and other feminine adornments. Love of dress is no accident in the mental organization of that sex which some one called ζψὅν φιλοκόσμον; the essential is a pleasing foible, in which the semi-nude savage and the crinolined "civilizee," the nun and Quakeress, the sinner and the saint, the biche, the petite maîtresse, and the grande dame, all meet for once in their lives pretty much on a par, and on the same ground. Great Salt Lake City contains three "millinery stores," besides thirteen of dry goods and two of fancy goods, or varieties; and some exchange their merchandise for grain.
The contrast of physique between the new arrivals and the older colonists, especially those born in the vicinity of the prairies, was salient. While the fresh importations were of that solid and sometimes clumsy form and dimensions that characterize the English at home—where "beauty is seldom found in cottages or workshops, even when no real hardships are suffered"—the others had much of the delicacy of figure and complexion which distinguishes the American women of the United States. Physiologists may perhaps doubt so rapid and perceptible an operation of climate, but India proves clearly enough that a very few years suffice to deteriorate form and color, especially in the weaker half of humanity; why, then, should we think it impossible that a climate of extremes, an air of exceeding purity and tenuity, and an arid position 4000 feet above sea level, can produce the opposite results in as short a space of time? But, whether my theory stand or fall, the fact remains the same. I remarked to my companion the change from the lymphatic and the sanguine to the bilious-nervous and the purely nervous temperament, and admired its results, the fining down of redundancy in wrist, ankle, and waist, the superior placidness and thoughtfulness of expression, and the general appearance of higher caste blood. I could not but observe in those born hereabouts the noble regular features, the lofty, thoughtful brow, the clear, transparent complexion, the long silky hair, and, greatest charm of all, the soft smile of the American woman when she does smile. He appeared surprised, and said that most other Gentiles had explained the thinness of form and reflective look by the perpetual fretting of the fair under the starveling régime of polygamy. The belle of the crowd was Miss Sally A———, the daughter of a lawyer, and of course a ci devant judge. Strict Mormons, however, rather wag the head at this pretty person; she is supposed to prefer Gentile and heathenish society, and it is whispered against her that she has actually vowed never to marry a Saint.
I "queried" of my companion how the new arrivals usually behave at Great Salt Lake City, when the civilization, or rather the humanization of a voyage, a long journey, and the sense of helplessness caused by new position, have somewhat mitigated their British bounce and self-esteem. "Pretty well," he replied;
