The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1841-11-23
From the Token for 1912.
THE YANK EE GIRL.
BY MRS. HARRIET BEEcHER STOW.

Every land has its own "beau ideal" of woman
and its own ladies have been bepraised in certain
good set terms, with which every body, the least
read III polite literature, is perfectly acquainted
Who has not heard of the noble bearing of the
beauty and domestic virtue of the danes of Eng.
land? OF the sprghtliness and fascination of the
ladies' of France' How have the light footstep of
Spain, the melting eye of Italy been said and sung.
And to this florists feast OF nations, may not the
plain old farmer, New England come spade in
hand, and bring the flower Of his own land? Let
the English lady be enthroned as the llly--the
French, the ever bright and varying tulip the
Spanish and Italian, the full moss roses the richest
and most voluptuous of flowers. The Yankee girl
is the rose laurel, whose blossoms no garden flow
ever exceled in rosy delicacy and graceful lness
of form, but whose root asks neither garden bed
nor gardeners care, bnt i'll take Tor itself strong
hold where there is a handful of earth in The cleft
Of rock, whose polished leaf shakes green and
cheerfully over the SHOWS of the keenest winter.
In her you shall find the union of womanIy delica-
cy and refinement with manly energy and decision J.,
womany ingenuity and versatility in contriv ance,
with manly promptness and efficiency IN execu.
ion
While some ladies found their claim to interest
GA delicate ignorance and inability as TO all the
practical parts of life, the only fear of the New
England girl is that there should be any thing that
woman did (which she cannot do, and has not
done little better than ever it done before
Born offrugal parents, who, with any other habits
would be poor, she learns early to make energy
and ingenuity supply tho place of wealth. Born
IN h aad where all are equal, no princess could
surpass her in the feeling of sell respect. Born
where the unve impulse of all is to rise, there
is nothing in The way of knowledge and accom-
plshment which she does not hope some day TO
acquire and even without any advantages OF cul-
ture, womanIy tact, quickness of mind, and lady
like self possession, add the charm OF grace TO her
beauty Now ifyou wish to find this lady TO cur
fancy you must not look for her in cities where
all the young ladies speak French, play the
piano ,and are taught to be much like one anoth-
er as their bonnes. Ifyou wish to investigate the
flowers Of Ia country, you do not look for them un>
der the shade of damask curtains, in the windows
Of drawing rooms, but seek them, they grow
free and individual the roots of old messy trees
and in the cets of overhangng lodges OF rocks, or
forming eyelashes to the thousand bright eyes of
merry brooks. So if you would this Yankee
girl as she is, take flight up with us-up-up-
not to the skies, but to the north Of New Hamp-
shire. Alight with us now in this cosy little nook,
where the retiring mountains have left space for
cultivation, and hard hands have been found to
improve it, There, on the green breasted turf,
have been dropped some dozen of dwellings,
meeting house and a school house, all in very
pondescript and unutterabe sty les Of architecture
There, in that village which never was aroused by
the rattle and tramp of the mail COACH whose on ~
road has a green ribband OF turf in the middle
with turiy line each side, you wifi perhaps find
what speak of. How still and Sabbath like
seems the place to day-does any body live here
There is nobody TO be seen in the strees-noihng
stirring bur the leaves of'the hense heavy sugar
naples, that shade of the old brown houses, and
the blue flies and humble bees whichs buzz
zing about, with great pretension to business, in
the clover fields But stay: there signs of life;
else why the of shining milk pans-and
hark by The loud drawl from the open windows of
yonder school house, you perceive there is rising
generation in the land Come with us, where a
large, motherly old fashioned house seems to have
sat down to cool itself on that velvet slope OF
turf, while the broad masses of the naples and
the superb arches Of the elms, form an array OF
foliage about it, truly regal That house is the pal
ace royal of one Of the sovereign people of New
Hampshire, TO wit, Jonathan Parsons. Jonathan
is great man, and rich in the land, wise man,
au,i u man ofvalor, moreover. He is great politi-
cally, for be keeps the post Office. He is rch,too