THE SECRET OF WOMAN'S BEAUTY
The secret of a woman's beauty is not to be discovered in her
dressing-room, as cynics might intimate; it is not obtained by the use
of cosmetics, pomade, magic waters, and ointments; by the application of
red, white, and black, neither by painting nor dyeing; the real secret
of woman's beauty lies in resplendent health and a cheerful mind.
It was only a few days ago that I said to a lady, an intimate friend of
mine, who has just been promoted to the dignity of a grandmother: 'Won't
you make up your mind one of these days to look over thirty years of
age?' My lady friend is very beautiful, and she knows it; but she
carries her beauty without any affectation and bumptiousness.
She is simplicity personified, and if you were to talk to her about her
looks she would smile, and immediately beg you to kindly change the
subject of conversation. But we are old friends, and when I asked her to
tell me what she did, that I might tell others how she succeeded in
remaining young, fresh, and beautiful, she allowed me to insist.
'Well,' she said, 'let me tell you at once that I do not spend fifty
shillings a year in perfumery. I have always retired and risen early; I
have always done as much good as I have been permitted to do; I have
always frequented cheerful and happy people, read cheerful books, and
seen cheerful plays; I have always taken healthy exercise and indulged
in plenty of fresh air by day and night.
'But I should add: I have had the good luck of being born with a
cheerful disposition, and of being brought up by cheerful and happy
parents. I have always dearly enjoyed humour, and have always been able
to appreciate it. I am a philosopher.
'You say that I look thirty--well, I am forty-five; but if my body is
young, my mind is younger still, and I am perfectly sure that, when I am
a great-grandmother, I shall enjoy playing with a doll as much as any of
my little great-grand-daughters.'
And she went on giving me advice in minute details. Here are a few hints
which my lady readers might hear with profit:
HINT NO. 1
_Never expose your shoulders and arms to cold. When you leave a hot room
to go out in the open air, cover them most carefully so as to create on
your body an increase of temperature exactly equal to the difference
there exists between the indoor temperature you leave and the outdoor
one._
HINT NO. 2
_Avoid beds too soft and too much bed-clothing, which cause nightmares,
develop nervous irritation, and conduce to stoutness. Never have round
your beds curtains, except as an ornament, if you like, at the head; but
draw them in such a way that fresh air can circulate freely round your
head. Renew the air of your bedroom several times a day, and during the
night, however cold it may be, have one window slightly open, even if
you should be compelled to keep a fire all night._
HINT NO. 3
Your bedroom should never be at a temperature above sixty-five degrees.
HINT NO. 4
_A woman enjoying good health should sleep eight hours, nine at most,
and never less than seven. Sleep is a repairing balm which gives rest to
the muscles, the nerves, and all the organs. Late evening and night
sleeps are refreshing, but not so the sleep you may indulge in in the
morning, or the nap you may have in the afternoon. What you want is
uninterrupted sleep from eleven at night till seven in the morning. No
other sleep will keep you fresh and well._
HINT NO. 5
_Never go to bed hungry, although you wait till your indigestion is well
over. If you are hungry take some very light refreshment that you will
digest at once and without any difficulty._
HINT NO. 6
_No sleep is thoroughly sound and good unless your face assumes a
perfectly serene expression. To attain this end, do not allow your brain
to work at night, or your mind to be besieged by painful thoughts. Do or
read nothing exciting. Go to bed with pleasant thoughts and a quiet
mind._
I am sure my lady friend is right; for, consulting advice on hygiene in
a book written by a famous physician, I see that this great doctor
advises the following:
Substantial and digestible meals at regular times.
Very little liquids at meals, if any.
Well-aired rooms and cool bedrooms.
Plenty of fresh air and cold water.
Warm but light clothing.
Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.
A contented mind.
A cheerful disposition.
Indulgence in deeds of generosity and charity.
Plenty of genial occupation.
Such is certainly the secret of health and cheerfulness, and the secret
of beauty, which is the reflection of both.