The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-04-17

Z & -
COU.
old variations Of o Dolce Comceste svening
after evening. The Battle Of Prague was
fought over and over again. The portfolio
Of drawings, (such Of them - had mot been
expensively framed, was exhibited, l doubt
not, to admiring friends, until they were
soiled with thumbing. At last, Georgiana
was engaged, and then she was married
Imssried 70 very good fellow, too. He
loved music, loved painting, and loved his
wife: Two years passed away; and de-
sermined to ascertain how the pair got along.
She was the mother e . hne boy, whom
knew she would be glad 70 have me sse.
called, was treated cordially, and saw the
Identical old portfolio, on the identical old
piano. ] asked the favor Of tune. The
husband with sigh informed me that
Georgiana had dropped her music. Hooked
about the walls, and saw the crsyon Samuel,
and the awful shipwreck in India ink. Alas!
tho battle echoes Of the Battle Of Prague
that came back over the field Of memory,
and these fading mementoes around me,
were all that remained of the accomplish
ments Of the late Miss Georgiana Aurelia
Atkins Green!
| Now, young women, l think You will not
need any assurance from me that / have
drawn . genuine portrait, for which any
number Of your acquaintances may have
played the original. What do you think of
accomplishments like these2 How much do
they amount to2 My opinion Of them ID
that they are the shabbiest Of all things that
can be associated with women's life and
history. have told you this story in order
to show you the importance of incorporating
your accomplishments with your life. 1t is
comparatively an easy task to learn few
tunes BY rote, to get up with the assistance
Of teacher few drawings, to 60 through
with few French exercises, but it is not
90 easy to learn the science Of music, and
70 through the manual practice necessary to
make the science available under all circum-
stances. 1t is not easy to sketch with facility
from nature. It issnot easy to comprehend
the genius Of the French language, and 90
familiarize yourself with it that it shall ever
remain an open language to you, and give
you key to . new literature. A true ac-
complishment is won only by hard work;
but when it is won, it is a part of you, which
nothing but your own neglect can take away
from you. And now let me tell you Sc
cret. Multitudes of married men are led to
seek the society of other women, or 60 out
among their own fellows, and often into bad
habits, because they have drank every sweet
of life which their wives can give them.-
They have heard all their tunes, seen all their
efforts at art, sounded their minds, and
measured every charm, and they see that
henceforth there is nothing in the society Of
their wives but insipidity. They married
women of accomplishments, but they see
never a new development, no Improvement.
Their wives can do absolutely nothing. The
shell is broken; the egg is eaten. o.,
The first accomplishment that l would
urge upon you is that of using the English
language with correctness, elegance and ia
cility. There are comparatively few young
women who can write good note. know
of hardly one who can punctuats her senten.
ces properly. beg Of you never to write
affection with single +, or friendship with
out an i in the first syllable. Such slips
destroy the words, and the sentiments they
represent. If you accomplish yourselves in
nothing else learn thoroughly how to use
your mother tongue. remember one young
woman with whom when in youth had the
misfortune to correspond. In the barren
ness of subjects upon which to engage he,
pen, she inquired by note whether ever
saw such "a spell Of wether," as we had
been having. frankly informed her that ]
never did, and that hoped she. would never
indulge in another, for It made me feel cool.
! Sho took tho hint, and broke of tho oorres-
pondence. There are many who can write
tolerably we'll, but who cannot talk. Con-
versation am inclined to rank among the
greatest accomplishments and the greatest
arts. Natural aptness has much to do with
this, but no woman can talk well who has not
q good stock of definite information. may
add to this that no woman talks well and
satisfactory who reads for the simple pur-
pose of talking. There must exist genuine
interest in the affairs which most concern all
men and women. The book, magazine and
newspaper literature of the time, questions
of public moment, all matters and move
ments relating to art, affairs Of local interest
all these a woman may know something
of, and know something definitely. OF all
these she can talk If she will try, because
there is something in all which excites feel
ing of some kind, and shapes itself into
opinion. -.aaa.
But whatever accomplishment young
woman attempts to acquire, let her by all
4
bright. Accomplishments all occupy the field
Of the arts. They are things which have no
significance or value save in the ability Of
the exponents of woman's highest person
ality. They are her most graceful forms
of self-expression, and into them she can
pour the stream of her thoughts and fancies,
and through them utter the highest language
| ii Rl L. II
ments make woman valuable to herself.
They greatly increase her pleasures, both
directly in the practice, and indirectly through
the pleasures which she gives to society. A
truly accomplished woman-one whose
thoughts have come naturally to flow out in
artistic forms, whether through the instru-
mentality of her tongue, her pen, her pencil
or her piano, is a treasure to herself and to
society. Such woman as this would have
you to be. There may be something to
Interfere with your being all this; but this
you can do: you can acquire thoroughly
every accomplishment for which you have a
natural aptitude, or you can let it alone
Do not be content with smattering of any.
thing. Do not be content to play parrot to
your teachers, until your lessons is learned,
and then think you are accomplished. Do
not De content Win meOlOcrlty IN any &c
complishment you undertake. Do not be
content to be Miss Georgiana Aurelia At.
kins Green. TIAoTHY TIrcoxB.
~ vINGT UN.
We have friend-or, with tho emphasis
Of the inimitable Toodles, we hate friend,
who for the nonce we shall call ssthe Major,''
though his right to the prefix is somewhat
questionable. Nov the Major has had,
querable love of certain game OF cards
called ringt un, which is the French for
twenty one. This we'll known game, fat
wife and large family, are about the only
weaknesses that can be laid to the Majors
charge. How often he has been married,
tho record saith not, neither il it important.
Suffice it that over thirty odd years Of the
Majors welded life, a. his wealth increased