the, changing moods
of these dissectors. If they frowned
those expressive orbs clouded with SYM
patty. II they smiled, a light was at-
tomatically switched on beneath the
swiftly lifted lids. If they puzzled,
those eyes challenged. the long flashes
yelling them provocatiyely. AK.
Her lips, land her hands! What a
gamut, of emotions they could manage
And what diplomatists< they were A
faint eesture--and a tiresome subject
/ was disposed of. A pursuing of the
lips was disagreement, yet gentler dis
agreement than the most plastic of
words. Gloom could be dispelled by q
faint pressure of those soft fingers.
Cheer reigned with the smile that
could sit so easily across those mobile
1 lips.
To be with this young woman, 1t vas
discovered, was to rise to importance.
There was, that about her treatment of
friend which imbued the friend with
the idea that no other friend was half
so dear. And this without resorting to
words of hypocrisy. The thing was
achieved merely by the girls quiet
agreeableness, and her complimentary
manner of listening. Verify the silence
Of, a good listener is. ever the sweetest
applause.
The press diagnosticians came torthe
decision that the power which made
for the popularity of the little actress
whom they had so carefully disseeted,
was-Charm. lssIlla.
Charm is personality. 1t il, the.
potent element of beauty Without it
there is no real beauty-4no Z lasting
beauty Beauty Of face, ofs form fades
or becomes distorted with the encroAeh-
ment of age, whereas, charm makes
Time merciful. Charm is the outward
manifestation of the inner self. 1t is
the magnet that attracts admirers and
friends. The woman of charm COM
mands attention wherever she goes.
She enters a. crowded drawing room
and Immediately every one Is conscious
OF her presence. At dances she is'>he-
sieged with admirers.
She knows how to put men at their
4 ease, how to make them seem amaz-
A insly brilliant and superior : she soothes
\ their vanity without the use 81 the
weakest word of flattery. Is it then, TO
q be wondered at that men swarm about
n her--that they like to be with her? I
q She's ts an adept also at bringing
q other women into the .caleium-light of
s. popularity. Adroitly and with utmost
q tact she makes the inane woman cleo
trio. She inspires a duh woman to
scintillate. She can make the self
conscious woman forget the treachery
of a maligning frock that in the shop
had promised to be- loyalty becoming,
3 and remember only that her eyes are
unusual. She can give to the shy
woman a little of her own perfect
poise. She can induce the silent woman
to talk. Is it at all strange that women
q are seldom jealous Of her? a,.
Charm. is composite thing. It, is a
blend of many graces. But chiefly It
81 depends upon intelligence and .unselfish-
ness. To be charming one must know
not only how to, make the best 0e ones
assets, but how to make the best Of
S arother's assets. To be charming one
must know how to be entertained. How
to talk and how to listen. How to
think and how to make others think.
No one who is self-centered can have
charm. Making others comfortable,
rejecting cleverness upon those Who
are not clever, soothing the eqnanimity
that is disturbed by an inferioritys com
pick, these things make for charm.
OF the other graces there are health,
physical attractiveness, mannerisrns,
clothes. Without health the eyes can:
not sparkle, nor the walk be buoyant.
1t is not enough to have a voice that
carries with it an infectious enthusiasm.
The body must express animation in
its every gesture. To be physically at.
tractiye one must not only guard care.
fully ones claims to beauty, but deyelop
new claims. As for mannerisms, the
woman who would cultivate charm.
will not, if she be plump, or tall and
gaunt, act kittenish and affect an In
fantile speech, nor will she, il she be-
young and unmarried, veneer herself
with sophisticAtion. She will avoid the
languid or cynical eyebrow lifting and
the patronizing or deprecating shrue.
Clothes must belong. They must b
in complete harmony with ones per.
sonality and increase, to some degree.
ones joy Of living, else fashion fails
of its purpose. 4.
De Montespan, Du Barry, La valliere
how much they had to do in fey0iu-
tionizing empires; yet despite the fact
that they won big minds and brave
hearts, they were not ravishing beau
ties. Their great asset-was charm .
BRICKS FROM MOLTEN LAVA