The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-02-03
VOLUME XT. NO. 5.
Transition from Girlhoud to Woman
hood.
By TIMOTHY TTTcoMB.


rock OF sand. HENRY TAYLOR.
Every young woman who has arrived at
twenty years of age, has passed through
three dispensatiOns-the chaotic, tho trans
itional, ard the crystalline. The chaotic
usually terminates with the adoption of tho |
long skirt. Then commences the trausi. |
tional dispensatou, involving the process OF
crystallization. This process may go on
feebly for years, or it may proceed 50 rap
Idly that two years will complete it. In
some womon II is never completed, in con /
sequence OF lack of inherent vital force, or
criminal disregard of the requisite condi-
tons. The transitional dispcnsation is so
full of dangers, that it calls for n separate
letter; and this propose to write now.
Tho silly dispensation, or stage of
young woman's life, is marked by many Gu
rious symptoms, some of them indicative
of disease. AS tho cutting of natura! teeth
is usually accompanied by various dis0r-
ders, so the cutting Of spiritual teeth in wo-
men is very apt to exhibit its results in ub
normal manifestations. They sometimes
eat slate pencils and chalk, aud somo have
been known to take kindly TO broken bits
of plastering. Others take literary turn.
aud, not content with any number of cpis-
Ties to female acquantances, send in con.
frlbutions to tho press, which the friendly
and appreciatve editor kindly and carefully
returns or as kindly and carefully loses, or
fails to receive. Others will tuke to shop
ping and dwaddling with clerks who have
dawning boards. red checks aud frock couts
with outside pockets, from which project
white handkerchief. tips Still others yoke
themselves in pairs, drawn together by
sympathetic attraction, and by community
of mental exercise on the subject of beuux.
hal IL, 81, Al
streets, locked arm in arm, plungng into
the most charming condolences, or, if you
happen to sleop in the house with them,
you shall hear them talking n thoir cham.
Der until, at midnight, the monotonOus hum
OF their voices has soOthed you into sleep /;
and tho same voices, with tho same unbro.
ken hum, shall greet your cars in tho morn
ing. Others take to solitude aud long curs
They walk with their Dyes down, murmur-
ing to themselves, with tho impression that
every ono is looking at them.
II Young woman can be safely carried
through this dispensation, the great stop of
life will have been gained. This is tho era
OF basty marriages, dcathless attachments
which last until they are superseded, aud
deliberately formed determinations to live
maiden life. which endure until tho rocop-
tion of au offer of marriage. Ii, during this
period, young woTan be at home, onga-
god more or less in the duties of tho house.
hold, or, if she be engaged in study, with
tho beautiful restraints and general stimulus
OF society about her, it is very wolI tor her.
But it sho be among her males constantly,
with nothing to do, or if she be shut up in
boarding school, conducted on tho high
pressure principle, where Imagination is
stimulated by restraint, and disObedienco to
law Is provoked by its unreasOnublengss, il
is indeed very bad for her.
1t is probable that the theatre is q schOol
OF vice rather than of vittue, that tho bul-
room is promoter o! dissipation aud that in.
discriminate society has its temptations and
dangers but female boarding school, shut
oil from general society by law, its NOM
bers lacking free exercise in tho open air,
denied tho privilege of daily amusoments,
and presided over by teachers who fail to
understand tho nature of tho precious ma.
torial they have in charge, is as much worse
for the mind and morals than all thoso com.
bined, as can we'll be imagined. | know fe.
male boarding schools that arc properly
conducted, whose teachers know what a girl
10, and what she needs, and who c0ntrvo to
load hor through this transitional passage
of her life into hoalthful and rational wo-
manhood; and know others whose very
atmosphere is that of foyor know board.
ing schools whore boaux are the everlasting
topic OF conversation, and whore an un-
healthy imagination is so stimulated by ir.
rationa! restraints aud mutual fellow fueling
that the foundation of nearly every charuc.
ter is necessarily laid in rottenncss.
II any young woman, in boarding school OF
out OF it, should find herself a subject of
any OF the diseases which | have pointed
out, sho should sock q remody at once. 1t
shc hnds herself moved to go shopping for
tho simple purpose of talking with clerks,
lot hor remember that she is not only doing
an immodest and unbecoming thing, but
she is manifesting the symptoms of that
which is a dangerous mental disease. To
begin with, she is doing very silly thing.
Again she is doiEg that which compromises
hor in the eyes OF all sensible young men.
IT she finds herself possessed with unac,
countable prociivities to a mineral dict, or
foggy out.reaching for something or othor
that maDltests itselt in profound cOntidon-
cos with ono similarly afflicted, or any one
OF absorbing sentimentalisms, let her re-
member that she is mentally and morally
sick, and that, for her own comfort and
peace. she should seek at once for rome
dy. Her only safety is in seeking direct
contact with II healthier and moro advanced
life, and by securing hoathful occupation
Tor all ner powers, intellectual and physical
Dreams, imaginations, silly talk, md twad
dle about young men, yearnings after sym
pathetic hearts, the dandling of preciou:
little thoughts about beaux on tho knees o
fancy, and all that sort of nonsense abou
young men, should bo Observation-Disclosures Out
OF the sacred precnts of tho mind--as il
they were SO many foul reptiles. Get GU
of this feverish aud unhealthy franc lust
as soon as possible, and walk forth into d
moro natural, dignifud and womanly life.
A young woman at this ago should no.
member that her special business is to it
horself for the duties of life. would not
deny to her tho society of young men, when
she has time for it, and proper opportunity,
hut she should remember that sho has
nothing to do with boaux, nothing to DO
with thoughts Of and calculations for mar.
Tiagc, nothing to do but to become, in tho
noblest way, woman. She should re-
member that she is too young to know her
own mind, and that, as a general thing, il
is not worth knowing Girlish attachments
and girlish ideas about men arc tho silliest
things in all the world. If you do not be
lievo it, ask your mothors. Ninoty.nin,
times in hundred they will toll YOU the,
did not marry tho boy they fancied bofor;;
they had right to fancy anybody. If yo,
dream of matrimony for amusement. anc
for the sake of killing tima I haya ,I,;s .,