Brookville American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-02

mighty affair of education, Mrs. Grey
had made it life's enterprise to order,
adjust and settle the characters of her
daughters, and when we use the word
character as Mrs. Grey understood it,
we mean to include face, figure, dress,
accomplishments, as we'll as those essen
tial items, mind and heart
Mrs. Grey had determined that her
daughter should be something altogeth-
or out Of the common way, and accord,
ingly she had conducted the training of
the two eldest with such zeal and effect,
that every trace of an original charac-
ter was thoroughly educated out Of
them. All of their opinions, feelings,
words and actions instead Of gushing
naturally from their hearts, were, ac-
cording to the most approved authority,
diligently compared and revised. EN-
ma, the eldest, was an imposing showy
girl, Of some considerable talent, and
she had been assiduously trained to
make sensation as woman of ability
and intellect. Her mind had been fill
ed with information on all sorts of sub
iects, much faster than she had power
to digest or employit, and the standard
which her ambitious mother had set for
her, being rather above the range of
her abilities, there was u constant sen
sation cf effort in keeping up to it. In
hearing her talk you We're constantly
reminded, II am woman OF intellect
am entirely above the ordinary level
of women" and, on all subjects she was
so anxiously and laboriously we'll and
circumstantially informed that it was
cnougn to make ones head ache to hear
her talk. Isabella, her second daughter
was par excellence, beauty-a tall,
sparkling, Clcopatra-looking girl, whose
rich color, dazzling eyes, and superb
figure might have biz defiance to ART
10 furnish an extra charm; ncyerthc-
less, each grace had been as indetatiga-
bly, drilled and manguvcred as the mem-
bers OF an artillery company. Eyes,
lips, cyeIashes--aIl had their lesson; and
every motion Of her sculptured limbs,
every intonation of her silvery voice
had been studied, considered and cor
reeted till even her fastidious mother
could discern nothing that was wanted
Then were added ah the graces of bellies
lcttres -allthe improved rules of being
delighted with music. painting, and last
of all came the tour OF the continent,
travelling being considered sort OF
pumice stone for Rubbing down the var
nish and giving the very last touch to
character.
During the time that all this was go
ing on, Miss Fanny, whom we now de-
clare our heroine, has been growing up
in the quietudc of her mothers 5 country
seat, and growing, rs girls arc apt to,
very much faster than her mother iwag
ined She " as fair slender girl, with
charming simplicity Of appearance
which, if 1T be not in itself II beauty
had all the best effect of beauty, and an
interesting and engaging heart.
She looked not so much beautiful as
loveabe Her character was in precise
correspondence with her appearance;
its first and chief element was feeling;
and to this add fancy, fervor, taste, en-
thusiasm, almost up to the point OF ge-
MUS, and just common sense enough to
keep all in order, and you will nave a
good idea of the mind of Fanny Grev.
Delightfully."- passed the days with
Fanny during the absence Of her moth
er-while without thought of rule or
compass she sang her old songs, painted
flowers and slxetchcd landscapes from
nature, visited socially all over the vii
lage, where she was great favorite,
ran about the fields over fences, or la
the woods, with her little cottage bon
net, and above all, built her own castles
in the air without anybody to help pull
them down, which we think about the
happiest circumstance of her situation.
But affairs wore very different as
pect when Mrs. Grey with her daugh-
ters, returned from Europe, as full OF
| foreign tastes and notions rs people of
artificial character make and generally
do return.
Poor Fanny was deluged with a tor
rent Of new ideas; she heard of styles
of appearance, and styles of beauty,
styles of manner, and styles of conver.
sation--this and that and the other air
IA general effect and particular effect,
and of four hundred and fifty ways of
production and impression; in short it
seemed to her that people ought to bc of
wonderful consequence 10 have so many
things TO think and to say about the
how and why of every action.
Mrs. Grey, who had no manner OF
doubt of her own ability 10 make a
character undertook the point with
Fanny as systematically as one would
undertake to make over a new dress
Poor Fanny, who had an unconquera-
bic aversion TO trying on dresses, and
settling points in millinery, went
through with most exemplary meekness
an entire Transformation as to all OK
ternals; but when Mrs. Grey set her
self at work upon her mind and tastes,
and opinions, the matter became some
what moro sesious--for tho buoyan
feelings and fanciful elements Of her
character were as incapable of being
arranged, according TO rule, as the
sparkling water drops are of being
strung into necklaces and earrings, or
tho gay clouds of being made into arti-
| fcGll flowers. Some warm natural de-
sire or tastes Of her own was forever
interfering with her mothers regime,
some obstinate little "Fannyism" would
always put up its hoad in defiance Of
received custom, and her mother and
sister pathetically remarked, edo what
you would with her, she always came
out herself after oil. :"
After trying laboriously 20 conform