BEAUTY OUT OF THE WEST

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 January 1938, Page 4

BEAUTY OUT OF THE WEST

CHINESE AND COSMETICS

In the year 1926, a young English girl named Beatrice Thomason Avas employed as a musician in a cabaret in Hong Kong, says a writer in the “San Francisco Chronicle. In spite of the smallness of her salary, she Avas ahvays a good customer of the beauty parlours and one day when making a purchase in one of these places she became thoughtful as she watched the crowds of Chinese Avomen passing indifferently by the windows Avhere all the attractive aids of beauty Avere displayed. What a tremendous potential clientele Avas being neglected there!

From this came the inspiration that made her fortune. She had been mistaken for imagining herself a musician. In the company of the Muses she had not found success; Mercury, the god of commerce, could do far more for her. One day, aftei’ buying a jar 1 of cream and a pair of tweezers, she said to the owner of the shop, “Madame, I think that I have a good idea which might bring in a lot of money.”

She explained hei- plan, Avhich Avas quite simple and clear; Avhy not make the Chinese Avoman acquainted Avith the. secrets of modern Western beauty? One might thus obtain some tens of millions of neAV clients. To convert the Chinese Avoman to the religion of beauty, as practised in the West, Avhat Avas necessary? Simply propaganda. Beatrice engaged an assistant to set out to travel through the Avhole of China by automobile to carry out her picturesque mission. The undertakings had elements of danger. What would the rural populations, steeped in their old traditions, and hostile to all the innovations of the foreign devils, think of it? In spite of all fears to the contrary, the same people that had torn up the first raihvay lines, massacred mission-

aries, and boycotted foreign settlers, displayed quite a Avelcoming spirit. Why? Because the Avomen were fav curable, and in China as elseAvhere, public opinion is influenced to a great extent by the women. Making the public square in each toAvn and village they passed through, the scene of operations, Beatrice, taking her companion as a model, presented her first Avith hair undone and face unmade-up. Before the amazed' Chinese Avomen, Avhose narroAved eyes

opened to their Avidest extent, she then made up her face demonstrating the 1 cosmetics and implements Avith which she accomplished the metamorphosis. This demonstration Avas more eloquent than any speech! Miss Bamboo Stalk and Mrs. Moonbeam seized the preparations—sold to them at big profit— A\’ith avidity, in the hope, no doubt, that, Avith the help of these magic ob-1 jects they Avould also be able to have rosy cheeks, bright eyes and fair curly hair.

It Avas in this Avay that lipstick, face cream, and poAvder made their first entry into the lives of Chinese coquettes. Dating from that epoc'h, eA'en in the most remote provinces, daughters of the Celestial Empire have cut their hair, plucked their eyebroAvs, darkened their eyelashes, and painted their lips and nails according to the laAvs of beauty laid doAvn in Hollywood.