Home Makers' Conference. 



325 



heap. As in all things, the way of the wise does not lead by extremes, 

 and here the best rule in dressing the hair is to be inconspicuous and 

 to be careful to maintain good proportions. 



Closely related to the proportion of the hair to the face is that of 

 the hat to the face. A very large hat makes the face insignificant, and 

 a little button of a hat has no dignity and makes a large face seem, 

 swollen. AVhat is a large hat in times of hats being all somewhat, 

 small, is a mere bagatelle in the days of the "Merry Widow." There- 

 fore, the question of the size of the hat is a relative matter and one is- 

 safe in choosing one which is not conspicuous in either way. 



The ancient Greeks made statues in which the length of the head 

 was contained seven times in the whole length of the figure. Most civil- 

 ized people have heads which are too large to meet the requirements ot 



FiG. 4. 

 "A little button of a hat makes a large face seem swollen." 



this ideal. There is danger, therefore, in our dress in using those effects 

 which enlarge the head and dwarf the appearance of the body. Need- 

 less to say, the woman with a squeezed waist and narrow chest con- 

 trasted with the head built out to gigantic proportions by means of 

 large hair rolls and artificial puffs is a civilized monstrosity. 



In the great works of art involving the portrayal of the human fig- 

 are, the trimk is not conspicuously divided by the drapery or clothing. 

 How would the Winged Victory appear in a shirt waist, which always, if 

 the waist is of contrasting color with the skirt, divides the body into two 

 parts. In our modern clothing, for the sake of convenience we must 

 have divisions, but we should strive to make these necessary evils as in- 

 conspicuous as possible. If one has to wear a shirt waist and skirt of 

 strikingly different color and texture, it is well to remember that a 

 belt to correspond to the waist will make a short waist longer, and a belt 



