The sensible woman regards her fortieth birthday as the beginning of a new life; she feels free and merry. You don't believe it?... It is the philosophy of this age, and the distillation of centuries of thought.

Now let us begin our subject:

1 — Change is necessary, and will do you much good; by that I mean changing the colors of your clothes. What do you say to blue and yellow, and black with white trimming?... Avoid "beige" as much as you can, and trust that the new touch is bound to change your personality... for the better.

Try wearing a rose-colored hat with a dress of the same color: you will become like a fresh rose, and feel as one.

2 — And physical exercises?... Have you put them on the shelf of forgotten things? Spanish dancers have lithe bodies and slender waists, the result of the difficult exercises they perform... Try this exercise, which lifts

your figure and stretches the mus-cles of the abdomen... even while you are arranging the shelves... in the kitchen.

3 — And your jewelry?... It is

best to avoid jewels of glaring brilliance, and there is no harm if you choose colored stones.

At an age like yours, all the vexations of youth melt away... You are now your own mistress, free to choose whatever dress you wish...

But remember that beautifying

yourself does not lie in thick layers of powder and cream... Avoid excess of artifice, for that adds years to your age.

4 — And attend to your hands, preserving their softness,

not forgetting that beautiful hands are like a magnet... and that a compliment on their grace adds sweetness to your day... Spend on nourishing cream for your skin, for the natural oil withers with the passing of the years, and you must replace it if you are to keep your skin fresh.

And of course you need no one to train you to walk gracefully; so do not scurry along, or trip over the hem of your dress... rather fill your eyes with a room before entering it.

A loud, harsh voice undoes the loveliest lady in the world; so be fastidious in your words and in the tone of your voice, and speak with all the deliberateness you can, for composure is a quality inseparable from the elegant lady...

But you cannot master these rules overnight... Read a great deal, and strive to improve yourself; then you can attain what you desire!...