Show n r av Girls From ih A AA A a aTh Th Tha a J M- M y nest Women I k dt Are Conw 1 vinced That jj e Y n 1 S nt s fr 1 l I These Corn i F i t r r R Kv s s Ot I II petitions ta v 4 1 h 4 f w I I art artta t F t Very I I II a ia i Serious i IiI I It t 4 I 7 arm d I T e y yr r t i ryes y et i t 1 v I I Ir r Wi M 11 f I o I f k SN t ill The city of Phil Phil- Philadelphia's Philadelphia's adelphia's at attractive attractive representative ina in in a recent recent beauty beauty t tt 1 competition a t HE young women omen who ho were most 1 THE recently declared the prettiest in all America or In this that or the theother theother other city town or state may quite possibly pos pos- possibly pos pos-Bibly sibly be able to te go BO right on enjoying that distinction without ever having to defend their titles t the tho claims of any rivals For there isa is a wide nation-wide movement among members of the Young Women's Christian Association women's omens clubs and other organizations haling mg the welfare elfare of girls and young women at heart to put an end to te the contests which undertake to te decide which uch of a large number of feminine faces and figures are the most beautiful uL The leaders of this movement hope to arouse public sentiment to such an ex- ex extent ex extent tent that the beauty contest the prize bathing parade and other similar com com- competItions com com- competitions competitions petitions will speedily die a natural de death th When their evils are arc pointed out off It IS is thought that the better classes of f girls will Mil refuse to enter these affaIrs and that their promoters will soon be forced to abandon them because of lack of popular support But if this plan does docs not succeed It ItIs itis Is intended to ask the various arlous state tate leg leg- leg legislatures and if necessary Congress Itself to pass laws prohibiting all such contests The board of directors of the Y W WC C A at Trenton N J was one of the tho first organizations to lift its voice in opposition op- op opposItion op opposition position to beauty contests of e every sort and description Living as they do with with- withIn within within in a short distance of Atlantic CIty where one of the most famous of these contests is held every year they have had an exceptionally good opportunity to observe effects on young women lOur Our local people have watched WIth increasing distrust from year to year these affairs says Miss Pauline B BSmith Smith general secretary of the Trenton Y W C A It was noticed by com competent observers that the tho outlook on lif hf life of girls who participated was complete complete- ly completely changed Before the tha competition they were splendid examples of innocent and pure womanhood Afterward their heads filled with vicious ideas We are not prompted by any mawk mawkish V I ish ieh sentiments sentiment h The board believes these A contests are arc a destro destroying ng factor It be- be beI behe be lie es I Theses he hees es further that not only these par par- particularly objectionable bathing beauty parades should be stopped at once but I l A typical bathing beauty pageant on the Atlantic City Boardwalk with hundreds of young women from all that all beauty contests should cease c Parts of or the me country parading parading their The TI worst of th tho these o iatt latter is that thaL they charms before the curious curious thousands malice and and that tI-at throng the line of march march pro oke pros eke envy vanity often leada lead a girl to a career that ends m in her moral and mental destruction The notoriety is unsettling The girls c r are ale exposed to gra grace gra e dangers from flom un unscrupulous un- un scrupulous persons and the shocking cbs cos- s v y umes which such contests encourage all t tall all for protests from organIzations organizations or- or organizations interested in m f h i SP girl welfare 8 yn r e These opinions were em enl em- Bw ti bodied m in a vigorous reso rose v S lution labon and copies of it ha halec hale haic e c been mailed t seventy file e R L V y associations interested 11 u J welfare New York t girl in New New Ives Jersey Pennsylvania Y Dele are and Mal Mai land y t Melting Meeting right in Atlantic City on whose famous Boardwalk so many young women hale ha ha e been crowned queens of beauty of one sort or another the New Jersey State Federation of Women's qc Clubs vigorously applauded a number of i i 9 1 r i speeches condemning beauty contests Alua i pageants in m which bathing girls parade parada iM if and beauty revues They wie sie denounced de de- de Sl as detrimental to the tha morality fi k kand i- i and modesty of our young women At the recent biennial convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs in Los Angeles strong opposItion oppositions s f t tto to the beauty contests was was voiced by a delegates from New Jerse Jersey as well as from many other states The organization tion was urged to pass resolutions point pointing ing mg ou on and deploring the i evils of such immodest displays of 01 physical charm t One speaker declared that the bathing beauty type of f is not representative tive of Americas America's She f said that these prize contest con con con- j test tests tend to create false standards standards of value and have a distinct tendency to igL lower respect for tor woma woman womanhood woman hood The tows expressed by delegates flom every ery e eer er part x Fri Mt of the country showed sho how widespread the feeling against beauty contests is and how determined many ia V women are to put an on end nd to r them The fedel federation atlon dId didt didy t r j ti not pass resolutions con con- con con T e eF F f y g them but this wast was t S w f r only because most of the del delegates Sates felt flit that thai the cru- cru crusade cru f cru-f f J j sade could be carried on to tol 9 C better advantage by leav lean leavi i f il t ing mg it ely cly to the tho vars varI- varIous van 1 4 i ous state federations f X i byone It has been suggested by l t n one w t t he foes of the beau bau- y 4 ty contests that it would J be fir W an excellent idea to take a census of as k t many as pos pos- pos pos-g BIble r of the thousands of young girls and older worn worn- women worn worn-h e en who have been II nent in them y thelast during the tho b w t I last few Such Sucha S ich a years canvass would Miss ISS Miami i named as in a veal it is declared an re divorce re-divorce divorce divorce suit SUt 80 soon after fter representing the Florida ap ap- ap in city m a wide nation-wide beauty contest palling p number of women nave lived to regret or at least make their friends and families u regret that they eer er e er set out to win wm a crown for their beauty If I they confess the tho truth it I 11 ii thought they will admit that nothing but harm to came them as a re- re re no sult suit result of the publicity the contest brought them and the false fahe ideas of l life le e wIth which it filled their heads The case of Mrs Reta Cowles of Rochester N Y is frequently cited as a striking example of the way a a women's oman happiness and the happiness of her hus- hus hus band and children can bo boa wrecked by a beauty contest Young Mrs les Cowles's husband is a prosperous business man They have tv tuo 0 children and their homo home life was Ideal up to a year or so ago when a contest wa was stal started ted to determine Roches Roches- Rochester's Rochester's ter's tars most beautiful woman laughingly One of Mrs Cowles's friends laughing laughing- ly Iy suggested that she sho was good looking enough nough to enter and she bhe took the tho sug suggestion seriously She not only entered the tho competition but she won on an easy j I c ct cT I t cj I I j T 1 raa r Ii i r I r jr k I I rj 4 t 6 rt r r j I s w wr y f 6 R y w ii s fur x ti w i Y s r r as e a I r z 1 s t tx x I JI t Jt A At t t J r rt Jr K J Z t i ir ir ii r r i 1 I if ia e t ta a y t 7 F UIt U-I U rte t A AI I I N I I 14 e I 1 f n 1 H h 7 a l h Mrs Reta c Cowles whose i f I separation from herl her r r F e Y l husband is believed to have been l k J due to her being declared the F greatest beauty in Rochester N Y er t victory over the hundreds of other con contestants She was as declared Rochester's Queen of Beauty and sent to Atlantic CIty to represent 1 the city In the great national beauty contest held thele every year Mrs 1 Cowles les did not win In one of the capItal prizes at the New Jersey resort but she acquitted acquitted herself very creditably indeed d She was so overwhelmed with praise of her charm of face figuie and personality that by the tho time she returned to her husband hu and and children she had vi- vi visions vi visions of abandoning domestic life for a career on the stage dage or in m the tho that time on there was no more peace in the tho home between be- be be between and her tween t Rochester's prize beauty hu husband band grew more mOle and mOle bitter At last she left him and began suit for divorce and custody of the Mr Cowles openly charges that the cause of or all the tha trouble between bet een him and hIs beautiful young wife he lies in m the dis dissatisfaction satisfaction with Ith a 1 quiet home life which the beauty comp competition competition instilled in her After the glare of publicity with which It flooded her the milder glow of the tho hearth fire firo and the evening lamp lost he thinks their appeal for her Even Iven some of Mrs Co Cowles's less les's friends think that she and her hubband husband stIll be living together if she had never entered the Rochester beauty contest contest- contest or at least if she had not won it No historian has yet discovered Just when or where here the list first beauty contest was held but it long since became almost a national In institution The The Thc city is very small indeed that does not hold at least one every scar ear car Besides these local com com- competitions competitions competitions petitions there are others holo states and groups of f states like New a f I T 1 k 1 En England g 1 a nd t tJ x it- it the South t tit it jf and the Pa- Pa Pajo Pa jo ij elfie cine Coast Isk rN The Then n In i e 1 W addition to shit a I I i It these there iare it Wot are numer numerous It aIt r re e tf 1 ous contests if f i n m h h l I c e h i l 1 be beauties aut I e s ii from any part ro 3 the natIOn n a 1 rt compete v t Jm r k It has been ft y J 11 t hat t i J sonic SOllie dayt day Amer America's tests or ica's b beauty auty conor cons con con- tests will be car car- carried car carried ried to as os elaborate lengths as those In France The trench French are not satisfied with Ith determining merely winch much gut gul or woman oman is the most beautiful They rhey must nl al o alo o decide which ones ha e the themo mo most t beautiful hair the most bewitching be eyes the lowliest 10 chest complexions the pret al aims ms the mo most t coquettish dImples and so on through the whole hole long list of feminine chaim chaun m But if the menace of these contests to American girls is really as gra grae grac gra e as prominent and Y W C A believe of course coutEe this predIctIOn will never be fulfilled Of or course hardly hal hai anybody an bod body would want v ant antto antto to see sea these contests continued if it could be proved that they ery ery often lead to any such disaster as recently I overtook a ayoung ayoung ayoung young New England woman oman She was the private vate secretary see I etal y to the t of a n largo manufacturing corn corn com i c r ab 4 CC 4 The friends friend of this St Louis prize beauty hope that thata a the crusade crusader r u against the beauty beautys s i contests wont won't put an end to them until after she c ri has r been acclaimed ins the most beautiful inthe the i woman in United States pany piny She was engaged d to marry a ris uig Ing young law not lamer laws not er-not cr not a wealth wealthy V man but member of an excellent family anda and a Harvard vm d graduate Then e came me the beauty contest and friends of the girl suggested just as those of Mrs les Cowles did that she enter the competition Her Iler raised seri serl- serious e ous objectIOns ana their engagement was as broken Being an extraordinarily beautiful girl gul she had no difficulty in winning the contest and then she was over overwhelmed ovel whelmed whelmed helmed with ith offers of engagements in vaudevIlle and the movies She resigned her position as private secretary and ae- ae ac accepted n II lle aulle a ude Ille engagement While she was as in m aude she fell In fellin 10 lose loic e with a young oung actor and they were married At the end of six months he Ie de deserted lien her and now she sha is fa a brIng II brin SUIt for dl divorce orce S 1 C l lV lm 1 V m |