The San Francisco call. [volume], August 11, 1907, Page 14, Image 14

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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WOMEN "ATHLETIC"
AND
BEAUTIFUL TOO
AND so It turns out that among
the women athletes of today
many are really beauties! An
other Billy 6lander disposed oft
Jllss Prim, Who presided something
snore than half a century ago over the
Institutions for the development of
young ladies In the higher arts and
classics, taught repose and dignity to
her pupils, and the very mention of the
word "athletics," as It pertained to
young women and women of middle
age. shocked her sensibilities so severe
ly that ehe Invariably doubled punish
ments for a week after.
But, alas for poor Miss Prim, all tho
finely spun theories with which Ehe edi
fied doting mothers who had brought
their daughters to her to be "finished
off have been scattered to the four
Triads of heaven. Athletics are as
much a part of woman's life these days
as they were tabooed when Miss Prim
was at tier severest, and what Is more,
and might shock that high spirited old
lady almost to the point of hysteria,
women compete with men on the ath
letic field today, and tn many Instances
are superior to their brothers In games
upon which both can meet on a com
mon basis.
Miss Prim taught that women could
cot engage In athletics and hope to re
tain their beauty. To preserve her
charms of face and figure the budding
the young woman who had
! passed out of her •'teens," and the
\u25a0 sensible and tnoft matured girl who
rc-aa approaching SO,, must not permit
herself to engVge In any pastime more
| rigorous than throwing grace hoops or
poseibly Indulging in a game of cro
quet.
Foollsh fancy: There are young
j women ttLo play golf, who shoot, who
ißwim. who play tennis, who play bas
ket ball, who ride at race speed on
horseback, who guide motor cars, who
fence, who even play baseball, which
demands the use of almost every mus
cle In the body, who are not only
handsome, but* some of whom are
stunning beauties and whose grace of
figure. Instead of being injured by vio
lent exercise, if anything seems to have
been Improved.
Rise of the New Type '
There are still among us some of the
old school, some of those dear, delight
ful, grand dames, brought up to ob
serve with . religious exactness the
teachings of Miss Prim, who look with
horror upon the remotest possibility
of a grlrl romping and running after
Ehe has passed the age of doll and knee
ekirts. Once gowns are lengthened
and the' hair no longer falls down the
toacjc In a long braid the young woman
must engage herself in the all im
portant task of establishing herself
for life by a good match, and never
, kick up her heels further than is per
missible In the fashionable cotillon.
But where they were the rule they are
now the exception. Hundreds and hun
dreds of ' young women, . and elderly
women, too, yes thousands of both, who
realize that they, have legs and arms,
and that they have a keen sense of en
joyment In athletics.' every bit as much
bo as their brothers and husbands, re
eelva tremendous pleasure from engag
ing In those pastimes which require
great muscular activity.
They aro not afraid that the sun will
bum their faces or develop a prolific
crop of freckles. Enlargement of the
biceps, to tfce extent of marring tho
symmetrical curves of a shapely arm,
worries them not at aIL They are in
fearful of becoming stout, because theC
take a great deal of exercise and eat
heartily of foods that make flesh. They
scorn the theory that ankles become
large because one plays tennis or golf,
and merely ask why danctng will not
bring about the same result. They
laugh derisively when told that steady
SSffinSSL. frequenUy ™ ul * «»
Every country in the world wherein
women have asserted their-independ
ence of ancient conventions and now
run. Jump, raw and even wrestle with
their brothers has its beauties who are
not only clever In athletics, but who
are actually champions in certain kinds
of sport and who are a trifle superior
to the ordinary man In a great many
tWnw w n!ch call for strength and
skill.
That participation In athletics affects
their beauty, except to enhance it,
they reject with a scornful pout of the
lips and tilted noses. One of the most
famous women athletes in England
who has succeeded In more sports than
one cays: "A little sunburn mars no
complexion permanently. More than
likely It will do It a little good. Exer
cise brings about energetic circulation.
Quick stirring of the olood through tho
veins and arteries is one of the best
aids to a clear skin. A match on the
tennis court, a swim In the ocean or
a brisk tramp over the golf links Is a
better blood purifier and a safer beauty
maker than air the embrocations, oint
ments, creams and nostrums In the
pharmacopoeia of the beauty experts."
A • false theory has lurked among
mankind for a great many years that
the wonderfully successful women ath
letes, those who led In the dozen and
one ' sports with which women have
familiarized themselves within the last
century, were unattractive of face, no
matter how skillful 'they may have
been of limb. Indeed, it was not,in
frequent to hear that because a woman
was champion at some pastime or an
other she was "probably some plain
creature who ' couldn't make a success
In the parlor or.the ballroom and took
up sport to create a sensation."'
Note exception " one, Miss Annette
Kellerman, one 'of- the" handsomest
women athletes ; of: the world, and ono
with a beautiful figure and a wonder
fully attractive face. What thousands
of men dare not attempt she achieves
with ease. There Is no method of div
ing with which she is not familiar, and
she Is the champion' swimmer, of her
Bex. '. „\u25a0; ;' "\u25a0 7 ? „;_ '
Few: men can' hold the pace at which
she cleaves , the water iof , ocean ': or
river, and fewer still can" keep up with
her in long , distance swimming. , She
learned her art in Australia, and she
became proficient , in Jt wlth^such
rapidity . that she has . given , up every
thing to it. She became a professional
swimmer because it paid her to \do so,
yet as a child, she was almost a crip
ple and wore a steel 'brace' on 'her leg.
Thousands flock to see her exhibitions
in the water. She has f tried, although
unsuccessfully,* to swim the English
channel. • She went farther, however,
than some .. men .who have - attempted '
the same feat. She did more than; any
woman ever had \u25a0\u25a0. done ': before. \u25a0? And •
still she • Is beautiful— almost ra : pro
fesslonal - beauty, ' if ; one , will . have it
that way. : . -\u25a0'."'\u25a0 .•\u25a0 : . J': \u25a0/. ,-' :\u25a0:..<-,
.The rays of the sun have beaten
upon her face in .the water, and she
has been pounded by,; the '• waves •; until !
she has been compelled to desist in
some of her undertakings* because* of
the cruel \u25a0\u25a0 punishment, but It ," has V hot
detracted in tho least from her beauty.
On the contrary, some. say. that she iff
handsomer: than ever. ; And what , a llf o*
of energetic : activity she has . led [ for.
more than five 'years!
. ' "I : do ; nothing but 5 follow the • sim
plest rules to care for my complexion,"
said she. "L"As - f or [ my. ," flgure-^-well,
that .takes care " of Itself. >:.When V; I F am
In .; the water fall \u25a0 day •I , am ; careful ; to
see ?., that the - skin '\u25a0', oh .". my/ face *Is -. not
dry and feverish when I retire t at night. ,
If \u25a0 a .little '-\u25a0. cooling and ':. healing lotion'
of some sort is needed I use it. Except
that, nothing. To * the very,, fact of be
ing in the 'open sot' much 'and; that
my 11 f e has been one of activity ' rather
than i quiet', and ; retirement, I attribute
what charm there : may,' be ; In : my^ physi
cal appearance, and as I have been told
that I am handsome I must? presume
that , there Is ' Som e-truth*. In', what my,
triends say." " AIT this; with charming
simplicity, : for the world's champion Is
as modest as', she. Is •skillful -la the
,water. s y. r : v-. ".--.\u25a0•; '^/ ':-:'^ ;^r-S;'J e^l
. '.; England seems to abound : ln^beautl-'.
. ful t'.women > V swimmers, r 5 Miss \u25a0\u25a0*.' Julia l
Fletcher,} 16 f years of ?age,'";haa '". iwonj
I championships," and " the ; •- remarkably;
; fast I time that Bhe made in ' a"? 100 '\u25a0 yard
dash surprised even her teacher. She
swam the distance in 1 minute 20 1-5
seconds, and seemed not overtired at
the end. The young girl could almost
make a necklace from the medals she -
has won.
There; are attractive .women galore
who play golf. . One of the belles of_
| Philadelphia, Miss Frances Griscom, Is i
so clever at the '• game that she V once
held the : women's : championship of the . '
United ; States.; , Miss v Griscom has :
'.. played - successfully over most of - the *
eastern courses of prominence and' has '
also played -" In \u25a0: England. _.. : -
It was through her generous courtesy
and ; that of her *" mother 'that Miss '
RhonaAdalr, the Irish cJiwnpion, paid
.a visit to this country and engaged In
bo many matches in the east. Miss Grls- '
com is not only proficient In golf.*but
uha ls 'well up In other athletic sport*
|as well,* and it ' is said that * she oan '
handle a bat fairly well when It cornea <
to* playing \u25a0 baseball. ' - , '•;
;; Cftamplon of the Eastern Women's \u25a0
golf association , ts Miss Molly B. Ad
ams, a Boston ' beauty. > She has played
'In many ' of the' national tournaments
and f has always been \ a prominent - fig
ure iln f". intercity : : matches; and v local
tourneys."; ' She la one of the most strik
ing j figures among the "American -woman
"players ' and *is -one of ' those ': fortunate
young wjrnw whs are able to play
golf and '- never strike an ungraceful
pose.
. Mrs. Hall Walker Is a stunning Ensr
1 Ish beauty who Is a: golf player of
great skill. She does not confine her
self to tournament play so much as
some of her slaters, but she Is expert
In match play and In medal play. She
won one of the moat valued prizes of
the golf year— that presented at Mar
lenbad by King Edward. V
Miss V. Henry Anderson, semifinal
ist in the recent ladies' championship
at Newcastle, is a Scotch girl of beau
tiful figure and charming face. She
began to play golf so early in life that
she cannot recall i the year. She won a
priie on the links when she was 12
years' old. She has won cups and med
als galore. "Do I think athletics for
women injurious to beauty of face and
figure? Really, I never gave It a
thought. I have played golf all my
j life, and If the exercise is Injurious —
'well, it's a bit embarrassing to answer,
,but'l wouldn't giv«;up my, golf."
Mrs. Arthur Bassoon, another beauty
of Great Britain, . Is an expert fisher
woman. That means, that she la' out
in all kinds of. weather and under all
conditions. : Recently sno ' took from
toe "' river " Earne - a 43 pound salmon.
The fish was 60 Inches in length and
S«% Inches In girth. She landed him
after a twenty minutes' fight.
From far off Australia comes another
champion who* • beauty makes her aa
' \u25a0 - \u25a0\u25a0 ir» *•\u25a0• :\u25a0/**\u25a0-:\u25a0* v , ' ' - . .
much ia" Queen \of tha 'ballroom as a
most ' dangerous opponent' 7 at the
targets. Miss Madge . Telford is the
best woman shot of the antipodes. . -
'England's :f amateur r. women - fencers
are ': within the beauty 'class. - Miss
Hall,' the » champion;; never i has lost" a
bout and Miss \u25a0 Evelyn ' Naylor, one . of
The San BranciscQL Sußdaj GalLf
the finalists, fs admired ttirocghoct all
London for her gracefulnesa and viva
clous face. Dally exercise In large
Quantities has been the ruls of both
women for years. Instead of marring
the figure* they think It improves It.
\u25a0Thousands of beautiful women play
tennis. Some of them win chamlon
shlps. It la one; of the most popular
of all games with the fair sex. Miss
Edna Wlldey. tho champion of New
Jersey, is beautiful of face and figure
and one of the. best* women players of
the east. \u25a0
At Vassar Miss Mildred TUaa of
Cleveland is. the champion of the semi
nary and one of Its handsomest pupils.
Not only does Miss Vila* delight tn
playing tennis, but she U fond of walk
ing and takes many a long tramp about
the hills of Dutchess county whlla she
13 In attendance at her college.
• Or.c of England's beauties, who plays
tennis well and frequently enters tn
championship tournaments, la Miss K.
Kentish. To bo successful in an Eng
lish-tournament usually means quit* a
grueling, for there are many good
players In England, although all of
them have been worn down by that re
markable young • athlete from tha
United States. Miss May Sutton.
Vassar's Pretty Athletes
Vassar has beauties who are record
breaking athletes in field sports. Thera
is Miss Martha Gardner, who ran the
hurdles In 1$ 2-5 seconds and holds the
record. ' Another handsome young
woman. Miss Alice Beldlng. holds tha
record for two years for throwing tha
baseball and the running broad Jump.
She threw the ball 193 feet 6 Inches,
which is. going some for a girl, and she
Jumped 14 feet 6»~ inches, and there
. was no mouse around to frighten her
when she performed the feat.
Miss Mary Avery, who Is president
of the students' athletic association at
Vassar. Is versatile In all manner of
outdoor pastlmex So Is Miss Helen if.
Glenn. In fact, there ar« very few
pretty girls at Vassar who ara not
athletes of one kind or another. «
One of tha -women most prominent
In metropolitan golf circles Is Mrs. W.
Fellowes Morgan. Sht has beau &
leader of the ' Women's Metropolitan
golf association and she has also been
a conspicuous player In 10ms of tha
most Important Intercity -matches
which have taken place In thla section.
6h» has played with brilliancy tn tha
club and general tournaments for
championships. She possesses a strik
ing figure and a handsome face.
Another sterling woman golfer of
much, beauty Is Mrs. Heckseher. for
merly Miss Louise Vanderhoef, of tha
Ardsley club, who played many bril
liant matches at various times over tha
Ardsley course and who also did well
In tho general competitions and tha
tnterclub and Intercity ~ affairs. Taara
was a time when aha was considarsd a
possible- championship quantity and - ,
there are few of tho metropolitan play- ' -
ers-who are superior to her in general
play upon the links. She has to her
credit ; 4 a i defeat of , Mrs. \u25a0 . Charles \u25a0 T
Stout.^ though she lost in the final for
tho woman's ' metropolitan ehamplon-