t of those wonderful things,--hand-made all
of them,--the most casual among those who crowded the galleries for
days, must have gleaned a vivid impression of how woman of the Early
Renaissance lived,--in her kitchen, dining-room, bedroom and
reception-rooms. They displayed her cooking utensils, her chairs and
tables, her silver, glass and earthenware, her bed, linen, satin damask,
lace and drawn work; the cushions she rested against; portraits in their
gorgeous Florentine frames, showing us how those early Italians dressed;
the colored terra-cottas, unspeakably beautiful presentments of the
Virgin and Child, moulded and painted by great artists under that same
exaltation of Faith which brought into being the sister arts of the
time, imbuing them with something truly divine. There is no disputing
that quality which radiates from the face of both the Mother and the
Child. One all but kneels before it. Their expression is not of this
world.

PLATE XXIII

Mrs. Vernon Castle who set to-day's fashion in outline of
costume and short hair for the young woman of America. For
this reason and because Mrs. Castle has form to a
superlative degree (correct carriage of the body) and the
clothes sense (knowledge of what she can wear and how to
wear it) we have selected her to illustrate several types of
costumes, characteristic of 1916 and 1917.

Another reason for asking Mrs. Castle to illustrate our text
is, that what Mrs. Castle's professional dancing has done to
develop and perfect her natural instinct for line, the
normal exercise of going about one's tasks and diversions
can do for any young woman, provided she keep in mind
correct carriage of body when in action or repose. Here we
see Mrs. Castle in ball costume.

[Illustration: _Mrs. Vernon Castle in Ball Costume_]

That is woman as the Mother of God in art Woman as the mother of man,
who looked on these inspired works of art, lived for the most part in
small houses built of wood with thatched roofs, unpaved streets, dirty
interiors, which were cleaned but once a week--on Saturdays! The men of
the aristocracy hunted and engaged in commerce, and the general rank and
file gave themselves over to the gaining of money to increase their
power. It sounds not unlike New York to-day.

Gradually the cities grew large and rich. People changed from simple
sober living to elaborate and less temperate ways, and the