True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-05-12
Boarding. Houses.


Somebody wants me to write an article
on the "perils of young women in board.
ing houses, and the traps and snares which
are there laid for them"
As to traps and snsres," they are not
confined to boarding houses, and not
always laid by men; have known them
sprung by very demure looking young
women, who, after all their pains only.
caught-themselves. A girl who has
proclivity for evil will follow it. even
under the most favorable surroundings
for goodness. She will always be her
own worst enemy; and good girl will
have an anti-lrap instinct, which is her
best defence. 81 e'i nrH
As to boarding house life. detest il
every way; its public feeding, its scan-
dal, its heterogeniousness, its tyrannical
edicis against babies and young children,
its sitting atmosphere of roast, and boil,
and stew, and tobacco smo&e, itspunctual
delivery OF your letters and parcels-on
the entry table-its way of sweeping
your room at most inconvenient hours,
and dusling ii with one summary whisk
from long handled, feather tailed switch;
its convenient deafness to the jerks Of
your bell wire its homeopathic coffee
and pie /; its towels threadbare in quality,
and nlggardly in quantity; its parloi
snowy and shabby, with its inevitable cen
tre table. with its perennial ANNALS, ,humT
backed rocking chair, and distorted pic
lures and apoplectic bills. saao
The necessity in entails Of always
wearing mask Of fearing to speak
lest you should tread on the toes Of you
neighbor's pet hobby, and thereby de
prive yourself Of the convenient bridge
over which the salt and pepper mus
necessarily pass 10 your plate, waiter
being stupid and scarce the bore o
talking when you feel taciturn, or havint
your neighbor provokingly insist upon i
that you must be i'll; the bore Of laughing
+ when you feel sad, and hearing threat
bare topics re.discussed, and stale joke
+ resurrectionized the misery Of neve
being able to have the first unfolding Q
i your own morning paper, or in having ]
: incontinently disappear in company will
5 some unprincipled boarder, bound on
| day break journey, and that day sure I
be aggravalingly dull and rainy; the ne
1 cesslly Of always turning your keys upo
s boxes aud trunks. and the certainty Z
!, losing or misplacing them when you ar
s in a double twisted, insane hurry you
I contracted, closetless space your inev
o table city window prospect Of back she'd
with ghostly garments hanging on groar
d ing clothes lines Of distracted bachelor
Q atupper chamber windows. vainly essay
r ing TO sew on missing buttons, and mu
i tering inaudible cuises at their clumsy
4 needle pricked fingers. eii
n Now. if you needs must board,go 10 Il
biggest and best hotel you can find, wheI
b everybody is toe. much occupied to int
!. fere with, your personal business ; whe
is waters are plenty, and il is not hil
Is treason to ask for salt with your meat
" II your finances forbid this, then, in me
d cy 10 yourself rent a shanty where !
ID third pei son is q fixture in your famil
+ where you can sneeze when your no
'e has a call that way, and where yo
b, hopes and fears, Joys and sorrows.w
D, not be leisursly disssc,ed by tle GO
fingers Of nallgnity, apd L sH yaeHEs o.Ii q