THE BEAUTY OF THE MATRON.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VI, Issue 38, 20 September 1890, Page 3

THE BEAUTY OF THE MATRON.

The notion still held by certain shallow women that maturity is ugliness is one of the most incomprehensible pieces ot nonsense of the time. Some papers are complimenting Mme. Albani on having overcome her matronliness ami on the renewed girlishness of her appearance. From this one would judge that women who live on public exhibition fear nothing so much as development. If they can only stay all their lives in a lisping and glutinous sweetness and not grow, they are satisfied. To get on in appearance, or in character, or in strength, is a calamity. In this extraordinary view of things a green codling is better than a ripe pippin. Women who exhibit themselves have only one standard of merit—and that is youth. Poor creatures,* they do not know that the pretty girl ought to become the handsome woman, and never reaches her full splendour until she is a matron. They cannot comprehend the fact that fixed beauty has no existence except in death, and even then only when the enbalmer has put in his work. The law of beauty in life is the law of development and attainment, and the beauty of a matron ami the beauty of a miss differ from each other as one star differs from another in glory and, curiously enough, the older the star the more beautiful it becomes. Women who think of nothing but how they shall stay young, are women of characterless minds. All things considered, the greatest woman is she who can grow old gloriously, and defy time with something better than enamel. But your woman who is professionally on exhibition has got to bring to the market what the public most desire. Ami it is a patent fact that the mob would rather look at the pastryness of youth than at the perfection of personality. Itisthispopular instinct that makes exhibiting women star ve themselves, enamel themselves, prison themselves, restrict their functions, suppress their minds and crucify their laslies.