A Toilet Hint

1895

The woman who has wept until her eyelids and her nose are purple, her eyes bloodshot and her face swollen always feels a trifle embarrassed when she has to receive callers or go down to dinner immediately. She frequently makes a bad matter worse by washing her face in cold water. If she will, instead, bathe it gently with rosewater for a few minutes and then lie down for a few more with a soft rag saturated in rosewater over her eyes, she will be prepared to face any company. — New York World.

You Have A Beautiful Face (1916 Advertisement)

1916

(Click graphic for bigger view)

But Your Nose?

In this day and age attention to your appearance is an absolute necessity if you expect to make the most out of life. Not only should you wish to appear as attractive as possible, for your own self-satisfaction, which is alone well worth your efforts, but you will find the world in general judging you greatly, if not wholly, by your "looks," therefore it pays to "look your best" at all times.

Permit no one to see you looking otherwise; it will injure your welfare! Upon the impression you constantly make rests the failure or success of your life. Which is to be your ultimate destiny? My new Nose-Shaper, "Trados" (Model 22) corrects now ill-shaped noses without operation, quickly, safely and permanently. Is pleasant and does not interfere with one's daily occupation, being worn at night.

M. Trilety, Face Specialist.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 7.

Note: I doubt if Trilety is still in business, so please save your stamp.


Women and Love

Love is a candle which all women hope to light with a match.

Kills Wife, Shoots Self

1916

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — In a fit of jealous rage Ben Cowley shot and killed his wife, a widely known beauty, and then attempted to kill himself. He is in a hospital with a bullet wound in his head, and is not expected to live.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 3.

Daily Bath For Beauty

1902

A daily bath in cold or tepid water is an indispensable aid in keeping the skin of the body in good condition, says the London Standard.

The complexion, also, very often suffers from insufficient washing in pure water, or, for preference, in rain water. It is impossible for those of us who live in large towns to keep the complexion quite as blooming and healthy as the inhabitants of country districts, but more care might be frequently taken to wash off the smuts that help to clog the pores of the skin, or the fine dust that covers the epidermis like a mass after a long day out, or, in any case, before going to bed.

Use hot rain water if it is possible to secure it, with two or three spoonfuls of oatmeal thrown in to soften the water. Next proceed to thoroughly massage the face with some good soap and a firm sponge; then rinse the skin in another basin of cold water, into which has been poured a few drops of eau de cologne or alcohol, finally rubbing into the face and neck a little cold cream.

The Use of Moles

1917

Milady's Boudoir

There are as many different brands of moles as there are of toilet soaps, but like soap they are not all good and beautifying. A mole that is round, dark like a coffee bean and perfectly smooth like the cheek it adorns, is a beauty asset provided it is well placed.

If one is so fortunate as to possess a mole coquettishly placed near the eye, or daringly near the corner Of the mouth, then one is indeed lucky, but if it is simply a blotch on the chin or cheek, it would be well to have it removed by an expert with an electric needle.

There have been many very attractive moles on the necks and arms of famous beauties, but they are rare. If one has no mole to pet and cherish, the very best thing to take its place would be a patch of black court plaster or a cleverly painted one, done with the fine point of an eyebrow pencil.

A mole is really necessary as the finishing touch to a well planned toilet. It adds distinction and subtle charm to the owner. Brunettes possess moles more frequently than do blondes and, for this reason, the girl with the golden hair must be careful how she applies the artificial touch.

Texas Bets Money on Slaying Trial

1920

Wagers Pretty Wife Will Be Freed By Jury

Most Beautiful Woman in State Will Soon Face Court for Shooting Husband

EL PASO, Texas, February — Two to one bets are being made in Texas that beautiful Mrs. Ida Ott of El Paso, who shot her husband in Dallas Dec. 23, 1919, will never be convicted.

There are two reasons for the bets and the odds. One is: Mrs. Ott is one of the most beautiful young women in the State. In fact, she is only 22 years old and has been pronounced by art critics as one of the most beautiful women in the country. The other reason is: Mrs. Ott has employed a firm of Dallas attorneys knows as "the sob squad" to defend her. This firm, it is asserted, makes a specialty of defending pretty women and their record of acquittals is almost without equal in the State.

Mrs. Ott shot her husband, Andrew Ott, an automobile salesman, late Tuesday afternoon, on the 23rd day of last December. The shooting took place in the presence of hundreds of Dallas Christmas shoppers. She shot her husband following a heated argument. After he fell, Mrs. Ott, bystanders say, bent over the prostrate form and fired four more bullets into his body. Then she collapsed over her husband's corpse and exclaimed: "Oh, Honey, have I killed you?"

Mrs. Ott's trial was set for last Monday, but no witnesses appeared and the case was indefinitely postponed. The pretty defendant is pleading self-defense, It was after witnesses failed to appear that Texas sports began betting two to one the woman would not be convicted.

The Otts were married in El Paso Feb. 15, 1915, by County Judge Adrian Pool. Mrs. Ott was born in Alhambra, Ill., and her husband was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

Mr. Ott had sued his wife for a divorce in Dallas. In his petition he alleged she had tried to kill him twice before, once in Albuquerque, N. M., and once in San Antonio, Texas. On Oct. 15, 1919, he said he gave her $4,000 on condition that she stay away from him and leave him alone. A court had enjoined Mrs. Ott from molesting her husband, according to Dallas reports.

The question now is, can a jury be obtained that will convict Mrs. Ott?

Would you convict her?

Note: She was found guilty and given a two year sentence. There was an appeal, a second trial, etc. A few details are here and here.

An Actress Tells About Health and Good Looks

1900

Something Useful May Be Learned From Her Experience

One of the most admired of American actresses, both for her grace and comeliness, has been divulging some of the secrets by which she has preserved her beauty.

"Vigilance," she says, "is the first requisite. I am ever on the alert and when I discover traces of fatigue or any other beauty-destroying symptoms in my face or figure I set about remedying it at once. I don't attempt to be anything but a professional woman during the theatrical season. I don't receive and I don't go to other people's houses, I simply haven't time, and I don't make it.

"My mode of life is very simple. I sleep nine or ten hours as a rule — never less than eight. I eat regularly and heartily, and avoid everything that would be apt to give me indigestion. Indigestion is a powerful foe to beauty, a greater foe than age, as great even as worry. I walk every day, rain or shine, and I wear a corded corset waist and stout flat-heeled boots. I try not to worry, no matter what happens, and I never tire myself unnecessarily.

"My method is so very simple few women would care to try it. It has no balms or diets, and I don't even go in for fancy baths. A warm bath at night and a cold bath in the morning are good enough for me. On Sundays I don't have to go to the theater, but I don't devote it to lolling or receiving visitors. I have my usual amount of exercise and then devote most of the day to manicure and hairdresser. When one's hair is five feet long and very thick it is not an easy task to have it shampooed.

"How do I keep the same weight all the time? Why, by vigilance and determination. If I gain a pound I immediately stop drinking water at meals and give up sugar for a while. If the bones in my neck begin to show I eat bananas and cream and put an extra spoonful of oil in my salad. It's so simple, but, of course, it precludes much pleasure."

Neatness More Desirable Than Beauty

1908

Writer Makes Good Argument In Favor of Neatness

We all long for beauty, but there is within the grasp of all women something even more desirable than beauty — namely, exquisite neatness.

The writer has descanted on the desirability of neatness more than once, but it is something that will bear to be talked about more than once, or twice, or even a dozen times. "Faith," says Pat, when reproved for lying, "Oi have such a respect for Truth, Oi wud not be dhragging her out on every occashun." The writer differs in this respect from Pat. She has such a respect for neatness that she would be dragging her out on every occasion.

A man who had traveled much and seen many women in many countries, said the other day, "I prefer neatness to beauty. Beauty does not last, while the woman of 80 can still be charmingly neat." By neatness he meant more than simple tidiness. It included style and care and taste and the indefinable art of putting on one's clothes properly.

It is a faculty, alas, that Canadian women do not possess to any extent, says a writer in the Montreal Herald. They doubtless inherit the lack of it from their English ancestors, who are noticeably untidy. The mass of Englishwoman do not seem to know the meaning of the word. Their skirts and belts always separate at the back. Their hair is never beautifully coiffed like the Frenchwoman's, their whole aspect is frowsy to an extreme. Of course, this does not apply to all Englishwomen. There are exceptions to every rule.

On the other hand, the Americans are neat, and hence smart, for it is impossible to be smart without perfect neatness. They have a trim, trig way of wearing their clothes that gives a style to the cheapest ready-made. If you cannot be beautiful you can at least be charmingly neat. And neatness has an attractiveness that mere beauty lacks.

Fake Beard Lands Gary Man in Cell

March 1920

Merchant-Sleuth Finally Released by Detroit Cops

DETROIT, Michigan — Wearing a false goatee and mustache, Isidor Vila, a well-to-do business man of Gary, Indiana, was arrested here.

Vila conducts a grocery store in Gary. During the strike there last summer a large number of the strikers opened charge accounts at his store. Many of them disappeared without paying their bills, some of them coming to Detroit. Vila decided to go on a collecting trip. He provided himself with false scenery, as he figured he would have a better opportunity of locating his debtors.

Detroit was the first city he visited, and five minutes after he left his hotel adorned with the camouflage he was spotted and arrested, despite his strenuous objections. The Gary authorities wired the Detroit police that Vila was a law abiding citizen and he was then released.


Weds Girl To Whom He Restored Beauty

PEORIA, Illinois — Two years ago Miss Ruth Wheeler, a Peoria school teacher, went to the offices here of Dr. Raymond C. Willett, orthodonist. An otherwise beautiful face was slightly marred by teeth which had grown crooked. She appealed to Dr. Willett to perform an operation to straighten them. Recently, in Chicago, the couple married. Miss Wheeler is the daughter of one of Peoria's prominent families. Dr. Willett is one of the best known practitioners in Peoria.

The Arrangement of Cut Flowers

1874

The London Gardener says that of all the various mistakes made by persons in arranging flowers, the commonest is that of putting too many in a vase; and next to that, is the mistake of putting too great a variety of colors in one bouquet. Every flower in a group should be clearly distinguishable and determinable without pulling the nosegay to pieces; the calyx of a cove pink should never be hid by being plunged into the head of a white phlox, however well the colors may look.

Sweet peas never look so well in the hands as they do on the boughs over which they climb, because they cannot be carried without crowding them; but put them lightly in a vase with an equal number of mignonette, or rather, ornament a vase half full of mignonette, with a few blossoms of sweet peas, and you get a charming effect, because you follow the natural arrangement by avoiding crowding of the blossoms, and putting them with the green foliage which they want to set them off.

Few people are aware, until they try it, how easy it is to spoil such a pleasing combination as this; a piece of calceolaria, scarlet geranium, or blue salvia, would ruin it effectually. Such decided colors as these require to be grouped in another vase, and should not even be placed on the table with sweet peas.


Laugh and Be Healthy

The physiological benefit of laughter is explained in the Archiv fur Psychiatrie: The comic-like tickling causes a reflex action of the sympathetic nerve, by which the caliber of the vascular portions of the system is diminished, and their nervous power increased. The average pressure of the cerebral vessels on the brain substance is thus decreased, and this is compensated for by the forced expiration of laughter, and the larger amount of blood thus called to the lungs. We always feel good when we laugh, but until now we never knew the scientific reason why.

Now Futurist Face Powder

1914

Mauve, Yellow and Green Tints Made by Fashion's Leaders From Pearl Dust

The post-impressionist artists, painting, as they do, mauve, yellow, green, and brown flesh tints, have given a new idea to manufacturers of cosmetics. The fashionable woman may now tint her complexion in any tone as easily as she may assume a toilette in that color. One manufacturer is showing face powders in shades called violet yellow, emerald, old rose and ashen rose.

These new tints are recommended only for evening wear, as it is generally admitted that they would be too grotesque for daylight. The amazing thing, however, is that they really look well on the skin, and when applied give only the faintest suggestion of shadowy color. Thus, when the mauve powder is used, the shadows have a sort of purple bloom, which is rather becoming and lends softness to the face, accentuating in small degree the expression of the eyebrows and eyelashes, and also intensifying the color of the eyes. The purple tint is usually recommended for brunettes with blue or gray eyes.

Yellow powder is flattering to blondes, who need to intensify the yellow in their skins to correspond with the shadows cast from golden hair. This intensifies the type and makes it much warmer looking, therefore much more harmonious than if the face were tinted with either white or so-called flesh-colored powder.

The most difficult of all the new shades to conceive as having a place among beauty applications is the green powder. But through demonstration it is proved that certain types of coloring look well with the green tint, notably ashen blondes who have the reflection of green lights from the hair. This is also recommended for types too florid, whether blonde or brunette. It is said to give a cool, clean look to such skins.

The rose color is not at all the old fashioned flesh pink, but a sort of salmon tinted old rose. This is a color which would be well suited to a neutral brunette, as it would warm the type, giving body and a look of strength to the skin and a consequent health-like flush.

It is an interesting fact that these new cosmetics are made from powder of real pearls, a discovery of somewhat recent date, though for some time in quite current use in Paris.

Great Influence of Beauty

1914

Though Too Often Ignored, It Is as Deep and Useful a Part of Life as Utility

Beauty is as deep and as useful a part of our general life as is what we term utility. It has just such a reason for being; it has a similar force; it has a set place in the scheme of the world. Eyes not fully opened to the beautiful are not wholly alive to the influence of beauty upon our lives and our actions. Alas! sometimes we scoff at the highest expressions of beauty. That is to say, the highest human expression.

Those even greater beauties, which are divine expressions, we ignore.

Just think for a moment. Take yourself away from yourself and contemplate yourself and your living, set against the background of the universal scheme of things. Think of the myriads of infinitely petty, wasteful and useless thoughts and actions, desires and dislikes which occupy your day. At the moment you read this, take yourself back two years ago. Of course, you have not the slightest conception of what happened. But let me tell you that on that day, two years ago, were happening too, a dozen or a hundred things which seemed to you to be supreme importance. Do you understand how we fill our lives to the brim with millions of such trifling inconsequences? — Kansas City Star.

Frills for Gentlemen

1914

Dr. Montessori, the famous woman educator, in discussing the injustices imposed upon her sex by man, says: "It enrages me to see how men sacrifice beauty to comfort in their dress. They make no sacrifices that they may be beautiful to us, but we abandon all comfort that we may be beautiful in their eyes."

The important question here is not one of deed but of purpose. Dr. Montessori, a most learned and representative woman, says that women dress for men. While man would not flatter himself to make such a statement without high authority, his failure to appreciate the complimentary feminine attitude is undoubtedly due rather to ignorance than to contempt of woman. Surely we are all sorry that Dr. Montessori is enraged at us and would hate to see a general strike on the part of those who furnish us with most of the joys of life.

What can we do. then, if we are to appease Madame Montessori? Must we grow long hair, dress in knee breeches, silks and laces, wear tickly plumes and stickly hatpins, carry vanity bags and powder our noses?

Of course we would rather do a great deal than to permit the milk of feminine love to sour against us, but there seems to be a crossed wire somewhere. Can it be possible that men have been buying big hats, fine apparel, cruel hatpins and scratchy quills to please themselves rather than their wives? If so, what extravagant fools we masculine mortals be!

—Waterloo Evening Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, Jan. 1, 1914, p. 4.

Starts for Money But Never Returns

California, 1917

A Mariposa street shoe store is short just one pair of $9 shoes and an attractive dark haired woman weighing about 170 pounds and standing five feet eight inches, is ahead one pair of $9 shoes.

According to a report made to the police department yesterday by the shoe store, the fashionably dressed woman, said to be strikingly attractive, entered the store Saturday night and after trying on many different shades and heights, finally selected a pair, and said she would wear them at once, and would the clerk please have the old ones wrapped up.

She said her brother was waiting for her outside and she would get the money from him, but she never returned, according to the report. The clerk was able to give an excellent description of the woman.

—Fresno Morning Republican, Fresno, CA, Sept. 10, 1917, p. 3.

New Ideas In Lingerie and Fashion

1914

The chemise is coming into its own again. The latest expression of this garment is slashed very deep at each side and it has rounded instead of square corners, so as not to interfere with the garters. It is developed in nainsook and edged with lace, with shoulder straps variously of lace and of ribbon.

The cotton crepe petticoat has lately discovered a rival in the underskirt of pique. This is designed to be worn under tailored skirts. It may show either a simple scalloped edge or an elaborate design of hand embroidery.

Still another variety of petticoat is made of a new material resembling basket cloth. This is ornamented with a design of embroidered dots and finished with a buttonholed edge. — Philadelphia Inquirer.


Dictates of Fashion

The gown that is shirt waisted in the back has gone out of fashion.

Young girls are wearing white velvet hats, the edges bordered with a fluted ruffle of moire ribbon.

The use of chiffon taffeta is becoming more general; it forms the basis of stunning afternoon and evening frocks.

Clear, fresh, flowery colors are said to be about to follow the brilliant futurist effects. They are sweet pea shades.

The new soft taffetas are being shown in all colors. They have the appearance of soft satin in the way they drape.

Embroidery with colored dots is one of the features of novelty underclothes. The colors are not delicate, but strong.

Sashes and belts are a feature of children's dresses. Sashes are quite wide. Belts are of suede and colored and patent leather.

The tango nightgown is the newest, and resembles a chemise and Turkish trousers combined. It is said to be comfortable.

At the theater women are adorning their heads with wonderful Egyptian bandeaux, set with amber or jade and very flexible.

Flowers in the Home

1883

Flowers! How our thoughts brighten at that word! They fly back over, ten, twenty, thirty, aye, forty years, to the times when we wove garlands from the wild sweet blossoms. What dainty, golden necklet we have since worn has given us the pleasure we felt when we decked ourselves in a simple daisy chain?

But I did not take up my pen to write of our sweet childhood; I wish to speak to my sisters of the home; I wish to remind them that nothing will make a home truly refined but flowers. Ah, they are infinitely more than rich furniture, and even more than books or pictures, or music itself, for they speak to all. None are too old, too young, too ignorant nor too refined to be taught by those sweet, fragile teachers. Then, busy, planning housewives, find a place for something that will tell you "God is love" — a little flowering plant.

It need not be a rare exotic in a costly vase. Primroses, violets, hyacinths, or any sweet, simple flower in an ordinary pot is quite enough. But you can make your pot quite a work of art with a little patience, ingenuity and corks. Take a flower-pot, a small wooden box, or anything convenient, and glue on fragments of corn until the outside is covered with a rustic coat. Then fill with mold and plant your flower.

Another way is — paint your pot or box a dark brown; then, when, it is dry, gum on some of those pretty, cheap scraps in wreaths or groups, and finish with a coat of clear varnish. Yet another way is to adapt common sea shells and pebbles. Ah, they are little things, but they will brighten a room, and perhaps a sad, dark, weary soul. What memories they awaken!

But a week ago a pot of spring flowers was placed in my hand, and with their sweet breath floated the memories of ten years ago, when I gathered the wild flowers and wove them into garlands; when I was not alone, but had the companionship of one who now sleeps in God's Acre beneath the flowers, when my faith in God and man was unshaken; and for that glimpse of my fair, pure childhood I was stronger and better. Then find a place for flowers. For all your care and trouble their sweetness and beauty will reward you fourfold. — The Toronto Globe.

Women are Peacocks at Heart

1920

New York. — "Every woman in the world is a peacock at heart."

So says Dolores, termed the most beautiful creature God ever made by Florenz Ziegfeld in whose Midnight Frolic she appears, and the only actual human peacock in existence!

Women, according to Dolores, cannot resist the impulse to make themselves beautiful any more than can the peacock, although that kingly bird is the male of his species. And this impulse begins almost as soon as a girl is able to talk as a baby.

"I have noted the impulse in girl babies as young as 18 months." says Dolores. "Even at that age a girl baby will crow with delight over a pretty dress that particularly strikes her fancy. And when a girl is four years old the instinct is fully developed and she begins to take interest in ribbons, laces, and all sorts of things to enhance her childish beauty.

"With maturity comes the desire not only to make herself beautiful in her own eyes but the eyes of her boy friends as well. And with young womanhood comes the desire to hold whatever good looks she has, for at that age a woman instinctively realizes that beauty is a fleeting thing.

"Every woman knows that clothes — good clothes — enhance her beauty and for that reason she longs for and gets if possible the pretty things she thinks will show her charms to the greatest advantage.

"It is that instinct that has always made impossible and always will make impossible that foolish idea about standardizing women's dress."

Beauty – Calling a Woman "Pretty" is Merely Conventional

1877

Pretty women are spoken of as if they, of all others, were the elect; as if woman's sole claim to admiration rested on her possession of fine eyes or luxuriant hair. "Is she pretty?" is the first question asked concerning a new acquaintance, as though that embraced the whole subject.

If a man likes a woman he generally considers her "pretty," for the term is merely conventional. A pretty woman, in the private lexicon of masculinity, signifies a woman interesting from whatever cause. Who has not known women to be called pretty that could hardly boast of a single handsome feature? Who has not been acquainted with those enjoying a wide reputation for prettiness that had almost any other than a physical charm? She who has a distinctly graceful manner, or an elegant air, or fine tact, or a talent for conversation, or quick sympathies, or cordial ways, or a heart of listening well, albeit plain in face and of ordinary figure, is frequently styled pretty, and the adjective is repeated until it is fastened upon and constantly associated with her.

Merely pretty women do not rule society — never did and never will. When beauty is allied to pleasant manners, or accomplishments, tact, quick wit, then, indeed, it is all-powerful; otherwise a really plain woman who had conspicuous graces of mind and manner will prove more than a match for her beautiful, insipid sisters.



Jonah and the Whale

A naturalist walks boldly to the front and announces that the preservation of Jonah in the whale's belly was not a miracle. The throat of the whale is large, and is provided with a bag or intestine, so considerable in size that the whales frequently take into it two of their young ones when weak, and especially during a tempest. As this receptacle is furnished with two vents that serve for inspiration, it is claimed that Jonah could have lived there comfortably and, with reasonable amount of furniture, many years, provided he could obtain food and drink.



Emotions of a Mother's Heart

A mother may never find words in which to express the emotions which surge through her heart on finding her babe, just dressed in its Sunday best, stirring the contents of a bottle of ink into the coal ashes with the hair-brush but she will try to, and try with all her might.

An Enchanted Cavern – The Beauties of the Grotto of Capri

1887

An Enchanted Cavern

Beauties of the Grotto of Capri — An American Bicyclist's Adventure

Tradition has it that this "Grotta Azzura" was known in the earliest Roman times and then lost again in the Middle Ages, although the knowledge of its existence was preserved at Capri, and that in the last century it was rediscovered through chance — a shipwrecked sailor was dashed through the narrow opening in the cliff; recovered consciousness to find himself in heaven, as he thought — in reality upon a little ledge in the grotto — and escaped by swimming.

Can I not enter swimming when it would be impossible for a boat? The guide says, "No," but will take me out there, and it is worth the attempt; so watch and valuables are left at the hotel and we are off. On the way we meet a party returning, and upon reaching to the cave we find that the entrance, about three feet high and four broad, is filled by every wave and the spray sent dashing up the rocky sea wall I must enter as the wave recedes.

Undressing and leaping into the sea, I was tossed about a little by the waves, my mouth filled with salt water and I almost decided to give it up; but, after holding to the boat for a few moments and hearing the guide expatiate upon the "Grotta Bellissima," decided that I could risk a bit of a knock for the purpose of seeing one of nature's most beautiful creations. The boat was pushed as near as was safe and I made a plunge for the entrance, but just a little too late; I saw that the coming wave would catch me, and fearing a blow on the head — where even the felt hat I wore for that contingency would not have saved me — I dived on the instant, and the wave, coming roaring in, pushed me by its weight into the depths, instead of against the rocks. I think I must have gone down fifteen feet and been under the surface nearly a minute, for I swallowed an immense quantity of the salty fluid before I came up dazed, after a hard struggle, to find myself in smooth water, surrounded by a wonderful, supernatural, blue light, with countless stars gleaming above me. The water is very clear and seems to be fathomless, while my limbs are bright, polished, sparkling silver. Ideas of distance are lost; I can see for miles in every direction, up and down as well, and it is a surprise to me when, after swimming for ten minutes, I find myself at the other end of the grotto.

There was no resting place except a crevice in the rock for the fingers of one hand, and I hung there swinging back and forth and feasting on this wonderful sight — a feast half mingled with - fear as to my safe exit. The entrance appeared hopelessly far away, entirely closed every few seconds by the inrushing water, and then, upon its recession, admitting a ray from the outside world. The impression and experience is, under such circumstances, altogether indescribable and unearthly. After perhaps fifteen minutes I launched out once more, and swam, in fear and trembling, for the entrance; before reaching it two or three big waves came rushing in, tossing the salt spray into my eyes, and accompanied by a cold wind. I approached as near the entrance as I could, waited until a great wave dashed itself with full force into my face, struck out quickly, and, behold, I came out without the slightest trouble and seized the boat before the next wave came! — George P. Fiske, M. D.. in Outing.

The Looks of Literary Women

1874

Some one having revived the lamentable truism that literary women are seldom beautiful; that their features, and especially their foreheads, are more or less masculine, a recent writer points out some exceptions, among them Miss Landon, whose forehead was essentially feminine, and who was exceedingly pretty. Mrs. Stanton, likewise, is a pretty woman, but Miss Anthony and Mrs. Livermore are both plain. Maria and Jane Porter were women of high brows and irregular features, as was also Miss Sedgwick. Anna Dickinson has a strong masculine face; Kate Fields has a good looking, though by no means a pretty one, and Mrs. Stowe is thought to be positively homely. Alice and Phoebe Gary are both plain in features, though their sweetness in disposition added greatly to their personal appearance. Margaret Fuller had a splendid head, but her features were irregular. Charlotte Bronte had wondrously beautiful dark brown eyes and a perfectly-shaped head. Julia Ward Howe is a fine-looking woman. Laura Holloway resembles Charlotte Bronte. Neither Mary Booth nor Marion Harland can lay claim to handsome faces, while Mary Clemmer Ames is just as pleasing in features as her writings are graceful.


Man as a Leaf

Man is no better than a leaf driven by the wind until he has completely mastered his great, lonely duties. If he has no habit of retiring from all that is worldly, and of conversing face to face with his inner man, if he does not draw down upon his soul "the powers of the world to come," then he is no man yet; he has not found the life of man, nor the strength of man; he is a poor, unhappy man, sporting only with shadows, and affrighted before the real and the eternal. He owns a great house, a wonderful house, but it is shut up, and he lives outside with his fellow-cattle; the inside is wholly unknown to him, and he has lived outside so long that he is afraid of the inside. Think, my good brothers and sisters, of the great, high serene world, in which you might live and move and have your being.