The Colored Girl Beautiful Part 4

Originality.

A woman's mind should always be filled with a life plan, else she is in danger. A busy woman is generally a safe woman. She must find her life work and keep busy. Even a hobby is better than nothing if time hangs on her hands. She should do something with all her might and not delay, for Time is flying.

A colored woman especially should have some purpose in life to further race advancement. It should not only be a high purpose but it should be something real.

To be enthusiastic about something is beautifying because it stimulates the circulation of the blood. Any kind of success comes from enthusiasm.

No matter how poor a woman may be she may be original in her ideas. At first, of course, she must use the ideas of others, until she can show her cleverness through her adaptations, and employing her powers and gifts will add until larger powers and gifts result.

She must try to get a new line of work for race advancement and dedicate herself to it. If she eliminates the Ego (Self) and will aim to work for the good of others, she will succeed.

Each one should find a realm, something in which she shall be supreme, and be first. "It is better to be first in an Iberian village than second in Rome." The race needs daring original people, to think and speak.

Emerson says, "Every man has a call to do something unique."

The person who thinks up new lines of study, thought and ideas for the race, enlarging its vision and enriching its mind is a race benefactor.

Ruskin's creed of work should be the universal creed. "The man or woman who does work worth doing is the man or woman who lives and breathes his work; with whom it is ever present in his or her soul; whose ambition is to do it well and feel rewarded by the thought of having done it well.

That man, that woman, puts the whole country under an obligation."

Colored women have a genius for leaders.h.i.+p. There is great executive force in them. Many a colored woman is an undeveloped genius waiting for opportunity. One should try avenue after avenue until the right one opens, for her life work.

In spite of criticism she must fight on, alone if necessary, "With G.o.d, one is a majority," said Frederick Dougla.s.s.

If one can not be a genius or be original, she may do anything near at hand. She should find something to do so that she will have something to talk about besides herself and her friends.

One might take up the study of music, voice culture, elocution, art, embroidery or housekeeping (domestic science) and pa.s.s it along to others.

The surest way to make people "take notice of one" is to work for others. One may also live in peoples' hearts as well as their minds, if she will ally herself with a good humanitarian cause.

If one is not what is termed religious, or is lacking in religious feeling, she should at least conceal this serious void by showing respect for religion in no unmistakable terms for the sake of example.

One should always hold up Christian ideals even though she may not be a spiritual woman or be called an earthly saint. She can hold up for a more rigid moral code and the highest thought in ethics.

It pays to be respected, but after one has trusted and has been disappointed, deceived, and betrayed, she will find that it pays best to keep close to the "Cross" where that "One always listens and understands." One should not get too far away from "It" because one is certain to return sooner or later.

The best representative people go to church if only for example's sake.

Even if one were not extremely religious she could be an authority on religions, reading up the history of other churches as well as one's own church discipline. One might originate prayers or "graces" for the table and sell printed copies for a local charity.

Any woman should be proud to espouse the cause of children and their broader education, as well as their health and happiness. One might try to bring a musical artist or lecturer to them every two or three years.

Every day of one's life there is an opportunity to make some one happy.

One might amuse herself by keeping a diary of her efforts along this line.

Speech is a cultivated talent. One might study to be good company, not to be funny or witty, but she might study the art of expressing herself; not to air her knowledge, that would be vulgar, but to store her memory with a fund of information concerning the great paintings and works of art, and lives of great composers.

One might even be an authority on economy and demonstrate how to make over dresses, hats, etc.

One could economize on her wardrobe and travel on the savings giving little "Travelogues" to those less fortunate. There is an indescribable joy and satisfaction in serving others, even though the recipients are not grateful. It gives one a sense of power and wealth.

One might even cultivate her sensibilities and increase her knowledge of the beautiful in Nature and Art, to carry young folks upon little Nature and Art expeditions to the country or to museums. Permission might be granted to enter many closed doors. The word children is often an open sesame.

If one is tied down to life work inside her home, she may manufacture smiles and cultivate a beautiful speaking voice. It is a pleasant occupation to bring smiles to the faces of others. It is rather fascinating to try to change the expression of other people's faces by exaggerating the happy timbre in one's voice. Even if one may not do big things she may charge the atmosphere with smiles.

When I was a girl, an old friend used to say to me, "Never let people down you, always come up smiling." One may come up from troubles and bitterness with a forced smile until the smiling muscles act for themselves, automatically.

One may also cultivate good manners until she wins a wide reputation for real ladys.h.i.+p, and thus be an example. Only the uncertain are impolite; fear is their ruler. Those who own strength and power are always those who are gentle because they are sure of their life position. Real politeness is only an outward expression of the generous impulses of the heart; it is inborn. Politeness may be cultivated until it pa.s.ses for the real thing.

Originality does not include exclusiveness. Exclusiveness is deadly to originality. The exclusive woman is seldom of service to the race, and she is not always a congenial or an agreeable person. She may live so much to herself that she is uninteresting as well as selfish. She touches nothing vital excepting books and has nothing else to talk about.

One should train herself to make a perfect social circle as far as she is able.

The display of wealth is never original--only vulgar--and only an inborn vulgar woman would place her so-called friends at a disadvantage by entertaining them beyond their power of return.

It is pathetic to watch the social efforts--"climbing"--of people with only money "Sans" brains and originality.

Youth and Maturity.

The two attractive periods in a woman's life are girlhood and maturity.

If girlhood is not sufficiently attractive a girl may go into beauty training for maturity.

Many women who persevere in right thinking and right actions have three stages of attractiveness, youth, maturity, and old age.

A face that reflects nothing is seldom beautiful.

To be beautiful one must think more, love more, in the right way, and give more in the right way.

A girl should not try to get old and look old, for age comes to her soon enough. Girlhood comes but once in a lifetime. One must keep young by being young and "thinking young." One must never let tiredness leave its mark either in the face or poise. Tiredness has never attracted and when people say that one looks tired, it is time to smile and deny it, for the "Spot" is beginning to take form. The body should never be permitted to settle. In Cuba, the women have enormous hips because they sit so much and are inactive.

Each muscular movement should reflect health and youth until one feels hardy and young. One should breathe all the fresh air that she can consume. Breathing is a vital force which sends blood to fill out wrinkles and eradicate blemishes and spots.

The fair, fat, and forty age is no longer dreaded. Like Lillian Russell, women are learning to keep the face youthful by keeping the illusion of youth and the belief that she is youthful. If we feel young we look young.

Self Control.

"Will Power is the rudder of the s.h.i.+p of life."

A woman's life is about what she makes it. She is her own Fate. The law that governs one, governs all humanity, because the laws of thought are the laws of the universe. The mind and body are co-workers. "As a man thinks, so is he." Great men are those who see to it that the mental force is stronger than the material, and who "Will" that thought shall rule their world.

Every thought stimulates certain brain cells, and exercises some nerve, tissue or muscle. Man's superiority to animal is due to this mental action.