Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-05-10
THE EDUCATION OF ENGLISH GIRLS,
BY REV. J. c. BowDELL.

u
Step into Moseley's in Summer street, and
you will see indication of a good time COM
ing for our daughters-ladies boots, with soles
of a thickness which 1t will cheer every man S
lie ,rt to look at-and fashionable too-the very
latest fashion ! Now. is it not matter for re-
joicing and even for devout gratitude, tn t it is
actually fashionable for women to wear shoes
which will keep their feet dry and warn
Our country women have long endured great
and cruel hardships in this particular, compelled
to wear so timsy an article as if all the shoe
makers in league with consumption aud
death while their husbands and brothers
have walked by their side in boots which pro-
tected them from all harm. This hardship and
cruel inequality of the sexes has been national
as the custom OF plnching the feet of women
has been peculiar to the Chinese. European
have been wearing all along the very
description of boots and shoes which Is now be-
coming fashionable with US never dreaming of
any thing else as at all consistent with common
sense. English duchesses have worn shoes
from time immemorial which country misses
would have considered very vulgar Aud so
English ducheses have retained their plumpuess,
and bloom, and joyous health to fifty and sixty
years of age, while orr women have lost the
last rose before thirty and have gone In fright
full numbers to an early grave.
This whole subject of the training of our girls
must undergo Thorough revision. Many other
climate has, unquestionably, something to do in
transforming the round and ruddy Anglo Saxon
lass to the pale and slender miss of Boston and
New York. But sadly defective education
does great deal more. Tie differences in the
training of English and American girls begin In
the nursery, dating from the first ccekS OF exis-
tence, and extended over the entire period from
infancy to ripe womanh hood. As it is my de
sire to furnish something that may be useful
rather than entertaining, l shall speak very
plainly, and somewhat IN detail.
One of tn ST nlaxims applied to the man
agement Of both girls and boys in England is,
III the words of one of their old physicians.
plenty Of flannel plenty Of n,k, aud plenty Of
steep am quite sure that great many Of
our young mothers do no understand the i'm
portance of every part of this maxim. 1t does
not require a professional eve to discern that
many infau! suffers from want of flannel, al
though the inexperienced mother has no con-
ception of it The child looks warm. and Is
warm TO the touch, out Is irritable, restless. un
able 10 sleep. " ere you never troubled through
the night without knowing the reason, till you
awoke IN the morning and found that though
you had NOT had any sesnse of chillness, yet CT.
had wanted more covering 70 make you sleep
souLdly Infants require great deal OF
warmth, and cannot be healthy without it.
As to food, every mother IN England under
stands that infant must not be fed with all
kinds of trash, gingerbread, cake, pie, DC -
Nothing of the kind is permitted to be given
them. The shops OF Londou--grocers drug
gists, and pastry cooNs-abcund IN simple ar
tIcles of diet. prepared especially for infants as
btIscuit powder :. baked -four" d" tors and
bottoms" patent American corn -four" ar
gbica rcvelcnta,' &c, DC - Plain, simple and
nutritious" is the rule here. Through The eu-
tire period of childhood. and even of youth, the
diet of English girls Is extremely simple. No
tea and coffee, no hot bread--indecd it is a
very common rule in well ordered English
families that no bead must be cut for old or
young. till the second day from the baking
and very little of pastry or sweet meats of any
kind. Plain bread and milk, and fresh beef
and mutton, roasted boiled or broled--nnt
baked nor frcd-with plenty of vegetables,
make up the principle food for English chill
dren. Pork, veal and salted meats al
lowed very sparinglv, as al English mothers
know that they are difficult to digest, and es-
pecially injurious to q child that has the slight
est constitutional tendency to scr0fula.
a well-lighted NURSERY Is considered inds
pensible as 1t Is we'll understood that dark
/ nursery will kill a scrofulous child. Their
odIous aad abominable windowtaX, mod flied
and rehved 10 Its worst feature within few
years, makes EugIshmen anxious to get as
much light as possible into their dwellings
whereas we cover our houses with Windows la
an absurd extent, and then, still more absurd
/ ly, and very iHjudiciously beyond all question,
shut out nearly all the Light with blinds
English children must have abundance Of
/ fresh outdoor air, every day if possible and
important part of the duty OF the nrrse-
maid is to take the children out several hours
every fine day, including the infant. One OF
the most beautiful pictures IN the London
/ parks, and indeed every where all over Eng
/ land, is the innumerable nurse maids, them
selves radiant with health. with Their still more
/ innumerabie children. Thus the English girl
( is early trained to Il habit and love OF walking
/ which she never loses. and in this way secures
round limbs, and expanded chest, and ruddy
countenance while stIl a child. 1t Is hardly
necessary to say that the shoes OF English chill
dren have thick soles, aud that their clothing
throughout is very carefully adapted TO the
( season and the weather.
am afraid American mothers will laugh
! when say that the mothe-s OF England are
very particular not to allow their children, be-
! fore they are old enough II walk, TO sat much
on the carpet, as it is poainse unfavorabe 10
/ erectness and fulIness OF figure They are
therefore. taught with special pains to roll
! themselves on the carpet, and 10 lie on the
stomach, all of which has a direct tendecy 10
! secure perpendicular spinal column and broad
/ full chest.
/ 1t is beautiful feature of English families
/ that the children Instead of being pushed into
/ a precocious maturity OF dress. aud manners,
/ and habits, are children all along their par
ents love TO have it so-simpie, free, Joyous
+ playing. laughing, and ronping all they can
! 1t Is not the least of the advantages of this
!
in spite OF every thing, 1t sets easily and grace
/ fully upon them.
I English children do not 60 10 fashionabl,
parties, or keep late hours. 1t is a specia
study to provide them abundance OF health5
sports and. above all, TO make home radiant
/ with cheerfulness through the day and, wher
/ the night Comes. the young misses. instead o
/ staying up am. being called ladies'. are called
/ girls and sent 10 bed--HaPPy Home.
+ The CULTIVATION or TEA-A Wash ington
/ correspondent saws that the Agricultural Bureau
OF the Patent Office is making preparations t,
test the cultivation of tea IN this county. Tn,
seed will be preserved IN China especially fo
this purpose. planted In glass cases, and shipped
I in October. By the time of their arrival here
they will have sufficiently sprouted 10 set out il
successful! will be distributed among the SoTIh
ern States. An order for great variety OF seed
viii also be seat to Egypt IA a few days, thru